ps gameguard C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitorsWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive and that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar Assad’s ouster from power in Damascus . “We think we can get him back," Biden told reporters at the White House, while acknowledging that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. "Assad should be held accountable.” Biden said officials must still identify exactly where Tice is after his disappearance in August 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus. “We've remained committed to returning him to his family,” he said. Tice, who is from Houston, has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and other outlets. A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since. Syria has publicly denied that it was holding him. The United States has no new evidence that Tice is alive, but continues to operate under that assumption, according to a U.S. official. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. will continue to work to identify where he is and to try to bring him home. His mother, Debra, said at a news conference Friday in Washington that the family had information from a “significant source,” whom she did not identify, establishing that her son was alive. “He is being cared for and he is well — we do know that,” she said. The Tice family met this past week with officials at the State Department and the White House. “To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we’re waiting for Austin,” Debra Tice said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media Sunday. “We know that when he comes out, he’s going to be fairly dazed and he’s going to need lots of care and direction. Direct him to his family please!” Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!TOKYO, Dec. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MRM) (“MEDIROM”) announces that M3, Inc. (TOKYO PRIME: 2413), or an affiliate within the M3 group, is participating in the Series A equity financing round of MEDIROM MOTHER Labs Inc., a subsidiary of MEDIROM. NFES Technologies Inc. is the lead investor of the Series A financing round at a pre-money valuation of JPY9 billion. Additional information is available here: https://medirom.co.jp/en/ir/20240824/6148%09 Forward-Looking Statements Regarding MEDIROM Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates or expectations about MEDIROM’s possible or assumed operational results, financial condition, business strategies and plans, market opportunities, competitive position, industry environment, and potential growth opportunities. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “design,” “target,” “aim,” “hope,” “expect,” “could,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “goal,” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements relate to future events or to MEDIROM’s future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MEDIROM’s actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond MEDIROM’s control and which could, and likely will, affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects MEDIROM’s current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to MEDIROM’s operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect MEDIROM’s business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price is included in MEDIROM’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in the “Risk Factors” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” sections of MEDIROM’s most recently filed periodic report on Form 20-F and subsequent filings, which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . MEDIROM assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. ABOUT M3, Inc. M3 is a one of a kind venture company that operates a multitude of global services centred around its physician platform such as m3.com . M3 is the first company incorporated after the year 2000 to be included in the Nikkei 225 Index. Its 330,000+ Japanese and 6,500,000+ global physician member panel serves as a central platform in advancing innovation and reform across healthcare worldwide. Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (Securities code 2413) 1-11-44 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 JAPAN Web https://corporate.m3.com/en ABOUT MEDIROM MOTHER Labs Inc. A subsidiary of MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MRM), focuses on the health-tech sector. The company’s core activities include the "Specific Health Guidance Program" offered through the "Lav" health application and development and sales of the 24/7 recharge-free MOTHER Bracelet smart tracker. By leveraging the features of the recharge-free MOTHER Bracelet, MOTHER Labs offers customizable health management solutions across diverse sectors, including caregiving, logistics, manufacturing, etc. MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. NASDAQ Symbol: MRM Tradepia Odaiba, 2-3-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Web https://medirom.co.jp/en Contact: ir@medirom.co.jp MEDIROM MOTHER Labs Inc. Tradepia Odaiba, 2-3-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan MOTHER Bracelet is the world's first* 24/7 recharge-free smart tracker. It uses innovative technology from a Silicon Valley tech company that allows for power generation based on temperature differences between body and surrounding air. The recharge-free feature eliminates the risk of data loss when a device is taken off for recharge. MOTHER Bracelet records five basic metrics: heart rate, calories burned, body surface temperature, step count, and sleep. Official Website: https://mother-bracelet.com

Turkish FM discusses with Blinken need to cooperate with new Syrian administration

CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) — Shelton Williams-Dryden had 19 points in West Georgia's 78-73 win against Tennessee Tech on Saturday. Williams-Dryden also contributed six assists for the Wolves (1-10). Malcolm Noel scored 13 points while shooting 4 for 6 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line and added five assists. Rickey Ballard shot 5 for 11, including 2 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points. The Wolves broke a 10-game losing streak. Rodney Johnson Jr. finished with 17 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Eagles (4-6). Mekhi Cameron added 15 points and three steals for Tennessee Tech. Jaylon Johnson also had 12 points, six assists and two steals. NEXT UP Both teams play again on Tuesday. West Georgia visits Charlotte and Tennessee Tech travels to play Western Illinois. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its stake in shares of Hubbell Incorporated ( NYSE:HUBB – Free Report ) by 0.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,806,630 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 10,508 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Hubbell were worth $773,871,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. IFG Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Hubbell in the 2nd quarter valued at $475,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Hubbell by 51.3% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,693 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after acquiring an additional 1,252 shares during the period. LGT Capital Partners LTD. acquired a new position in Hubbell in the third quarter worth about $39,687,000. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in Hubbell by 89.0% during the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,713,000 after purchasing an additional 2,207 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Hubbell by 7.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 229,210 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $98,187,000 after purchasing an additional 15,215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.16% of the company’s stock. Hubbell Stock Down 1.7 % Shares of NYSE:HUBB opened at $423.11 on Friday. Hubbell Incorporated has a 12 month low of $315.38 and a 12 month high of $481.35. The firm has a market cap of $22.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $447.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $411.68. Hubbell Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $1.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Hubbell’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. This represents a $5.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Hubbell’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.04%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth HUBB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hubbell from $445.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com lowered Hubbell from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Hubbell in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $535.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Hubbell from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $385.00 to $454.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hubbell from $402.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hubbell has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $472.13. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hubbell Insider Activity In other Hubbell news, insider Mark Eugene Mikes sold 1,144 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.20, for a total value of $533,332.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,378,553.40. This represents a 27.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Hubbell Company Profile ( Free Report ) Hubbell Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells electrical and utility solutions in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Electrical Solutions and Utility Solutions. The Electrical Solution segment offers standard and special application wiring device products, rough-in electrical products, connector and grounding products, lighting fixtures, and other electrical equipment for use in industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities by electrical contractors, maintenance personnel, electricians, utilities, and telecommunications companies, as well as components and assemblies. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HUBB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hubbell Incorporated ( NYSE:HUBB – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Hubbell Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hubbell and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF ( BATS:VUSB – Free Report ) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,913,851 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,589,803 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.22% of Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF worth $944,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 16,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $829,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Latitude Advisors LLC grew its position in Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF by 1.7% during the third quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 13,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $664,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the period. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 24,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,212,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 12,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $611,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF Stock Up 0.0 % Shares of BATS:VUSB opened at $49.57 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.67. Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF Cuts Dividend Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF Profile ( Free Report ) The Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF (VUSB) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund actively invests in investment grade securities while aiming to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity of 0 to 2 years. VUSB was launched on Apr 5, 2021 and is managed by Vanguard. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VUSB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF ( BATS:VUSB – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Decision follows observations of liver transaminitis without clinically significant symptoms in some subjects on azelaprag Company will evaluate data from patients enrolled to date and share updated plans for azelaprag in Q1 2025 In parallel to evaluating azelaprag, Company will continue to advance earlier platform-derived programs, including IND submission for CNS penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor anticipated in the second half of 2025 RICHMOND, Calif., Dec. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioAge Labs (Nasdaq: BIOA) (“BioAge”, “the Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic product candidates for metabolic diseases by targeting the biology of human aging, today announced that the Company has made the decision to discontinue the ongoing STRIDES Phase 2 study of its investigational drug candidate azelaprag as monotherapy and in combination with tirzepatide after liver transaminitis without clinically significant symptoms was observed in some subjects receiving azelaprag. No transaminase elevations were observed in the tirzepatide only treatment group. “Patient safety is our top priority in the conduct of our clinical studies,” said Kristen Fortney, PhD, CEO and co-founder of BioAge. “We made the difficult decision to discontinue the STRIDES Phase 2 study of azelaprag because it became clear that the emerging safety profile of the current doses tested is not consistent with our goal of a best-in-class oral obesity therapy. While this outcome is a significant disappointment, we remain encouraged by azelaprag’s promising preclinical and Ph1b efficacy profile. We remain committed to our focus on developing therapies for metabolic aging. In parallel to assessing the next steps for the azelaprag program, we will continue to advance our NLRP3 inhibitor program as well as additional research programs with novel mechanisms emerging from our platform.” STRIDES is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial of azelaprag as monotherapy and in combination with tirzepatide that planned to enroll approximately 220 individuals with obesity aged 55 years and older ( link ). The trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy as measured by body weight reduction and other outcomes, safety, and tolerability of two oral doses of azelaprag (300 mg, once or twice daily) in combination with tirzepatide (5 mg subcutaneous injection once weekly). An azelaprag monotherapy arm was included to provide additional safety information. Of 204 subjects enrolled in STRIDES as of today, 11 subjects in the azelaprag treatment groups were observed to have transaminase elevations with no clinically significant symptoms. Dosing of all subjects will be discontinued, and no additional subjects will be enrolled. Clinical follow-up of enrolled subjects will continue off drug. The Company intends to further analyze available STRIDES clinical data from all enrolled subjects. The Company has notified all study investigators and regulatory authorities including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Company’s decision to discontinue enrollment. The Company intends to share updated plans for azelaprag in Q1 2025. BioAge continues to advance its pipeline of therapeutic candidates targeting the biology of aging to treat metabolic diseases. The Company's novel class of brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitors, which have demonstrated high potency and a novel binding site, are progressing toward IND submission, anticipated in the second half of 2025. The NLRP3 inhibitor program targets neuroinflammation, which is linked to both metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, BioAge is advancing multiple targets derived from its proprietary discovery platform, which analyzes molecular data spanning over 50 years of human aging trajectories. About BioAge Labs, Inc. BioAge is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic product candidates for metabolic diseases, such as obesity, by targeting the biology of human aging. BioAge’s lead product candidate, azelaprag, is an orally available small molecule agonist of APJ that was observed to promote metabolism and prevent muscle atrophy on bed rest in a Phase 1b clinical trial. BioAge is also developing orally available small molecule brain penetrant NLRP3 inhibitors for the treatment of diseases driven by neuroinflammation. BioAge’s preclinical programs, based on novel insights from the company’s discovery platform built on human longevity data, address key pathways in metabolic aging. Forward-looking statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our plans to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our business strategy, results of our ongoing or planned clinical trials, the timing of any future updates to our programs and the clinical utility of our product candidates. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by such words as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “possible,” “will,” “would,” and other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including: our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize our product candidates; the timing and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials; the risk that positive results in a preclinical study or clinical trial may not be replicated in subsequent trials or success in early stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results in later stage clinical trials; risks associated with clinical trials, including our ability to adequately manage clinical activities, unexpected concerns that may arise from additional data or analysis obtained during clinical trials, regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies, or may fail to approve or may delay approval of our drug candidates; the occurrence of adverse safety events; failure to protect and enforce our intellectual property, and other proprietary rights; failure to successfully execute or realize the anticipated benefits of our strategic and growth initiatives; risks relating to technology failures or breaches; our dependence on collaborators and other third parties for the development of product candidates and other aspects of our business, which are outside of our full control; risks associated with current and potential delays, work stoppages, or supply chain disruptions; risks associated with current and potential future healthcare reforms; risks relating to attracting and retaining key personnel; failure to comply with legal and regulatory requirements; risks relating to access to capital and credit markets; and the other risks and uncertainties that are detailed under the heading “Risk Factors” included in BioAge’s Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 7, 2024, and other filings with the SEC filed from time to time. BioAge undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Contacts PR: Chris Patil, media@bioagelabs.com IR: Elena Liapounova, ir@bioagelabs.com Partnering: partnering@bioagelabs.com Web: https://bioagelabs.com

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times , declared this week that he will introduce an AI-generated “bias meter” alongside the newspaper’s opinion and news coverage as part of a broader effort to give its readers “both sides” of the story. The surprising move, which comes after he axed the paper’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris and announced his intention to overhaul the Times’ editorial board to add more conservative voices, has prompted the paper’s union to publicly blast Soon-Shiong and longtime columnist Harry Litman to resign. Appearing on the podcast of right-wing CNN political commentator Scott Jennings, who is joining the Times’ editorial board, Soon-Shiong said he’s been “quietly building” the so-called bias meter “behind the scenes. Claiming that it will debut next month, the biotech entrepreneur said it uses the same artificial intelligence technology that he’s been developing at his other businesses for years. “Somebody could understand as they read it that the source of the article has some level of bias,” Soon-Shiong continued. “And what we need to do is not have what we call confirmation bias and then that story automatically — the reader can press a button and get both sides of that exact same story based on that story and then give comments.” Soon-Shiong’s remarks immediately drew an immediate rebuke from the LA Times’ union, which represents hundreds of journalists and newsroom staffers. “Recently, the newspaper’s owner has publicly suggested his staff harbors bias, without offering evidence or examples,” the guild’s council and bargaining committee said in a statement . “The statements came after the owner blocked a presidential endorsement by the newspaper’s editorial board, then unfairly blamed editorial board staffers for his decision.” The guild added that it had “secured strong ethics protections for our members, including the right to withhold one’s byline, and we will firmly guard against any effort to improperly or unfairly alter our reporting.” Litman, who had written for the Times for 15 years and been its senior legal columnist for the past three, announced on Thursday that he had tendered his resignation as a “protest and visceral reaction” against Soon-Shiong’s conduct as owner. “Soon-Shiong has made several moves to force the paper, over the forceful objections of his staff, into a posture more sympathetic to Donald Trump,” he wrote in a Substack post on Thursday. “Those moves can’t be defended as the sort of policy adjustment papers undergo from time to time, and that an owner, within limits, is entitled to influence.” Following Trump’s electoral victory, Soon-Shiong told CNN last month that he planned on “balancing” the paper’s editorial board with more conservative and centrist voices, complaining that it had “veered very left” in recent years. Following the owner’s polarizing decision to block the Times ’ Harris endorsement, which resulted in thousands of readers canceling their subscriptions, the board was reduced to just three members due to several resignations . Besides Litman and the LAT guild, roughly a dozen current and former Times staffers told media reporter Oliver Darcy that they felt “demoralized” by Soon-Shiong’s heavy-handed “meddling” in the newsroom. “The man who was supposed to be our savior has turned into what now feels like the biggest internal threat to the paper,” one staffer said. Additionally, Darcy explained why morale has plummeted at the paper in recent months — and much of it hinged on the owner’s apparent public embrace of Trump and MAGA, which they feel he is now looking to force the paper to reflect. “There certainly is plenty of cause to be alarmed. Soon-Shiong, who once fashioned himself as a Black Lives Matter-supporting vaccine proponent, has morphed into a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jennings fanboy,” Darcy noted. “Since Trump’s victory in November, Soon-Shiong has turned to X to criticize the news media, praise Trump’s cabinet picks, and appeal to a MAGA audience. The change in behavior has confounded his journalists, who wonder what happened to the Soon-Shiong whose newspaper enforced strict Covid restrictions and emphasized its support for social justice causes.” The Independent has reached out to a Los Angeles Times spokesperson for comment.Robinson has 15 in Delaware State's 80-77 win against Loyola

Oracle earnings missed by $0.01, revenue fell short of estimates