NASA Invites Media to Administrator Flight in Electra Hybrid-Electric AircraftNico Iamaleava passed for four touchdowns and Dylan Sampson rushed for 77 yards and set a school-record for TDs as No. 11 Tennessee rolled to a 56-0 victory over UTEP on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn. Sampson scored on a 14-yard TD run early in the second quarter for the game's first points to deliver his 22nd TD of tje season to break the Tennessee single-season mark set by Gene McEvers in 1929. Iamaleava was 15 of 20 for 173 yards for Tennessee (9-2), while Bru McCoy caught a pair of TD passes and Squirrel White and Ethan Davis each had a TD reception. Tennessee moved its all-time record to 2-0 against the Miners, also having blanked the Conference USA school 24-0 in 2018. Jermod McCoy and John Slaughter had interceptions for the Volunteers, while Dominic Bailey recovered a fumble to set up a score. Skyler Locklear was 10-of-19 passing for 50 yards with an interception for UTEP (2-9), while rushing for 37 yards on eight carries. JP Pickles also had a turn at QB for the Miners and was 10 of 15 for 72 yards. Kenny Odom had eight receptions for 70 yards. Both defenses set the tone in the first quarter. The UTEP defense allowed just one first down to the Southeastern Conference team in three ugly series in the opening quarter and only 22 yards. In the second quarter, Sampson ended a 68-yard drive by dashing up the middle for 14 yards for the record-setting score to take a 7-0 lead with 13:22 remaining before halftime. After Bailey's fumble recovery, Iamaleava flipped a screen pass that White took 9 yards to the end zone nearly six minutes later. Davis put the Volunteers up 21-0 when he grabbed a short pass for a 1-yard TD. Iamaleava then found Bru McCoy from 18 yards with eight seconds left in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead. McCoy caught his second TD and Peyton Lewis rushed for a pair for a 49-0 lead in the third quarter, but the biggest roar from Volunteers fans came when it was announced Florida beat No. 9 Ole Miss 24-17, to enhance the Volunteers' College Football Playoff hopes. Cameron Seldon's 3-yard run capped the scoring as the Volunteers finished the season undefeated at home for the second time in four years. --Field Level MediaDrop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’
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WASHINGTON D.C., DC — For Makenzie Gilkison, spelling is such a struggle that a word like rhinoceros might come out as “rineanswsaurs” or sarcastic as “srkastik.” The 14-year-old from suburban Indianapolis can sound out words, but her dyslexia makes the process so draining that she often struggles with comprehension. “I just assumed I was stupid,” she recalled of her early grade school years. But assistive technology powered by artificial intelligence has helped her keep up with classmates. Last year, Makenzie was named to the National Junior Honor Society. She credits a customized AI-powered chatbot, a word prediction program and other tools that can read for her. “I would have just probably given up if I didn’t have them,” she said. Artificial intelligence holds the promise of helping countless other students with a range of visual, speech, language and hearing impairments to execute tasks that come easily to others. Schools everywhere have been wrestling with how and where to incorporate AI , but many are fast-tracking applications for students with disabilities. Getting the latest technology into the hands of students with disabilities is a priority for the U.S. Education Department, which has told schools they must consider whether students need tools like text-to-speech and alternative communication devices. New rules from the Department of Justice also will require schools and other government entities to make apps and online content accessible to those with disabilities. There is concern about how to ensure students using it — including those with disabilities — are still learning. Students can use artificial intelligence to summarize jumbled thoughts into an outline, summarize complicated passages, or even translate Shakespeare into common English. And computer-generated voices that can read passages for visually impaired and dyslexic students are becoming less robotic and more natural. “I’m seeing that a lot of students are kind of exploring on their own, almost feeling like they’ve found a cheat code in a video game,” said Alexis Reid, an educational therapist in the Boston area who works with students with learning disabilities. But in her view, it is far from cheating : “We’re meeting students where they are.” Ben Snyder, a 14-year-old freshman from Larchmont, New York, who was recently diagnosed with a learning disability, has been increasingly using AI to help with homework. “Sometimes in math, my teachers will explain a problem to me, but it just makes absolutely no sense,” he said. “So if I plug that problem into AI, it’ll give me multiple different ways of explaining how to do that.” He likes a program called Question AI. Earlier in the day, he asked the program to help him write an outline for a book report — a task he completed in 15 minutes that otherwise would have taken him an hour and a half because of his struggles with writing and organization. But he does think using AI to write the whole report crosses a line. “That’s just cheating,” Ben said. Schools have been trying to balance the technology’s benefits against the risk that it will do too much. If a special education plan sets reading growth as a goal, the student needs to improve that skill. AI can’t do it for them, said Mary Lawson, general counsel at the Council of the Great City Schools. But the technology can help level the playing field for students with disabilities, said Paul Sanft, director of a Minnesota-based center where families can try out different assistive technology tools and borrow devices. “There are definitely going to be people who use some of these tools in nefarious ways. That’s always going to happen,” Sanft said. “But I don’t think that’s the biggest concern with people with disabilities, who are just trying to do something that they couldn’t do before.” Another risk is that AI will track students into less rigorous courses of study. And, because it is so good at identifying patterns , AI might be able to figure out a student has a disability. Having that disclosed by AI and not the student or their family could create ethical dilemmas, said Luis Pérez, the disability and digital inclusion lead at CAST, formerly the Center for Applied Specialized Technology. Schools are using the technology to help students who struggle academically, even if they do not qualify for special education services. In Iowa, a new law requires students deemed not proficient — about a quarter of them — to get an individualized reading plan. As part of that effort, the state’s education department spent $3 million on an AI-driven personalized tutoring program. When students struggle, a digital avatar intervenes. More AI tools are coming soon. The U.S. National Science Foundation is funding AI research and development. One firm is developing tools to help children with speech and language difficulties. Called the National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, it is headquartered at the University of Buffalo, which did pioneering work on handwriting recognition that helped the U.S. Postal Service save hundreds of millions of dollars by automating processing. “We are able to solve the postal application with very high accuracy. When it comes to children’s handwriting, we fail very badly,” said Venu Govindaraju, the director of the institute. He sees it as an area that needs more work, along with speech-to-text technology, which isn’t as good at understanding children’s voices, particularly if there is a speech impediment. Sorting through the sheer number of programs developed by education technology companies can be a time-consuming challenge for schools. Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education, said the nonprofit launched an effort this fall to make it easier for districts to vet what they are buying and ensure it is accessible. Makenzie wishes some of the tools were easier to use. Sometimes a feature will inexplicably be turned off, and she will be without it for a week while the tech team investigates. The challenges can be so cumbersome that some students resist the technology entirely. But Makenzie’s mother, Nadine Gilkison, who works as a technology integration supervisor at Franklin Township Community School Corporation in Indiana, said she sees more promise than downside. In September, her district rolled out chatbots to help special education students in high school. She said teachers, who sometimes struggled to provide students the help they needed, became emotional when they heard about the program. Until now, students were reliant on someone to help them, unable to move ahead on their own. “Now we don’t need to wait anymore,” she said. ___ This story corrects that Pérez works for CAST, formerly the Center for Applied Specialized Technology, not the Center for Accessible Technology. The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Belarus seeks to copy neighboring Russia's repressive LGBTQ+ policies, activists say
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HOUSTON, Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intuitive Machines, Inc. LUNR LUNRW)) ("Intuitive Machines" or the "Company"), a leading space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, announced today that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $65.0 million of shares of its Class A common stock ("Class A Common Stock") (the "Offering"). The Company and a selling stockholder intend to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $8,872,500 and $877,500 of shares of Class A Common Stock from the Company and such selling stockholder, respectively. The Offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the Offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the Offering. Additionally, on December 2, 2024, the Company entered into an agreement with Boryung Corporation (together with its affiliates, "Boryung"), an accredited investor, pursuant to which the Company will sell to Boryung $10.0 million of shares of Class A Common Stock in a concurrent private placement (the "Private Placement") at a purchase price per share equal to the public offering price per share in the Offering. The offer and sale of the Company's Class A Common Stock pursuant to the Private Placement will be made in reliance upon the exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "Securities Act") provided by Section 4(a)(2) thereunder. The Private Placement is contingent upon the consummation of the Offering and the satisfaction of certain other customary closing conditions. The consummation of the Offering is not contingent on the consummation of the Private Placement. The Company intends to use the net proceeds it receives from the Offering and the Private Placement, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investment balance, to acquire an equivalent number of newly-issued common units of Intuitive Machines, LLC ("Intuitive Machines OpCo") from Intuitive Machines OpCo, which Intuitive Machines OpCo will in turn use for general corporate purposes, including operations, research and development and potential mergers and acquisitions. In the event the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares, the Company will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of any shares of Class A Common Stock being sold by the selling stockholder. Intuitive Machines will bear the costs associated with the sale of such shares, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by the selling stockholder. BofA Securities, Cantor, Barclays and Stifel are acting as the lead joint book-running managers for the Offering. Roth Capital Partners is acting as a book-running manager for the Offering. The offer and sale of the securities pursuant to the Offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and became effective on April 3, 2024. The Offering will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement relating to these securities. A copy of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained, when available, from the website of the SEC at www.sec.gov . Alternatively, copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus may be obtained, when available, from BofA Securities, NC1-022-02-25, 201 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com; Cantor, 110 East 59th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022, Attention: Capital Markets, or by email at prospectus@cantor.com; Barclays, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at (888) 603-5847 or by email at barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com; or Stifel, One Montgomery Street, Suite 3700, San Francisco, California 94104, Attention: Syndicate, by telephone at (415) 364-2720 or by email at syndprospectus@stifel.com. The securities to be offered and sold in the Private Placement have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state's securities laws. Accordingly, the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus related to the Offering are not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in connection with the Private Placement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Intuitive Machines Intuitive Machines is a diversified space exploration, infrastructure, and services company focused on fundamentally disrupting lunar access economics. In 2024, Intuitive Machines successfully landed the Company's Nova-C class lunar lander, Odysseus, on the Moon, returning the United States to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. The Company's products and services are offered through its four in-space business units: Lunar Access Services, Orbital Services, Lunar Data Services, and Space Products and Infrastructure. For more information, please visit intuitivemachines.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward looking. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "strive," "would," "strategy," "outlook," the negative of these words or other similar expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding: our anticipated use of net proceeds from the Offering and the Private Placement; the terms and size of the Offering and the timing and manner of the Offering; the satisfaction of closing conditions related to the Private Placement; our expectations and plans relating to our lunar missions, including the expected timing of launch and our progress and preparation thereof; our expectations with respect to, among other things, demand for our product portfolio, our submission of bids for contracts; our expectations regarding revenue for government contracts awarded to us; our operations, our financial performance and our industry; our business strategy, business plan, and plans to drive long-term sustainable shareholder value; and our expectations on revenue and cash generation. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's predictions, projections, or expectations based upon currently available information and data. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements in this press release: our reliance upon the efforts of our key personnel and board of directors to be successful; our limited operating history; our failure to manage our growth effectively and failure to win new contracts; competition from existing or new companies; unsatisfactory safety performance of our spaceflight systems or security incidents at our facilities; failure of the market for commercial spaceflight to achieve the growth potential we expect; any delayed launches, launch failures, failure of our satellites or lunar landers to reach their planned orbital locations, significant increases in the costs related to launches of satellites and lunar landers, and insufficient capacity available from satellite and lunar lander launch providers; our customer concentration; our reliance on a single launch service provider; risks associated with commercial spaceflight, including any accident on launch or during the journey into space; risks associated with the handling, production and disposition of potentially explosive and ignitable energetic materials and other dangerous chemicals in our operations; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers for certain materials and supplied components; failure of our products to operate in the expected manner or defects in our sub-systems; counterparty risks on contracts entered into with our customers and failure of our prime contractors to maintain their relationships with their counterparties and fulfill their contractual obligations; failure to successfully defend protest from other bidders for government contracts; failure to comply with various laws and regulations relating to various aspects of our business and any changes in the funding levels of various governmental entities with which we do business; our failure to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, and unpatented know how; our failure to comply with the terms of third-party open source software our systems utilize; our ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, and to address and remediate material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting; the U.S. government's budget deficit and the national debt, as well as any inability of the U.S. government to complete its budget process for any government fiscal year, and our dependence on U.S. government contracts and funding by the government for the government contracts; our failure to comply with U.S. export and import control laws and regulations and U.S. economic sanctions and trade control laws and regulations; uncertain global macro-economic and political conditions (including as a result of a failure to raise the "debt ceiling") and rising inflation; our history of losses and failure to achieve profitability in the future or failure of our business to generate sufficient funds to continue operations; the cost and potential outcomes of potential future litigation; our public securities' potential liquidity and trading; the sufficiency and anticipated use of our existing capital resources to fund our future operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements and needs for additional financing, including the Offering and the Private Placement; and other public filings and press releases other factors detailed under the section titled Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, the section titled Part I, Item 2. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the section titled Part II. Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and in our subsequent filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this press release and current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks, and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Contacts For investor inquiries: investors@intuitivemachines.com For media inquiries: press@intuitivemachines.com This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Analog Devices to Participate in UBS Global Technology ConferenceOliver Glasner: Crystal Palace are heading in right direction after Ipswich win
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, barred human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the hard or soft copies of his book, ‘Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System’. A similar order was issued by an Oyo State High Court, which also granted an interim order restraining Farotimi or any person acting through him from further printing the controversial book. The activist lawyer is currently embroiled in a legal battle over the controversial book. The police have arraigned Farotimi before the Federal High Court in Ekiti State as well as an Ekiti State Magistrates’ Court, Ado-Ekiti. The charges border on defamation and cyberbullying, stemming from a petition by legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, who alleged that Farotimi defamed him in his book. According to the police, Farotimi, in the book, accused Babalola and other SANs of corrupting Justices of the Supreme Court. Following his arraignment in court, Farotimi has been remanded in prison. On Wednesday, Justice Peter Kekemeke in Abuja heard an ex parte application filed by the Managing Partner at Afe Babalola’s law firm, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), praying for the seizure of the controversial book. In granting Ogunwumiju’s prayers, the judge barred “the agents, publishers, distributors, sellers, re-publishers, re-sellers, or any other person from further publishing, selling, circulating, advertising, or distributing the physical/hard/digital/soft copies of the book online, electronically, physically or by any other means, including the social media.” The judge also granted an order of interim injunction “directing the seizure of all physical copies of the book, wherever they may be found by the Nigeria Police Force, the State Security Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and all other security agencies.” Related News Farotimi: Police allege witnesses intimidation, oppose bail application Human Rights Day: Farotimi’s detention signals impunity, rights violations - Atiku VIDEO: Alleged defamation: Dele Farotimi appears at Ado-Ekiti Magistrate court The order was granted pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction dated and filed on December 6, 2024. The court also ordered that relevant security agencies should file an affidavit demonstrating compliance with the orders within 72 hours of their receipt of the ruling. In a similar development, an Oyo State High Court granted an interim order restraining Farotimi or any person acting through him from further printing the controversial book. The order was granted by Justice Mufutau Adegbola following an ex parte application made by Adebayo Adenipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on behalf of Afe Babalola law firm. The motion for an interlocutory injunction in this case is scheduled for hearing on January 7, 2025. Operatives of the Nigerian Police reportedly arrested Farotimi on December 2 as criticisms continued to trail the style of his arrest. He was picked up by the police in Lagos and transported to Ekiti State, where he appeared before a magistrate’s court on Wednesday, December 4. The Chief Magistrates’ Court in the Ado Ekiti Division, on Wednesday, ordered his remand in the state’s correctional centre. Farotimi was arraigned over alleged defamation of character following the allegation in his book that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola, had compromised the Supreme Court.This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here . > 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are U.S. markets take a breather The S&P 500 slipped 0.19%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.55% and the Nasdaq Composite retreated 0.18% as traders await today's jobs report . Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday . India's Nifty 50 slipped around 0.1% on the country's interest rate decision, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed roughly 1.3%. India's central bank keeps rates The Reserve Bank of India on Friday left interest rates unchanged at 6.5% , as economists in a Reuters poll had expected. The central bank is balancing India's high inflation and a slowing economy: year-on-year prices rose 6.21% in October , while the country's fiscal third-quarter gross domestic product grew by a surprisingly low 5.4% from a year ago. What to expect from U.S. jobs report The U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for November is coming out later today. After the shockingly low 12,000 jobs added in October — largely attributed to factors like disruptions from hurricanes and strikes — economists polled by Dow Jones expect the U.S. economy to have added 214,000 jobs in November . The October number could also be revised higher. Crypto continues riding waves On Thursday, bitcoin smashed the $100,000 barrier — though it has since retreated from that level to around $98,100. With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's announcement on Thursday that venture investor David Sacks will be the White House's "A.I. & Crypto Czar," investor sentiment toward bitcoin might get another boost. [PRO] Top global picks for 2025 Investment bank Macquarie is bullish on several Asian stocks for the next year. Those companies span sectors from automotive to defense and have a potential upside of at least 50% , according to the bank. Money Report European markets set to open lower as French political upheaval drags on UniCredit's Orcel could still sweeten his bid and take on a double M&A offensive The U.S., in terms of its economy and financial markets, seems to be firing on all cylinders. Even though major U.S. indexes fell yesterday, when viewed in the context of their performance this week, it looks like a slight pause after achieving a series of record closing levels. And U.S. stocks could continue notching fresh highs in the future, according to bank analysts. "As far as the SPX goes, we believe the index will finish 2025 in the 6500 to 6700 range," Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo , wrote in a Wednesday note. Taking the higher end of Wren's estimate, that implies a 10% upside from Thursday's close. If that scenario plays out for the S&P 500, it would mark the third consecutive year of gains for the broad-based index. The S&P has already shot up 27.6% year to date, its second-highest annual increase in the 21st century, according to Deutsche Bank . The strength of the U.S. stock market is more striking when compared with its European counterpart. "MAGA policy expectations, coupled with Goldilocks data, have revived animal spirits for US equities. In contrast, Europe remains on the back foot amid stagnant growth, tariff threats and political crisis in France," Barclays wrote on Wednesday. "It is hard to see an end to US exceptionalism any time soon, which we think remains the playbook into 2025." The U.S. economy, likewise, isn't showing signs of flagging. The Atlanta Federal Reserve forecasts U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter to hit 3.3% on an annualized basis. That's a small uptick from its 3.2% estimate earlier this week, and higher than third-quarter growth of 2.8% . Employment is the engine that powers most aspects of the economy. November's jobs report, out later today, will give investors more insight into whether U.S. economic and financial growth can continue racing forward. — CNBC's Jesse Pound, Lisa Kailai Han and Sean Conlon contributed to this report. Also on CNBC U.S. exceptionalism seems difficult to dismiss for now South Korea and its markets are not unfamiliar with impeachment Impeachments are not new to South Korea — and its markets
By olusegun Adeniyi The moment I stepped out of church last Sunday and checked my phone, I saw a missed call from my friend, Mustapha Sanah (HRH Dalun-Lana Tapha Mahamadu II). He had left a terse message: “Prepare for inauguration.” I surmised that former President John Dramani Mahama and candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Coalition (NDC) had won the Ghanaian presidential election held last Saturday. In my conversation with Mahama at his Accra residence on Friday, 20th September, he predicted he would win the election and promised that I would be his guest at the inauguration. ( https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/09/26/ghanas-future-beyond-jollof-rice/ ) But before I could respond to Mustapha, breaking news flashed on my mobile phone that the 54-year-old father-and-son dictatorship in Syria had been upended by rebel forces. President Bashar al-Assad had reportedly fled Damascus, leaving his country in tatters. The fall of Assad is a testament to the fragility of power that is neither ennobling nor geared towards the common good. “As recently as 2010, Syria had a higher per capita income than many of its neighbours. Since 2011, well over half a million have died and several million displaced,” according to Nilanthan Niruthan, a defense analyst and researcher at Columbia University, United States. “The UNHCR estimated earlier this year that at least 90% of the Syrian population live under the poverty line, conditions which would have certainly worsened in the last week.” While it remains to be seen how the disparate rebel groups in Syria will work together to govern the war-torn country, the consequences of toppling Assad are far-reaching. “The Arab Spring started in Tunisia (in 2011) but claimed scalps in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen,” argues Dr Michale Rubin, a director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and former Pentagon official. “Assad’s ouster and similar dynamics in some regional countries may soon claim scalps of other long-term dictators.” I hope that message will resonate on a continent where 91-year-old Paul Biya of Cameroon has been president for the last 42 years despite being marooned mostly in a Geneva, Switzerland hotel; 82-year-old Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea has been in power for the past 45 years; 80-year-old Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda for the past 38 years and Isaias Afwerki has been the first and only president of Eritrea since independence in 1993. The message will also serve many others, including Faure Gnassingbe of Togo who succeeded his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema two decades ago and appears to be plotting for his son to succeed him. There is a way in which we can connect what happened in Ghana and Syria because both have to do with power and popular will. But for the benefit of Nigerian politicians who may have a superficial reading of Mahama’s victory, the first thing they must understand is the discipline of Ghana’s politicians and the strength of their political parties. The Independent National Electoral (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu alluded to this earlier in the week. “Rarely in Ghana do you see people moving from one party to another with every general election,” Yakubu said. “There are people who have supported political parties for many years. So, whether the party is in power or opposition, they stick to the political party.” That, of course, is not the situation in Nigeria where expediency rather than principle dictates our politics. For instance, many of the politicians who were either in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Labour Party (LP) before the last election have moved to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In a milieu in which public service has been reduced to ‘eating’, a politician can be a PDP member in the morning, decamp to the LP in the afternoon and by evening, he could be attending the APC meeting as the board of trustees’ chairman! In the past few days, five LP members and one PDP member in the House of Representatives have decamped to the APC. Quite naturally, the one who attracted the most attention is Donatus Matthew, the commercial motorcycle (Okada) rider who defeated a fourth-term member in Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna State. When you move from riding Okada to cruising around in a N160 Million SUV within a matter of weeks, what is the big deal about dumping the party on which you came to power, even if the law is not on your side? The situation is different in Ghana which perhaps explains why the election of Mahama came as no surprise. The foundation was laid four years ago at the 2020 presidential election. Although Mahama (president between 2012 and 2016) lost the last election, his party (NCC) took 31 parliamentary seats from the ruling NPP. With both parties winning the same number of seats (137 each) resulting in a hung parliament, the lone independent candidate, Andrew Asiamah Amoako supported the NDC candidate, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to emerge as speaker. If that was Nigeria, not only would the lone independent candidate pitch tent with the ruling party but many members from the opposition party would also have followed him to decamp. Besides, can anyone imagine a Nigerian President in a similar scenario allowing the lawmakers to pick their presiding officer without interference, as then re-elected President Nana Akufo-Ado did? If it were here, even the court would be deployed in a diabolic manner to give comfort to the ruling party! In its statement on the Ghana election, the PDP said it portends an ominous omen for the APC at the coming 2027 poll. “The verdict of the people of Ghana in this presidential election is a signal to the APC that its days in office are numbered as the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, will surely prevail, end APC’s oppressive rule and return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027,” according to a statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba. But what the PDP must understand is that defeating an incumbent (ruling party) requires the creation of a strategic coalition in which personal ambitions would be sacrificed for group goals. Unfortunately, I have not seen any such effort from the opposition parties in Nigeria whose leaders seem not to have learnt any lesson from the last election won by the incumbent with just 37 percent of the total vote cast. I spent my one-year Fellow’s programme at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University (during the 2010/2011 academic session) researching why it is so difficult for candidates of ruling parties to lose elections in Africa. In the process, I discovered that competitive presidential elections held on the continent in the preceding two decades resulted only in four percent defeat and 96 percent victory for the ruling parties. When I applied the principle to the rest of the world, I found the same trend. Ruling parties (and incumbents) were defeated at the polls in only seven percent of cases, winning 93 percent of the time. At the end, I was able to identify fractionalized opposition as the main factor in competitive elections. As I was working on the paper, which I eventually titled “Divided opposition as boon to African incumbents” (https://scholarsprogram.wcfia.harvard.edu/publications/divided-opposition-boon-african-incumbents), Nigeria was preparing for the 2011 general election that had then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan standing against Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). Feeble attempts to form an opposition platform around Buhari and (current president) Bola Tinubu had collapsed. So, when the election held and Buhari lost, I adapted my research paper to write an article which I titled “Divided They Run, United They Lose: How Fractionalized Opposition Strengthens African Incumbents”. In the piece, I stated clearly that Buhari should not locate his defeat on rigging or the factor of incumbency but rather on his (Buhari’s) inability to build a credible opposition coalition. “While not advocating against the legal option already taken by a section of the Nigerian opposition, my contention is that it is more productive for them to begin to plan and organize for future elections. The perennial narrative that they are rigged out by the ruling party is becoming hollow,” I wrote for THISDAY in May 2011 at a period I was still in the United States. “In a milieu where political parties are not only weak but also lack financial wherewithal with no ideology binding members together, forging an electoral alliance is a long and arduous task. Waiting till weeks or days to the election to begin the process for such an alliance is therefore no more than an open invitation to a sure defeat.” Four years later, my thesis proved accurate when the same opposition parties galvanised to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) now called APC to win the 2015 presidential election. While the political system in Ghana is not perfect, they have erected certain moral guardrails for their politicians and public office holders that we have not succeeded in doing. I highlighted a few in my September column, ‘Ghana’s Future: Beyond Jollof Rice’, following my visit to the country. Like Nigeria, Ghana is a multiparty democracy. But their politicians have coalesced around two strong parties with distinct ideologies. Therefore, to achieve the kind of alternation that has strengthened democracy in Ghana, our politicians must muster the discipline to enthrone a two-party structure. In their own enlightened interest, Nigerian politicians must also works towards that if our democracy is to survive and thrive. Meanwhile, there is a way in which we can connect the election of Mahama in Ghana to the toppling of Assad in Syria. The former is about popular democracy anchored on the will of the people and the latter, a fall-out of a charade in which citizens were conscripted to legitimise a compromised process that had nothing to do with the public good. We must learn from both countries. Without any doubt, the political system in Ghana is miles ahead of Nigeria’s. Our politicians are a mixed bag of cheap crooks and a few good people. That explains why violence and fraud have become part of the DNA of our politics while the industrialization of electoral disputes has become a revenue source for a corrupt arm of the judiciary. In Syria, the fate that ultimately befell Assad should serve as a cautionary tale for Nigeria regarding the consequence of a leadership living above and removed from the deprivation of the populace. Just three years ago in May 2021, Assad (whose father ruled Syria for 30 years until his death in 2000) won a fourth term in office with 95.1% of the votes in a sham election that extended his rule till 2028. From being a maximum ruler with power of life and death over citizens, Bashar Al-Assad is now no more than a fugitive in Russia where he has been granted political asylum. Perhaps the signature lesson of his fall, for those in leadership positions who exhibit insensitivity and callous indifference to the plight of their people, is the transient nature of power. And nobody can forever evade accountability.Investors looking to invest $1,000 in a financial services stock with solid growth potential and reliable returns could consider ( ). It’s one of the top alternative asset managers globally, handling an impressive $1 trillion in assets across industries like renewable energy, infrastructure, private equity, real estate, and credit. Brookfield’s early investments into booming sectors such as renewable energy, nuclear power, and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure are starting to pay off. These industries are set for long-term growth, giving Brookfield plenty of room for growth. Let’s delve deeper to understand why Brookfield Asset Management is a solid stock to buy right now. Brookfield employs an asset-light model, focusing on high-quality investments and distributing a significant portion of its earnings to shareholders. Its distributable earnings are primarily derived from fee-related income, which is stable and predictable, ensuring regular payouts and long-term shareholder value. In its third quarter, Brookfield delivered record results. Fee-bearing capital surged to $539 billion—up nearly 23% year over year—driven by substantial inflows, strategic acquisitions, and portfolio growth. The company’s fee-related earnings reached $644 million, a 14% year-over-year increase, while distributable earnings grew 9% to $619 million. Brookfield’s operating leverage also enabled it to expand margins to 58%, a substantial improvement compared to earlier quarters. With favourable market conditions, the company will likely witness continued earnings growth in the quarters ahead. Brookfield is well-positioned to thrive in industries experiencing long-term growth cycles. Its investments in renewable energy, data centres, and AI infrastructure provide a unique edge in capitalizing on multi-decade investment trends. The company is also ramping up its credit business, recently consolidating all its credit operations under the new Brookfield Credit division. This segment now represents $245 billion in fee-bearing capital, with ambitious plans to grow to $600 billion within five years. Brookfield has set its sights on doubling its business size within five years, targeting $1 trillion in fee-bearing capital. This expansion is expected to drive over 15% annual growth in earnings and dividends, fueled by the scaling of flagship funds, complementary strategies, and an enhanced credit platform. As the company’s capital base grows and margins expand, Brookfield expects fee-related earnings to reach $5 billion annually. Moreover, its portfolio will become increasingly stable, with long-term and perpetual capital projected to account for over 90% of total assets within five years. Brookfield will likely benefit from improved market conditions, including easing inflation, lower borrowing costs, and increased liquidity. These factors have bolstered transaction activity and asset monetization. In the last few months, Brookfield completed or signed deals for over $17 billion in asset sales and has a robust pipeline for further transactions. Brookfield Asset Management is a well-diversified, high-growth company poised to deliver reliable dividends and capital appreciation. Its strategic investments in renewable energy, infrastructure, and AI give it a significant competitive edge, while its strong liquidity and ambitious growth plans ensure long-term value creation. Overall, Brookfield Asset Management is a compelling choice for investors seeking exposure to high-growth financial services stocks.Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’
Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service Cord cutting used to refer to abandoning pay TV and putting up an antenna to watch free over-the-air TV. Then cord cutting expanded to include streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and individual streaming sources. Related Articles TV and Streaming | Best TV of 2024: A modestly better lineup than usual, but why didn’t it feel that way? TV and Streaming | Column: 40 years after it premiered, ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ remains one of the best Doyle adaptations TV and Streaming | ‘Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary’ review: More than an ironic musical pleasure TV and Streaming | ‘The Agency’: Spy vs. spy with Michael Fassbender at the center TV and Streaming | ‘Get Millie Black’ review: In Jamaica, a police detective is haunted by threats old and new Now we also include streaming bundles, like YouTube TV or Hulu Live or DirecTV Stream. These bundled services mimic cable and satellite service, in that they have hundreds of channels. The ease or complexity of the cord cutting experience depends on how you have things set up. Let’s take a look at some gift options for your favorite cord cutter. DirecTV Gemini Air As far as I know DirecTV is the only streaming bundle service that offers its own hardware. The Gemini Air is a small dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV. It is paired with a remote control to allow for easy navigation. If you were an AT&T U-Verse TV customer, the Gemini Air/DirecTV Stream experience will be very familiar. The Gemini Air is a rarity in that it has number buttons. DirecTV Stream has the option of turning on channel numbers in the guide. I’ve used DirecTV Stream with my Roku TV and with the Gemini Air and the Air makes navigating the huge list of channels much easier. The Gemini Air runs the Google operating system, so you can see and use all your other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Max and more. You can also load apps and games from the Google Play store. The Gemini Air connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, and it can stream 4K content to your TV. The remote control has a microphone so you can use your voice to search or interact with Hey Google’s voice assistant. DirecTV Stream customers can get a free Gemini Air from AT&T with their service. Additional units are available for $120. Google TV Streamer (4K) There are lots of smart TV brands. Some run on the Roku operating system, some run Google TV and some use their own brand of smart TV apps. If you’d like to add Google TV to any set, you can get Google’s new TV Streamer (4K) for just $99 from store.google.com. The small device connects to your TV’s HDMI port. It also can connect to your home’s internet via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet connection. The Google TV interface is not tied to any specific streaming service. You can use any streaming service or app that’s available on the Google Play store. It features a simple remote with voice control and the Google TV Streamer is also a hub and controller for Matter and Thread home devices that work with Google’s home ecosystem. TabloTV If you use an over-the-air antenna for watching your free local channels, I’m betting you’d like the option to record those channels. TiVo used to be the best/easiest way to record OTA TV, but they’ve discontinued their OTA recorders. A great alternative is from TabloTV, which is a small box that you connect to your TV antenna. The TabloTV does not directly connect to your TV. Instead it connects to your home’s Wi-Fi, and the antenna signal is wirelessly sent to any TV or compatible device in your home. Your TV picks up the signal through a free app, which is compatible with smart TV brands like Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Android TV. This method is extremely handy if you don’t want to be bothered running an antenna wire from your attic or roof all the way to your TV. It’s also great if you want to use an indoor antenna, but your TV is not situated in a room that faces the broadcast towers. You can place the antenna and TabloTV where you get the best reception. The TabloTV comes in two models – with either two or four tuners. This means you can record or watch two or four shows at a time. TabloTV has onboard storage to record up to 50 hours of shows, but you can plug in any USB hard drive and expand to record thousands of hours of programming. You can also bundle a TabloTV with an OTA antenna if you like, or you can use your own antenna. Two things to know, there are no ongoing subscription costs for guide data, and there is no streaming service integration. You will need another way to add in streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. TabloTV models start at $99.95 for the two tuner model at tablotv.com. The four-tuner model is $139.95, but they may be on sale during the holidays. ©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% across UK retail destinations by 5pm, in comparison to last year, MRI Software found. The slump in the number of people heading to the shops during Boxing Day sales signals a return to declining pre-pandemic levels, an analyst has said. Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Gaston Martirena and Adrian Martinez scored first-half goals as Argentina's Racing won its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1 in the final on Saturday. Martirena opened the scoring in the 15th minute and Martinez added a goal five minutes later to give “La Academia” its first international title since 1988 when it won the Supercopa Sudamericana. “Maravilla” Martinez scored 10 goals in 13 matches and finished as the top scorer in the competition. Roger Martinez sealed the victory with a goal in the 90th. Kaio Jorge scored in the 52nd for Cruzeiro. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerJeremy Clarkson has backpedalled on his previous comments about why he bought his farm, saying he thought it would be a “better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying tax”. The TV presenter and journalist defied doctors’ orders by joining thousands of farmers in London on Tuesday to protest against agricultural inheritance tax changes. The 64-year-old, who fronts Prime Video’s Clarkson’s Farm, which documents the trials of farming on his land in Oxfordshire, wrote in a post on the Top Gear website in 2010: “I have bought a farm. There are many sensible reasons for this: Land is a better investment than any bank can offer. The government doesn’t get any of my money when I die. And the price of the food that I grow can only go up.” Clarkson also told the Times in 2021 that avoiding inheritance tax was “the critical thing” in his decision to buy land. Addressing the claim in a new interview with The Times, the former Top Gear presenter said: “I never did admit why I really bought it.” The fan of game bird shooting added: “I wanted to have a shoot – I was very naive. I just thought it would be a better PR story if I said I bought it to avoid paying tax.” Clarkson was among the thousands who took to the streets this week to protest over the changes in the recent Budget to impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million and he addressed the crowds at the march in central London. He told the newspaper he is not happy to be the public face of the movement, saying: “It should be led by farmers.” The presenter said he does not consider himself a farmer because there are “so many basic jobs” which he cannot do, but he feels his role is to “report on farming”. Earlier this month, it was confirmed Clarkson’s Farm, which has attracted huge attention to his Diddly Squat farm shop, had been renewed for a fifth series. Asked whether the issue behind the tax protest is that rural poverty is hidden, Clarkson agreed and said his programme was not helping to address the situation. “One of the problems we have on the show is we’re not showing the poverty either, because obviously on Diddly Squat there isn’t any poverty”, he said. “But trust me, there is absolute poverty. I’m surrounded by farmers. I’m not going out for dinner with James Dyson. “It’s people with 200 acres, 400 acres. Way past Rachel Reeves’s threshold. They are f*****.” The newspaper columnist also presents Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? on ITV. The Grand Tour, his motoring show with former Top Gear colleagues Richard Hammond and James May, ended in September. Discussing whether he might move into politics, Clarkson said: “I’d be a terrible political leader, hopeless. “I’m a journalist at heart, I prefer throwing rocks at people than having them thrown at me.” However, he said he would be “100% behind any escalation” after the farmers’ march. Clarkson revealed last month he had undergone a heart procedure to have stents fitted after experiencing a “sudden deterioration” in his health which brought on symptoms of being “clammy”, a “tightness” in his chest and “pins and needles” in his left arm. He said in a Sunday Times column that one of his arteries was “completely blocked and the second of three was heading that way” and doctors said he was perhaps “days away” from becoming very ill. Asked if he is thinking about retiring, the Doncaster-born celebrity said: “Probably not. It depends when you die, I always think. “You’d be surprised, us Northerners are made of strong stuff.”
You know what they say: new year, new you. And in the world of aesthetics, that resolution couldn’t be easier to achieve. According to experts, 2025 will be the year of cutting-edge work, such as new-age skincare treatments and nearly invisible plastic surgery. Namely, the “invisilift” is on the rise. Double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Anil Shah, who practices in Chicago, said that getting a facelift before looking too aged is key for slowing down the aging process on the face. “Facelifts are absolutely the most requested procedure for patients in their 40s and 50s,” Shah explained to Salon Today . “When done early like this, it’s preventative, not restorative. Not only does this make for an incredibly natural outcome, but it allows patients to stop the clock, so to speak, for a good 10 to 15 years.” Also referred to as “early-intervention facelifts,” younger candidates for the procedure often see longer-lasting results, Dr. Sean Alemi, a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, told Forbes . “Millennials are turning 40 and looking for new solutions for facial aging and skin laxity that do not include filler,” he said. The change in preference signals a shift back to more naturally looking aesthetics, which has previously been called a “ De-Kardashian-ification ” or a “Great Deflation.” Chin implants are also expected “really take off in 2025,” Dr. Cat Chang, a Beverly Hills board-certified plastic surgeon, told Forbes. Her patients in particular, she added, have complained of having “weak chins.” “While on the pricier side, this procedure has minimal downtime, improves face shape and also defines the jawline,” she told Marie Claire . Non-invasive treatments for wrinkles and lifting are also expected to soar in popularity, such as Sofwave , which uses ultrasound technology to boost collagen production. Experts in the industry also predict that regenerative skincare — such as products that contain defensins, which are regenerative molecules, or exosome therapy — will gain traction in the new year. Exosomes, in tandem with red light therapy, have also been used in hair restoration treatments in people with menopausal hair loss. Shah called the combination of treatments a “game changer” for stimulating hair growth. Similarly, skincare treatments to counteract “ inflammaging ,” or aging caused by inflammation, could also be the next big thing in aesthetics. “I anticipate that exosome and stem cell treatments will rise in the coming year and beyond,” Chang said. “It’s hard to say exactly what that will look like, but it’s becoming more attractive for people to have their own stem cells harvested and injected back into the skin, as opposed to foreign substances.” Experts in the industry believe that the development of AI will also play a role in new-age techniques for rejuvenation and aesthetics. “Artificial intelligence is set to transform the world of aesthetic medicine,” said Dr. Patrick Byrne, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. “By using AI to analyze facial features, guide cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, and predict evolution of interventions over time, surgeons will be able to deliver outcomes that are more nuanced and precise than ever before.”
