Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. American Airlines briefly halts flights nationwide after technical issue American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue just as the Christmas travel season kicks into high gear. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after the ground stop order was issued Tuesday. Just before 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue affecting its entire system with millions traveling for the holiday. The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street holds near breakeven ahead of Christmas Stock indexes are edging higher in morning trading on Wall Street as gains for some Big Tech stocks make up for weakness elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 was up 0.4% Tuesday. Chip company Broadcom was again helping to pull the index higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.7%. American Airlines fell 1.2% after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields rose. U.S. markets will close at 1 p.m. Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas. An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.Hyderabad: TGANB nabs four drug peddlers; hash oil worth Rs 5.2L seized
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump's supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump's movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump's Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer's comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar." Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry's need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump's world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift. His presidential transition team did not respond to questions about positions on visas for highly skilled workers or the debate between his supporters online. Instead, his team instead sent a link to a post on X by longtime adviser and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller that was a transcript of a speech Trump gave in 2020 at Mount Rushmore in which he praised figures and moments from American history. Musk, the world's richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump's movement but his stance on the tech industry's hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry's need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent," he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump's own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump's businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country" and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country," he told the “All-In" podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump's budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.The bill is modeled after a Louisiana law that doctors say has created chaos for other gynecological issues best treated by these drugs. By Eleanor Klibanoff , for The Texas Tribune Sign up for The Brief , The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. A Louisiana law that reclassified abortion-inducing drugs as controlled substances has made it more difficult for doctors to treat a wide range of gynecological conditions, doctors say. Now, a similar proposal has been filed in Texas. Texas Rep. Pat Curry, a freshman Republican from Waco, said the intent of House Bill 1339 is to make it harder for people, especially teenagers, to order mifepristone and misoprostol online to terminate their pregnancies. Doctors in Louisiana say the measure has done little to strengthen the state’s near-total abortion ban, but has increased fear and confusion among doctors, pharmacists and patients. “There’s no sense in it,” said Dr. Nicole Freehill, an OB/GYN in New Orleans. “Even though we kept trying to tell them how often [these medications] are used for other things and how safe they are, it didn’t matter. It’s just a backdoor way of restricting abortion more.” These medications are often used to empty the uterus after a patient has a miscarriage, and are commonly prescribed ahead of inserting an intrauterine device. Misoprostol is also often the best treatment for obstetric hemorrhages, a potentially life-threatening condition in which women can bleed to death in minutes. Since the Louisiana law went into effect, hospitals have taken the medication off their obstetrics carts and put them in locked, password-protected central storage. One hospital has been running drills to practice getting the medications to patients in time, and reported, on average, a two-minute delay from before the law went into effect, the Louisiana Illuminator reported . “In obstetrics and gynecology, minutes or even seconds can be the difference between life and death,” Dr. Stella Dantas, president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, said in a statement after the Louisiana law passed. “Forcing a clinician to jump through administrative hurdles in order to access a safe, effective medicine is not medically justified and is, quite simply, dangerous.” Curry said these restrictions won’t stop doctors from prescribing these medications when necessary, but will stop the “wide misuse” of the drugs to circumvent the state’s near-total abortion ban. Curry said he consulted with the author of the Louisiana law, as well as OB/GYNs in Texas to draft the bill. He said the doctors who have criticized the legislation are raising these concerns as a “smokescreen” because they don’t want more restrictions. “I understand that. We don’t need or want all kinds of regulations,” he said. “Especially as Republicans, regulations should not be high on our list, but in this case it’s a necessary evil given the situation.” In March 2022, Mason Herring, a Houston attorney, spiked his wife’s water with misoprostol to force her to have an abortion. Catherine Herring was pregnant with the couple’s third child, a daughter who was born 10 weeks premature. She survived, but has significant developmental delays, according to the Associated Press . Mason Herring was charged with felony assault to induce abortion, and pled guilty to injury to a child and assault to a pregnant person. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Catherine Herring’s experience led her brother, Louisiana state Rep. Thomas Pressly, to file a bill that would have made it a crime to coerce someone into having an abortion. But at the last minute, the bill was amended to also reclassify abortion-inducing drugs as controlled substances, according to the Louisiana Illuminator , leaving hospitals and doctors scrambling to comply with the new restrictions. The state health department advised storing the medication in a locked area on the crash cart, which at least some hospitals have said is not feasible. “We had to rework how we utilize misoprostol across our hospital systems,” Freehill said. “Labor and delivery, pharmacy, nursing staff, you name it, they were all involved with figuring out how to stay within the law but still use these medications that we need access to.” It’s rare for a state to decide on its own to classify a drug as a controlled substance. Most commonly, the federal government decides which medications should be “scheduled,” based on their medical usefulness and the potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs, like heroin, have no medical use and are often used recreationally; Schedule IV and V are medications that are useful but have a potential for abuse, like Xanax or Valium. There are enhanced penalties for having a controlled substance without a prescription, and increased restrictions on how doctors can dispense them. Pharmacists must report any prescriptions for controlled substances to the state Prescription Monitoring Program, and doctors are required to check the database before prescribing certain controlled substances. Law enforcement also has access to that database. Prescription monitoring has been key to combating the opioid epidemic by identifying doctors who were overprescribing and patients who were getting prescriptions from multiple providers. But with so much political attention on mifepristone and misoprostol as abortion-inducing drugs, doctors are worried about scrutiny for frequently prescribing these common medications. “We had to fix a problem that wasn’t broken,” said Freehill. “There’s no reason for it to be Schedule IV. It’s not something people abuse. It’s not something people can become addicted to. It’s extremely safe.” A group of Louisiana health care providers recently filed a lawsuit arguing the law discriminates against people who need mifepristone and misoprostol for other conditions, and challenging whether the last minute amendments to the bill were proper. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has said the new restrictions are clear and should not delay care. Those who “have attempted to sow confusion and doubt,” she said in a statement, “profit from misinformation.” When the law first went into effect, Anna Legreid Dopp, senior director of government relations for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, told CNN that the group expected other states to consider similar measures. “Almost immediately, our members raised concern that if this is being done in one state, it can easily be a template for other states to use it,” Dopp said. Curry, who recently won a special election to fill the seat long held by Republican Rep. Doc Anderson, said Pressly and Herring have offered to come testify in support of his bill this session. He anticipates it getting wide support from his fellow lawmakers. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, conservative groups have turned their attention to restricting access to abortion-inducing medications. A group of anti-abortion doctors filed a lawsuit to revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, which the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately rejected . Curry said there are reasons to keep these medications on the market beyond abortion, but they need tighter restrictions. “You can lie about your age, you can lie about your name, you can lie about your address, there's no verification whatsoever,” he said, referring to online prescribers. “And it gets shipped to a 15-year-old girl, a 13-year-old girl.” It is already a crime to mail abortion-inducing medications in Texas, and many of the online pharmacies operate in a legal gray area outside U.S jurisdiction. Others are working in states that have “ shield laws ” that protect doctors’ ability to prescribe and mail pills into states that have banned abortion. None of these interstate and international legal questions have been tested in court with regards to abortion. Freehill said she would encourage Texas doctors to learn from what has happened in Louisiana as they prepare to advocate against this bill this session. “There's a lot of education that needs to be done surrounding what this means and what these drugs are really used for,” she said. “I don’t know that we would have been able to sway people, even with more time, but we can at least educate on why this is completely inappropriate and really governmental overreach.” This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune . The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org .
Swiss National Bank decreased its stake in shares of Stericycle, Inc. ( NASDAQ:SRCL – Free Report ) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 181,300 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Stericycle were worth $11,059,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SRCL. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stericycle in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Stericycle by 4,172.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 940 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Stericycle in the second quarter worth about $58,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Stericycle in the second quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Stericycle by 121.3% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,476 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. 98.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Stericycle Stock Performance Shares of SRCL stock opened at $61.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Stericycle, Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.78 and a 12-month high of $61.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 163.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $61.39 and its 200 day moving average is $58.29. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In View Our Latest Report on Stericycle Stericycle Company Profile ( Free Report ) Stericycle, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides regulated waste and compliance services in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers regulated waste and compliance services, including regulated medical waste, sharps waste management and disposal, pharmaceutical waste management and disposal, chemotherapy waste and disposal, controlled substance waste disposal, healthcare hazardous waste, and integrated waste stream solutions; specialty services, such as MedDrop medication collection kiosks, safe community solutions, SafeDrop sharps mailback solutions, and airport and maritime waste services; medical supply store services, that includes sharps and disposable biohazardous waste containers, infection control supplies, and seal&send medication mail back; and compliance solutions including Steri-Safe compliance solutions. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SRCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Stericycle, Inc. ( NASDAQ:SRCL – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Stericycle Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stericycle and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .None
NoneCongolese rumba is largely considered one of the most influential genres of African music and dance. It is deep-rooted in Congo’s anti-colonial fight of the 20th century, when the country was under Belgium’s rule until it achieved independence from the European nation in 1960. In 2022, the genre even earned UNESCO-protected status, making Congolese rumba a rich part of the nation’s history books and spawning stars such as Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide and Fally Ipupa, the latter of whom is currently one of the genre’s biggest stars across Africa and the African diaspora. Frequently referred to as the “Prince of Rumba,” Ipupa’s songs have nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify, and he’s been nominated three times for the BET Awards’ Best International Act and won multiple MTV Africa Music and African Muzik Magazine awards. So, when the African superstar was approached to star in , an ambitious 1950s Congo-set movie that has rumba at its heart, he jumped at the opportunity. “One of the main reasons I was drawn to this movie is because of the story and how it represents Congo and portrays rumba music,” Ipupa tells Deadline of his first film role. “I was keen to be a part of something that could offer up something about our pop culture from a historical point of view and show Congo in a new light.” Dubbed a historical thriller, is set in 1959 Leopoldville, the former capital of Belgian Congo (which is now called Kinshasa), a time when the pulsating rhythms of rumba set nightlife alight. The story takes place around the Club Rumba Royale, where white Europeans and Congolese citizens rub shoulders, and where the captivating melodies of rumba merge with aspirations and fiery debates of independence. The plot unfolds through the lives of four central characters, each woven into the fabric of a city on the brink of change: Daniel (Ipupa), the bohemian photographer yearning for recognition; Olive (Melanie Bokata), the vivacious waitress caught between dreams and harsh realities; Sese (Patrick Kabundi), the jovial manager of the Rumba Royale; and Amandine (Cécile Djunga), the seemingly discreet figure orchestrating both the music and struggle for independence. As their fates converge at the heart of the club, their stories intertwine in a journey filled with love, politics and the strength of the human spirit. The project is the brainchild of writers Kevin Dwyer and Hamed Mobasser. Mobasser, who is a Belgian diplomat currently based in Washington D.C., also co-directs the film alongside Congolese helmer Yohane Dean Lengol. Dwyer and Mobasser first met in Brussels, when they both belonged to the Brussels Writers’ Circle, a collective of English-language writers in the city. When Mobasser was stationed at the Belgian embassy in Kinshasa from 2020 to 2024, he met a variety of different artists in the region and ended up making a short film, an experience that gave him exposure to the local, burgeoning industry. “We had this idea of trying to see if we could make something work in Congo with a reasonably low budget given that the film industry is still in its infancy there,” he says. “At the same time, we found we could work with very talented people who had been self-taught and were experimenting.” Both Mobasser and Dwyer then came across the work of a number of African photographers who had been working before Congo’s independence in 1960, notably the work of Congolese photographer Jean de Parva, who roamed the rumba clubs of Leopoldville at the time. “If you look him up, you’ll see magnificent pictures of the 1950s and the clubs there, which were full of white people – the Colonials – and black locals,” says Mobasser. “It could give you a false impression of an equal society where people hung out and partied and danced together.” Mobasser, who is of Belgian and Iranian decent, recalls thinking about this period of time in Congo’s history and was surprised that, for a nation of nearly 100 million people, Congo “didn’t really have many images of themselves in terms of pop culture from the past.” “It’s an odd thing for me,” he admits, harkening to his Iranian heritage which has a rich history of cinema. “When you ask the Congolese if they can name Congolese movies that they’ve seen, most people I have talked to couldn’t name more than a handful of movies.” Both Mobasser and Dwyer felt compelled to make a Congo-set movie that would ultimately be what they consider a “declaration of love to art of photography, fashion and the vibrant notes of Congolese rumba while, at its heart, offering a narrative of Congolese characters that are often overlooked by popular visual culture.” The pair were soon able to attach local director Lengol to co-direct the feature with Mobasser as well as rumba superstar Ipupa. “Fally specifically didn’t want to play a musician in the film,” says Mobasser. “He wanted to act and that’s why he plays Daniel, the main photographer.” Shot in Kinshasa by a Congolese technical crew, the film is laden with local talent including the music, which is composed by Congolese artists. While it’s set during a specific place and time in history, Ipupa notes that it was important that the film doesn’t focus too much on the political history of Congo, but rather has a nod to it. “We’ve stayed far away from politics, which I think is important,” says Ipupa. “We touch on it at the beginning when we talk about the independence but that’s it.” Mobasser adds that the focus was to “stay historically correct.” “We didn’t shy away from covering things that are facts or things that happened historically, but we do not go into a political subject matter either,” he says. “It just doesn’t fit the theme of the movie.” Both Mobasser and Ipupa are hopeful that the project, which is currently in post-production, is going to resonate with local Congolese audiences, especially given Ipupa’s big profile but there is a big desire for this film to breakout to international audiences. “We’d love for this to have a festival run in some way,” notes Mobasser. “People are going to love this movie in Congo,” says Ipupa. “I think they are going to be surprised in a good way and I’m hoping my position in Congo is going to attract people to it. It’s one of the two or three of the biggest projects to come out of Congo – maybe not in terms of budget, but in terms of ambition and a lot of people have put in a lot of work here. We had a vision, and we knew what we wanted to present and the story we wanted to tell so we are confident this will resonate with local audiences.” He continues: “Congo, as an industry, is growing. There are a lot of new talented Congolese directors, technicians, crew and writers. In all sections of the film industry, there are new and talented people cropping up. The reality is the industry is not there yet.” Ipupa notes that given the current lack of infrastructure, it wouldn’t be possible to make more than one or two films in Kinshasa at the same time. “You just wouldn’t have enough crew at the right level,” he says. While he’s encouraged about the presence of streaming platforms in Africa across the last few years, he’s hopeful that this will grow. “It’s time these platforms take more of an interest in a market that is very big and untapped,” he says. “I’m really happy to see that there are some African talents that make it on to these platforms, but our continent is full of them and it’s important to give a space to these voices.” “My hope with is that the Congolese audience take away a sense of pride,” says Mobasser. “The Congolese are some of the nicest and most wonderful people I’ve met, and I hope that when they watch the film, they have a sense of pride in themselves, their history and their people. Having this representation of Congolese rumba on screen is really important. Fally is the face of Congolese rumba today and I’m happy he’s allowed us to create that bridge for Congolese audiences.” He continues: “For international audiences, it’s really a universal story that we are hopeful will offer viewers a rare look into a Congolese cinematic landscape, where productions of this period of history are rare.” Sign up for . For the latest news, follow us on , , and .
3 Ultra-High Yield Dividend Stocks Retirees Should Consider for 2025Maverick Marler made the game fun... he was no ordinary Joe, writes CHRIS FOY as the England and Harlequins star calls time on his rugby careerAfter losing their fifth consecutive game in improbable fashion on Thursday night, the Sacramento Kings reportedly made the decision to fire head coach Mike Brown on Friday, ending a two-and-a-half-year run with the team. Just In: The Sacramento Kings are parting ways with head coach Mike Brown, sources told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/mNdn5EOv4U Along with the five-game losing streak, the Kings have also lost 12 of their last 17 games and find themselves in 12th place in the Western Conference on the outside of the playoff picture. The biggest issue this season for the Kings, among many, has been closing out games, having lost five games after entering the fourth quarter with the lead. That is the second-most games in the NBA this season, trailing only the Toronto Raptors. If they had simply held on to even two or three of those games, they would at least be in a play-in position at the moment instead of on the outside looking in. In Brown's first year as the Kings' head coach, he led the team to a 48-34 record and the franchise's first playoff berth in 16 years, snapping what was the longest playoff drought in NBA history. That season resulted in him winning the league's Coach of the Year Award for the second time. The Kings took a small step backward in 2023-24, winning two fewer games and narrowly missing out on a playoff spot by losing a play-in game to the New Orleans Pelicans. They have taken an even bigger step back this season, resulting in the change. It is a harsh reminder of how quickly things can change for coaches in professional sports. Not even two years ago, Brown helped rejuvenate a dormant, irrelevant franchise. This past June, he was given a new contract extension. Now, not even halfway through the season, he is out of a job.
Ayodhya: Mauritius Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade, Dhananjay Ramful, said on December 24 that he wanted to visit Ram Temple in Ayodhya after the elections in Mauritius and added that he is impressed by the temple built here. Speaking to , he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the development in Ayodhya and temple. He said that started his visit from Banaras and visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple there. Speaking about his visit to Ram Temple, Dhananjay Ramful said, “I came here on a private visit. You know, there was the general election in Mauritius and after the general election, I always wanted to come here. It was my wish to come and have the darshan of Bhagwan Ram. So I started my pilgrimage in Banaras. I went to the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and then I came over here to Ayodhya to get the blessings of Lord Ram.” Praising PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath for development in Ayodhya, he said, “I have to congratulate the Chief Minister, Yogi Ji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for whatever they’ve done here with regards to the development here in Ayodhya as well as the temple. It’s a great temple and it is something very immense and I feel very proud as well. I was very much impressed by the temple that was built here.” Earlier this year, PM Modi led rituals at the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in the sanctum sanctorum of the Shri Ram Janmaboomi Temple of Ram Lalla. The magnificent Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir is constructed in traditional Nagara style. The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, gods, and goddesses. In the main sanctum sanctorum on the ground floor, the childhood form of Bhagwan Shri Ram (the murti of Shri Ramlalla) has been placed. Earlier in November, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Dhananjay Ramful on his appointment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade of Mauritius. In a post on X, Jaishankar said that he looks forward to working closely with Ramful to strengthen the “special ties of friendship” and deepen the multi-faceted cooperation. “Congratulate Dhananjay Ramful on your appointment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration & International Trade of Mauritius. Look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our special ties of friendship and deepen our multi-faceted cooperation,” the EAM said in a post on X. Mauritius recently held its elections on November 10, with Navin Ramgoolam achieving a historic victory. PM Modi had congratulated Navin Ramgoolam on his historic electoral victory in Mauritius. In his message, PM Modi said that he looks forward to working closely with Dr. Ramgoolam to further strengthen their “unique partnership.” Sharing a post on X, PM Modi stated, “Had a warm conversation with my friend @Ramgoolam_Dr, congratulating him on his historic electoral victory. I wished him great success in leading Mauritius and extended an invitation to visit India. Look forward to working closely together to strengthen our special and unique partnership.” (With inputs from ANI)Political leaders and industry titans pay tribute to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
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The White House has identified a ninth U.S. telecom network that Chinese state hackers have compromised, a senior official said on Dec. 27. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, revealed the new information in a press briefing as officials continue to assess the scope of the cybersecurity breach from China’s state-backed Salt Typhoon hacking group, which has carried out a wide-ranging espionage campaign since 2022. “Our understanding is that a large number of individuals were geolocated in the Washington DC, Virginia area,” she said. Only a fraction of them had their communications affected, Neuberger said, as the hackers are more interested in eavesdropping on U.S. government officials. “The scale we’re talking about is far larger on the geolocation, probably less than 100 on the actual individuals,” she said. Shortly after the briefing, the Justice Department issued a final rule naming China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela as countries of concern over their ambitions to exploit sensitive U.S. personal and government-related data by bulk. Under the rule, certain individuals and groups whom authorities deemed as threat actors are barred from transactions involving six types of U.S. data, including certain personal identifiers such as social security numbers or government identification numbers, precise geolocation data, biometric identifiers, human genetic or molecular data, personal health data, and personal financial data. The regulation applies to entities over which China has an ownership of 50 percent or more, those that principally conduct business in China or are organized under Chinese law, their contractors and employees, and foreign individuals who primarily reside in China. The hacking group has targeted now-Vice President-elect JD Vance and now-president-elect Donald Trump, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. To deter Chinese hacking attempts, Neuberger said, the first step is to build a “defensible infrastructure.” “We wouldn’t leave our homes, our offices unlocked, and yet our critical infrastructure, the private companies owning and operating our critical infrastructure often do not have the basic cybersecurity practices in place,” she said in the press call. Authorities are also scrutinizing government contracts to enforce stricter cybersecurity practices, Neuberger said. In doing so, she said, the United States is following in the footsteps of Australia and the UK. “The nation’s secrets, the nation’s economy, lies on our telecommunications sector,” she said. “When I talked with our UK colleagues and I asked, ‘Do you believe your regulations would have prevented the Salt Typhoon attack?’ their comment to me was, we would have found it faster, we would have contained it faster.” Neuberger said it was a “powerful message.” “Those networks are not as defensible as they need to be to defend against a well resourced, capable offensive cyber actor like China,” Neuberger said. In assessing the Salt Typhoon breach, she said, authorities have found one administrator account that had access to more than 100,000 routers. “So when the Chinese compromised that account, they gained that kind of broad access across the network,” she said. Neuberger said officials are looking to segment the telecom networks so that in the event of a cyber attack, the potential damage could be contained. The Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 5 proposed cybersecurity rules requiring communications service providers to certify annually that they have a plan to protect against cyberattacks. The rule is waiting for a vote by Jan. 15, Neuberger said, noting that they are eager to see bipartisan support across the commission to see it through. The Chinese were “very careful about their techniques. They erased logs,” she said. And as “we will never know regarding the scope and scale of this,” she said, the United States is “looking forward.” Neuberger said more actions will be coming out in the next few months. “Let’s lock down this infrastructure. And frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this,” she said.DENVER (AP) — Amid renewed interest in the triggered in part by a new Netflix documentary, police in Boulder, Colorado, refuted assertions this week that there is viable evidence and leads about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old girl that they are not pursuing. JonBenet Ramsey, who competed in beauty pageants, was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in the college town of Boulder the day after Christmas in 1996. Her body was found several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note had been left behind. The details of the crime and video footage of JonBenet competing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States. The police comments came as part of their annual update on the investigation, a month before the 28th anniversary of JonBenet’s killing. Police said they released it a little earlier due to the increased attention on the case, apparently referring to the three-part Netflix series “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey.” In a video statement, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the department welcomes news coverage and documentaries about the killing of JonBenet, who would have been 34 this year, as a way to generate possible new leads. He said the department is committed to solving the case but needs to be careful about what it shares about the investigation to protect a possible future prosecution. “What I can tell you though, is we have thoroughly investigated multiple people as suspects throughout the years and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come into detectives,” he said. The Netflix documentary focuses on the mistakes made by police and the “media circus” surrounding the case. JonBenet was bludgeoned and strangled. Her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever prosecuted. Police were widely criticized for mishandling the early investigation into her death amid speculation that her family was responsible. However, a prosecutor cleared her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and brother Burke in 2008 based on new DNA evidence from JonBenet’s clothing that pointed to the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her slaying. The announcement by former district attorney Mary Lacy came two years after Patsy Ramsey died of cancer. Lacy called the Ramseys “victims of this crime.” John Ramsey has continued to speak out for the case to be solved. In 2022, he supported an online petition asking Colorado’s governor to intervene in the investigation by putting an outside agency in charge of DNA testing in the case. In the Netflix documentary, he said he has been for several items that have not been prepared for DNA testing to be tested and for other items to be retested. He said the results should be put through a genealogy database. In recent years, investigators have identified suspects in unsolved cases by comparing DNA profiles from crime scenes and to DNA testing results shared online by people researching their family trees. In 2021, police said in their annual update that help solve the case, and in 2022 noted that some evidence could be “consumed” if DNA testing is done on it. Last year, police said they convened a panel of outside experts to review the investigation to give recommendations and determine if updated technologies or forensic testing might produce new leads. In the latest update, Redfearn said that review had ended but that police continue to work through and evaluate a “lengthy list of recommendations” from the panel. ____ Amy Beth Hanson contributed to this report from Helena, Montana. Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press
