Health authorities in the United Kingdom have warned the public against cheap Brazilian butt lift (BBL) from overseas clinics. The invasive cosmetic procedure is being offered abroad for under £3,000, inclusive of hotel accommodation and flight fare, to entice customers. In contrast, local BBL costs 70 percent higher in the United Kingdom, according to the National Health Service (NHS). However, a spate of deaths and medical complications arising from botched BBL surgeries, with the NHS frequently having to treat patients when they return home, prompted the warning posted on the NHS website on 21 December. In the post, NHS National Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis also said BBL surgery has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures as the fat injected into the buttocks can lead to a pulmonary embolism, which is a blockage in a blood vessel in the lungs that can be fatal. “While many people’s social media feeds will be full of enticing looking offers in the run up to Christmas, the reality is these bargain basement cosmetic procedures are potentially deadly,” he warned. Meanwhile, a literal case of butt lifting has been remedied using 3-D printing technology. Mystic Aquarium senior veterinarian Dr. Molly Martony revealed that the company Adia measured and scanned Charlotte for the design of a customized prosthetic harness to remedy a “bubble butt syndrome” (BBS). Charlotte, a green sea turtle at the Connecticut aquarium, is suffering from BBS years after it was hit by a boat that damaged her shell and spinal cord. The BBS caused the male green sea turtle to be buoyant and vertical in the water because air in its gastro-intestinal tract lifts its butt up. The position can damage its organs, Claire Bolster, Charlotte’s handler, said, according to ABC News. With the prosthetic harness fitted on Charlotte’s shell, weights can be placed to pull his butt down and let him swim at level and more smoothly.Shares of Slate Office REIT ( TSE:SOT.UN – Get Free Report ) shot up 26.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$0.52 and last traded at C$0.52. 557,754 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 535% from the average session volume of 87,894 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.41. Slate Office REIT Stock Performance The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$0.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 329.26. The company has a market capitalization of C$50.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.19 and a beta of 1.35. About Slate Office REIT ( Get Free Report ) Slate Office REIT is an open-ended real estate investment trust. The REIT's portfolio currently comprises 43 strategic and well-located real estate assets located primarily across Canada's major population centres including one downtown asset in Chicago, Illinois. The REIT is focused on maximizing value through internal organic rental and occupancy growth and strategic acquisitions. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Slate Office REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Slate Office REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Mureka Unveils Cutting-Edge Features, Revolutionizing Music Creation with AI Technology 12-16-2024 07:34 PM CET | Leisure, Entertainment, Miscellaneous Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Global Social Mureka, a leading AI music platform, has recently updated its advanced AI features, providing an all-in-one solution with exceptional performance and an unparalleled experience for creators. Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/1ad9d1d78f5383b59fb78637836837b5.jpg In recent years, the AI music industry has been booming, with AI technology revolutionizing everything from melody creation to automatic mixing. Whether it's providing background music for short video creators or generating inspiration for musicians, AI music platforms have become the ultimate "secret weapon" for creators. Mureka is the platform designed to solve that exact problem. The name Mureka comes from the combination of "Music" and "Eureka," symbolizing the ability to capture fleeting moments of inspiration and transform them into high-quality music through AI technology. Whether you're a professional musician or an occasional hobbyist, Mureka makes music creation simple, fun, and efficient with its AI-driven music generation and editing features. Mureka stands out with its self-developed AI model, delivering original music fast and letting you easily adjust style, tone, and rhythm. Whether creating a song that fits the atmosphere for a short video, composing a holiday-themed track, or making a personalized diss track for a friend, Mureka handles it all with ease. It is also a playground for tech enthusiasts, offering unlimited possibilities, from voice selection to reference audio input. If you're a musician, you can also use it to generate commercially-grade tracks directly. Creativity knows no bounds, and Mureka is your most reliable companion on your musical journey. Mureka makes AI music generation and editing fun and easy. In just a few minutes, you can create a high-quality original track. Its fast and reliable generation capabilities set it apart in the market. Whether you're a music enthusiast or a professional producer, Mureka meets all your creative needs. With continuously optimized AI models, it stays at the forefront of technology. With amazing mixing, catchy melodies, and reliable song structures, it's the go-to tool for music production. Mureka's commitment to innovation and quality has made it the top choice for creators worldwide. Mureka's Key Features and Enhancements Recent updates have made Mureka one of the most polished AI music platforms. Key improvements include: 1. Vocal Quality: The new model significantly enhances vocal clarity, reducing issues with distortion and muffled sounds. 2. Mixing Quality: The mixing design is more polished and professional, addressing previous issues with spatial clarity and volume balance. 3. Melodic Motivation: Melodies generated by the new model are more captivating, cohesive, and harmonically sound, improving upon past issues of scattered motifs and lack of thematic focus. 4. Song Structure: The model now delivers enhanced dynamics and a more fitting song structure. 5. Output Quality: The rate of high-quality output is significantly improved, increasing the likelihood of producing music that meets professional standards. 6. Multilingual support: Currently supports English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean, with full adaptation from the product page to text input and output. Who is Mureka Best For? For Comedy Type Creators: Mureka helps add humor with custom tracks for any occasion - whether it's outshining a friend's music taste, creating a last-minute anniversary gift, or writing a diss track after a fallout. For Music Type Creators: Perfect for musicians and producers to create original tracks, add vocals, and release music. For Tech Type Creators: Ideal for those exploring AI music tools, offering unique features like vocal selection and reference audio input for detailed reviews. Mureka is designed for a wide range of creators, streamlining music production and enhancing creativity across genres. Free Trial and Access Mureka offers new users a free trial, allowing users to experience the platform's features before subscribing and fully explore the potential of the AI music generator. Simply register to start creating music right away. If the free trial doesn't meet your needs, you can subscribe to the Basic or Pro plans, with an average cost of less than 2 cents per song. How to Use Mureka to Generate Music Mureka provides a simple and intuitive process for new users to easily create high-quality AI music. Here's how to use Mureka's AI tools to create professional music: Mureka offers two versions: Basic and Advanced. The following steps describe the features and functionality of the Advanced version. Discover the incredible capabilities of this music maker by visiting Mureka's official website [ https://www.mureka.ai/create?utm_source=wemedia&utm_medium=wemedia&utm_campaign=other&utm_content=1 ]. Step 1: Create an Account First, register and log in to the Mureka platform. After signing up on the official website, users usually get free trial opportunities to experience the platform's features. Step 2: Input Lyrics and Generate Music Style Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/efda9302f07e2c852d811a609e517fcf.jpg Users can input lyrics or describe the theme of the song, and Mureka will generate a suitable music style based on this input. Step 3: Customize Your Track and Style Reference Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/f5b933f9dcd6ffe171a3a9d25259c4af.jpg If users have their own unique music style, Mureka's "Style Reference" feature allows them to generate music that perfectly matches their style and artistic vision. By analyzing the audio samples provided by the user, Mureka's AI identifies key elements such as genre, rhythm, instrumentation, and mood, then creates music that reflects the user's distinctive style. Step 4: Edit the Melody Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/7a3a85035dcef93be535cb14fbed18b3.jpg Users can input their inspiration and hummed melodies into Mureka, and the AI will analyze the melody and generate a complete song based on the user's input. Step 5: Choose a Vocal Style Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/d56f4534ccae8a8c1879d3d6527562a3.jpg Before generating a track, users simply select their desired vocal tone, which remains consistent throughout the song. Mureka offers a variety of vocal options, including male and female voices, as well as styles like pop, R&B, and rap. Users can preview and choose their preferred tone, and the AI seamlessly integrates it into the music. Step 6: Export the Track Once satisfied with the creation, users can export the track in various formats, ready to be published on any platform or used in other projects. By following these steps, Mureka enables creators to quickly and efficiently produce high-quality music, whether for commercial use, personal projects, or as a foundation for further production. Mureka's advanced AI music maker simplifies the process of creating professional music in minutes. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced producer, Mureka's platform makes music creation accessible, fast, and enjoyable. For more information about Mureka or to try it out, please visit Mureka's official website [ https://www.mureka.ai/create?utm_source=wemedia&utm_medium=wemedia&utm_campaign=other&utm_content=1 ]. Media Contact Company Name: Mureka Contact Person: Melody Evans Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=mureka-unveils-cuttingedge-features-revolutionizing-music-creation-with-ai-technology ] Country: Singapore Website: https://www.mureka.ai/ This release was published on openPR.IREN DEADLINE ALERT: ROSEN, TRUSTED INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages Iris Energy Limited Investors ...Earlier this week, Hodder & Stoughton released High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul by decorated writer and cultural custodian, Marcus J. Moore . Moving deliberately between reportage, personal memoir and wider social commentary, High And Risin g documents the non-linear journey of the era-defining hip-hop trio from Long Island, New York. De La Soul – Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer, David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, and Vincent “Maseo” Mason – broke through with the release of their 1989 album, ‘ 3 Feet High & Rising ’. The biography covers this seminal release, but also their non-conformist spirit, their galvanizing storytelling and use of trippy, techicolour imagery, and their far-reaching influence on rappers all along the hip-hop continuum, including The Roots, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. High And Rising digs deeper and excavates how the trio chafed under the pressures of an industry-in-flux, covering their legal battles around sampling: only last year, after a bitter legal fight, did their music become available on streaming services. Completed in the wake of Dave’s passing, Moore connects one of hip-hop’s greatest triumphs with a story of kinship and soulful self-discovery. In the below extract from the book, Moore reflects on De La’s effect on the culture and sense of self of his POC community: — Everyone from my aunts to my cousins understood De La, even if they couldn’t explain what it was they liked about the music. De La has always been around me and my family, soundtracking discovery. That De La was just there and I can’t exactly remember how they arrived pretty much speaks to why we’re here, right? Regardless, I’ve always felt that by the mid-’90s De La fans had to work a little harder to defend the group. In the late ’80s, when the goodwill was paramount, it was easy to categorize their work as buoyant and playful. But in the Stakes Is High era, when put up against actual dark records, it played like Onyx, Wu-lang, or Mobb Deep lite. Why listen to the so-called hippy dudes when you can play All We Got Iz Us or Hell on Earth? The community around De La was beginning to shrink, and the group almost came off as an underground act that only a few heads knew about. Don’t believe me? Listen to Pos. “I made girls’ brown eyes blue at will,” he said on “Wonce Again Long Island” from the album, “until my ass was no longer mass appeal.” To that end, I can’t help but fixate on Pos’s visceral reaction to his peers in the mid-’90s. The sheer frustration in his voice when talking to Rap City, the look of consternation on his face, the push and pull of honesty and diplomacy in the way he spoke. In one quote, told to Joe Clair in an interview, he expressed anger about the way he’s viewed as an MC. It was the first time I remember seeing Pos feel a way about being underrated. It’s not like he was wrong, but in years past—at least publicly—he would’ve shrugged it off and just kept making the music he’d always made. My ear fixates on the song “Long Island Degrees,” where Dave took aim at the Notorious B.I.G.’s mental state. “I got questions about your life if you’re so ready to die,” he said, referencing the Brooklyn MC’s debut album Ready to Die. What happened to the love, the excitement, the bliss? De La disappeared after the release of Stakes Is High and stayed out of sight until the turn of the millennium. There was no grand reason for why they left. It was just time to revisit the drawing board and start working on the next album. In their absence, hip-hop became even more commercialized, a lot chillier. It wasn’t until recently that some critics decided they pegged the album all wrong. Twenty years later, after the allure of the shiny-suit era wore off, they realized— as Slate put it—that the LP was one of “concern rather than conservatism, walking a tightrope between the productive uses of history and the simplistic allures of nostalgia. Even now as I revisit Stakes Is High, I wrestle with the same nostalgia referenced in the Slate review. In ’96, as I struggled with the passing of my grandfather and the gradual passing of my grandmother, there was something comforting about listening to three dudes trying to reconcile their emotions for public consumption. Even as I struggle with pronounced grief following the recent passing of my mother, the album feels like a balm in this time of uncertainty. Not that the group said anything on the LP directly related to death, but it reminds me of days gone by, when she would take interest in the music I liked, even if it didn’t speak to her. She encouraged me to listen to De La. She liked the bass line on Nas’s “Shootouts,” the timbre of Mos Def’s voice on his late-’90s work, the soul sample on Ghostface Killah’s “Camay.” She didn’t dig the lyrics, but she didn’t police my absorption of them. As I play Stakes Is High in 2023, the visions come rushing back. I see us in that old house in Landover, me in the back room hunched over a boombox. Most importantly, I see her. I hear her. I appreciate her willingness to let me rap, to let me run the streets with my friends and collaborators Troy and Thomas while still keeping a close eye on my movements. My love of hip-hop largely comes from her, simply because she let me explore records like Stakes. The album still feels like a private conversation in hushed tones. When my grandmother passed in ’97 and I had to navigate without one of my greatest protectors, I found myself listening to De La–adjacent rappers, reveling in the same poetry. A year later, Mos Def and the Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli formed the duo Black Star and released their debut album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, to decent fanfare. I went up for that record, not just because it was dope but because it was the closest thing to De La— and, in turn, my family—that I could hold on to at the time. In hindsight, it’s easy to look back and wonder why people didn’t like mid-’90s De La. But they meant something different to me. They helped me through the roughest parts of my life, connecting me to the past and reminding me to lean on love. In grief, sadness can quickly grow to anger. Tears turn to clenched fists and notions that you have nothing to lose. De La was medicinal, the reset I needed and still need. High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul is out now via Hodder & Stoughton. — Marcus J. Moore is a music journalist, editor, curator, pundit, professor, and author of The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America. He co-leads the jazz-focused ‘5 Minutes That Will Make You Love...’ series at The New York Times. His work has appeared in The Nation, The Atlantic, Bandcamp Daily (an editorial platform he helped launch), CLASH, NPR, Pitchfork, TIME, Entertainment Weekly, TIDAL, GQ, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone.Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’

Kirks Lane Lamp Parts Co. Brings the Light to the Holiday Season with Wholesale Lamp SuppliesLAS VEGAS — Players Era Festival organizers have done what so many other have tried — bet their fortunes in this city that a big payoff is coming. Such bet are usually bad ones, which is why so many massive casino-resorts have been built on Las Vegas Boulevard. But it doesn't mean the organizers are wrong. They're counting on the minimum of $1 million in guaranteed name, image and likeness money that will go to each of the eight teams competing in the neutral-site tournament that begins Tuesday will create a precedent for other such events. EverWonder Studios CEO Ian Orefice, who co-founded Players with former AND1 CEO Seth Berger, compared this event to last year's inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament that played its semifinals and final in Las Vegas by saying it "did really well to reinvigorate the fan base at the beginning of the year." "We're excited that we're able to really change the paradigm in college basketball on the economics," Orefice said. "But for us, it's about the long term. How do we use the momentum that is launching with the 2024 Players Era Festival and be the catalyst not to change one event, but to change college basketball for the future." Orefice and Berger didn't disclose financial details, but said the event will come close to breaking even this year and that revenue is in eight figures. Orefice said the bulk of the revenue will come from relationships with MGM, TNT Sports and Publicis Sport & Entertainment as well as sponsors that will be announced later. Both organizers said they are so bullish on the tournament's prospects that they already are planning ahead. Money made from this year's event, Orefice said, goes right back into the company. "We're really in this for the long haul," Orefice said. "So we're not looking at it on a one-year basis." Rick Giles is president of the Gazelle Group, which also operates several similar events, including the College Basketball Invitational. He was skeptical the financial numbers would work. Giles said in addition to more than $8 million going to the players, there were other expenses such as the guarantees to the teams. He said he didn't know if the tournament would make up the difference with ticket sales, broadcast rights and sponsorship money. The top bowl of the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be curtained off. "The math is highly challenging," Giles said. "Attendance and ticket revenues are not going to come anywhere close to covering that. They haven't announced any sponsors that I'm aware of. So it all sort of rests with their media deal with Turner and how much capital they want to commit to it to get these players paid." David Carter, a University of Southern California adjunct professor who also runs the Sports Business Group consultancy, said even if the Players isn't a financial success this year, the question is whether there will be enough interest to move forward. "If there is bandwidth for another tournament and if the TV or the streaming ratings are going to be there and people are going to want to attend and companies are going to want to sponsor, then, yeah, it's probably going to work," Carter said. "But it may take them time to gain that traction." Both founders said they initially were met with skepticism about putting together such an event, especially from teams they were interested in inviting. Houston was the first school to commit, first offering an oral pledge early in the year and then signing a contract in April. That created momentum for others to join, and including the No. 6 Cougars, half the field is ranked. "We have the relationships to operate a great event," Berger said. "We had to get coaches over those hurdles, and once they knew that we were real, schools got on board really quickly." The founders worked with the NCAA to make sure the tournament abided by that organization's rules, so players must appear at ancillary events in order to receive NIL money. Strict pay for play is not allowed, though there are incentives for performance. The champion, for example, will receive $1.5 million in NIL money. Now the pressure is on to pull off the event and not create the kind of headlines that can dog it for years to come. "I think everybody in the marketplace is watching what's going to happen (this) week and, more importantly, what happens afterwards," Giles said. "Do the players get paid on a timely basis? And if they do, that means that Turner or somebody has paid way more than the market dictates? And the question will be: Can that continue?" CREIGHTON: P oint guard Steven Ashworth likely won’t play in the No. 21 Bluejays’ game against San Diego State in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Ashworth sprained his right ankle late in a loss to Nebraska on Friday and coach Greg McDermott said afterward he didn’t know how long he would be out. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Special counsel moves to abandon election interference and classified documents cases against TrumpTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” A small problem, but wide support for a fix Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. Why the courts rejected the Kansas citizenship rule After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” Would the Kansas law stand today? The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Born in Illinois but unable to register in Kansas Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Sarah Di Lorenzo shares how to cook for your family with different dietary requirements

Nortec Minerals Corp. ( CVE:NVT – Get Free Report ) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as C$0.02 and last traded at C$0.02, with a volume of 138000 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$0.02. Nortec Minerals Trading Down 25.0 % The company has a 50 day simple moving average of C$0.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$0.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.23, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of C$801,000.00, a PE ratio of -2.00 and a beta of 0.75. Nortec Minerals Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Nortec Minerals Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. The company explores for gold, zinc, copper, lead, silver, and lithium deposits. It holds interests in the Tammela project located in southwest Finland; the Sturgeon Lake VMS property located in Ontario, Canada; and the Mattagami River zinc project located in Ontario, Canada. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Nortec Minerals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nortec Minerals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death

Travel Market , 39% Of Growth To Originate From APAC, TechnavioPreorder the Trump Golden Driver, and prepare to experience the iconic and unrivaled Trump Golf championship courses. SAN FRANCISCO , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Trump Golf: The Game has officially opened its presale, allowing fans to preorder exclusive in-game items ahead of the June 2025 launch. Developed by DTG LLC, a state-of-the-art gaming studio that delivers innovative technology, this multiplayer mobile golf game will bring the excitement of the world-renowned Trump Golf championship courses to the palm of your hand, delivering real-world experiences. Trump Golf: The Game, officially licensed by President Donald J. Trump , transports players to Trump Golf's iconic public and private courses, including the legendary Blue Monster Course at Trump National Doral in Miami . With cutting-edge designs, ultra-accurate club mechanics, and various levels of difficulty from beginner to major, players will have the opportunity to compete in multiplayer matches, challenge their friends, and unlock special features throughout the game. As part of the presale, players can purchase the exclusive virtual Trump Golden Driver for just $9.99 or the Trump Signature Driver for $99 . These high-performance clubs are both a collector's item and a powerful tool for gaining an edge in the game. Players can also collect Trump Tokens to unlock upgrades for clubs, outfits, and powerups, including the Trump Powerup – a special feature where President Donald J. Trump himself takes over your shot with increased power and pinpoint accuracy. Christopher Mayer , CEO of DTG LLC said, "Trump Golf: The Game is all about bringing fun, competition, and realism to the world of mobile golf. This exciting game has been designed for players of all skill levels, and we are thrilled to give people the chance to experience Trump Golf's legendary golf courses, in addition to playing as President Trump himself, in an entirely new way." Visit TrumpGolf.Game to pre-order the game and purchase your exclusive digital Trump Golden Driver or Trump Signature Driver. Don't miss out on this limited-time offer before the game's official launch in June 2025 . Available on iOS and Android. About DTG LLC: DTG LLC is a gaming studio that specializes in blending distinct genres to create entirely new experiences. The company collaborates with celebrities and public figures to develop unique, interactive opportunities for their supporters. By harnessing the power of mobile gaming, DTG LLC enables fans to connect with their favorite icons in innovative ways, merging entertainment and engagement like never before. Website: TrumpGolf.Game Social Media: @TrumpGolfGame on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. "Trump" and the associated design are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of DTTM Operations LLC. Trump Golf The Game is not designed, manufactured, distributed or sold by Donald J. Trump , The Trump Organization or any of their respective affiliates or principals. DTG, LLC uses the Trump name, image and likeness under a license agreement which may be terminated or revoked according to its terms. TrumpGolf.Game is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trump-golf-the-game-announces-exclusive-presale-for-mobile-game-launch-where-players-experience-the-award-winning-trump-golf-portfolio-through-their-mobile-devices-302332866.html SOURCE DTG, LLC

The second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix brought over 300,000 F1 fans to Sin City this weekend, but not everyone paid for a ticket. Some crafty spectators found a free and creative way to watch the race by riding an escalator — over and over and over again. captured the hilarious scene outside the Fashion Show Mall as folks took turns riding a set of escalators throughout the race, sneaking glimpses of the action as F1 cars roared past. The escalator’s elevated position overlooks one of the 50-lap spectacle’s most exciting turns, providing a better view than many paid seats at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Fans could be seen lining up politely, snapping photos and recording videos as they looped up and down the moving staircase. Security was stationed at the top and bottom of the escalators, but as long as fans kept moving, they weren’t technically breaking any rules. And so, hundreds took advantage of the unconventional setup. Mercedes driver George Russell took first place in the third-last race of the F1 season, with Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz rounding out the podium. But with the average Grand Prix ticket costing $1,617, the escalator riders were arguably the night’s biggest winners. Here’s hoping organizers don’t block off the moving attraction next year.People from all over the world have long come to the United States in search of opportunities. That includes immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and temporary workers and students who come to the U.S. on specialty visas. Among the latter are skilled foreign workers, a select group granted special access by the H-1B visa program, designed to boost innovation and the economy via a “ brain gain ,” according to the Brookings Institute. Since launching in 1990, the program has allowed U.S. employers to hire exceptional foreign-born applicants with bachelor’s degrees or the equivalent by offering them employment in hard-to-fill positions. An H-1B visa allows foreign-born workers to stay in the country for three years, with the option to extend their stay for up to six years. In some cases, workers remain even longer if employers sponsor their green cards. Most jobs filled by H-1B workers are in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. H-1B visa holders tend to have wages within the top 10% of U.S. workers. In computer-related fields, for instance, the average annual income was $129,000 in 2022 for H-1B workers, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Congress has capped the number of H-1B workers since the program began; currently, around 85,000 applicants are accepted each year. Within that total, 20,000 spots are reserved for those with U.S. institution-issued master’s or doctorates. That number has remained unchanged for nearly two decades—even as applications have dramatically risen and backlogs have made it increasingly difficult to get a visa. From 2001 to 2003, the applicant limit was three times as high at 195,000; over the past 10 years, the program received such an influx of applicants it prompted Congress to institute a lottery system in 2014. Although exceptions to the cap are granted for nonprofit research organizations, the government, and colleges and universities, the number of applications far exceeds availability. In fiscal year 2025, for instance, there were an astounding 423,028 for just 65,000 spots. Critics of the cap say that the inability for more workers to land positions in the U.S. creates a number of problems, one of which is a lack of qualified staff for the exploding tech sector. H-1B Employer Data used its own data, news reports, and economic research to explore how a shortage of visas for skilled workers has impacted the U.S. economy. In 2024, Citizenship and Immigration Services changed the process for applying for an H-1B visa after 780,884 applications were filed that year. This process overhaul was meant to increase the odds of applicants vying for a spot and curb abuses of the system. Employers and potential employees were gaming the system, hoping multiple submissions for individual workers would increase their likelihood of being accepted; the barrier to entry had also been lowered to a $10 fee and electronic registration instead of a full application. Employers vying for top talent aren’t the only ones benefitting from the H-1B visa program. Foreign workers tend to have different skill sets than American workers, which is partly why they’re so sought-after. According to the American Immigration Council, workers from abroad may even help create additional jobs by spending and investing their earnings in the U.S. They stimulate the labor market by expanding operations in the U.S. and starting new businesses. This entrepreneurial spirit, long a hallmark of U.S. innovation, drives economic growth. “We don’t know which [immigrant] is going to have the brilliant insight that totally transforms the economy over the next 20-30 years,” David Bier, director of immigration studies at libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, told Vox . Studies show that the business impact of the H-1B visa program extends beyond individual employers as well. A 2024 study from academic researchers and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond found that companies that win H-1B lottery visas hire additional employees, generate more revenue, and survive longer. In 2017, researchers at the National Bureau of Economic Research found that H-1B workers benefit consumers and increase profits in the IT sector. Among the roughly 600,000 H-1B recipients in the country at any time, as many as 75,000 join the STEM workforce every year. Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel, among the top 100 employers of H-1B workers, reap the rewards from foreign-born workers, who tend to fill in gaps in the STEM workforce—and in some cases, create opportunities. Employers, in turn, are eager to hire more H-1B workers to cultivate innovation and growth. Other types of companies, including outsourcing firms, many based in India, also depend on H-1B workers. They are inundated with USCIS applications for employees they consider “interchangeable,” according to Vox. These visa holders, typically junior programmers, will accept lower salaries and relocation requirements, and their hiring companies account for more than half of the top 30 H-1B employers. There is concern, however, that these workers could be underpaid and exploited, giving some credence to the claim that the program allows lower-wage foreign workers to take jobs from higher-earning Americans. However, existing data shows that H-1B workers help raise salaries and expand job opportunities for everyone. Employers of H-1B workers are also required to attest that U.S. workers’ salaries and working conditions will not be negatively affected, and notify incumbent employees when they hire these applicants. As evidenced by continued efforts to reform the system, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. For every one person who is granted an H-1B visa, four are denied. This means the government—Congress sets the quota—leaves $61 billion on the table every year, according to a paper by Bier, who also suggested adjusting the cap to match demand, and making changes to maintain a sufficient population of skilled workers in the U.S. In other words, the current cap on H-1B visas may actually thwart economic growth. Nine jobs are moved out of the U.S. for every 10 unapproved H-1B applications, according to a 2023 study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, as reported by Bloomberg. Some $86 billion would be lost with a 10% reduction in guest workers, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond economist. Despite fraught debates over immigration and foreign-born workers, they have always been part of the uniquely American story of opportunity and improvement. As Jeremy Neufeld , a policy fellow with the think tank Institute for Progress, told Vox, “It’s always been the case that immigrants have been a secret ingredient in US dynamism.” Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on H-1B Employer Data and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling.

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Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SMMT) Trading Down 6.2% – Here’s What HappenedChris Clarke appointed practice leader of Homeland Security & Law Enforcement; Bryan Miller to lead newly combined Defense, Diplomacy, & Intel (DDI) practice MCLEAN, Va. , Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Guidehouse, a global consultancy providing advisory, digital, and managed services to the commercial and public sectors, has named Shannon White the new leader of its Defense & Security segment effective Jan. 1, 2025 . White succeeds John Saad , who has been named President of Guidehouse. Additionally, Chris Clarke will take on White's former role as Guidehouse's Defense & Security's Homeland Security & Law Enforcement practice leader. White brings a wealth of expertise in the national security sectors, along with a proven ability to deliver complex, high-impact solutions. With a track record of driving innovation and meaningful results, she has been instrumental in shaping Guidehouse's growth and impact across its diverse portfolio. Under her leadership, the Defense & Security segment will continue to focus on delivering mission-critical solutions to address the nation's most pressing defense and security challenges. "Shannon is a passionate leader whose experience will be invaluable as we continue to support purpose-driven initiatives to preserve security across the U.S.," said John Saad , President of Guidehouse. "Her strategic vision and expertise will accelerate Guidehouse's growth through transformative engagements with our clients in the defense, national security, and public sectors." Chris Clarke , Homeland Security & Law Enforcement practice leader Clarke, a partner at the firm, brings over 20 years of experience engaging with clients on complex challenges, with a focus on risk management and financial transformation. He has worked extensively across the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, and the Intelligence Community leading hundreds of consultants to deliver a range of services in support of solving strategic challenges for Guidehouse clients. Bryan Miller , Defense, Diplomacy, & Intel (DDI) practice leader To position the firm for additional growth and to align with the evolving needs of its clients, Guidehouse has combined Defense & Security's Defense & Intelligence and Diplomacy & Development practices into a newly combined Defense, Diplomacy, & Intel (DDI) practice under the leadership of Bryan Miller . Miller, a partner at the firm, has over 20 years of industry experience focused on delivering strategy, supply chain and transformation programs to the U.S. Government. "This new structure strengthens our capabilities and provides a more cohesive approach to serving these interconnected client missions," added Saad. "Chris and Bryan are remarkable leaders with unmatched expertise in navigating the complexities of public safety and national security. We congratulate them on these new roles and are confident they will drive tremendous value for our clients and teams." Named a Military Friendly® Employer for six consecutive years, Guidehouse's Defense & Security segment serves U.S. diplomatic, intelligence, law enforcement, and defense agencies. Backed by proven success in helping clients compete, deter, and win, the firm delivers mission-critical optimization, technology modernization, and financial management solutions. About Guidehouse Guidehouse is a global consultancy providing advisory, digital, and managed services to the commercial and public sectors. Guidehouse is purpose-built to serve the national security, financial services, healthcare, energy, and infrastructure industries. Disrupting legacy consulting delivery models with its agility, capabilities, and scale, the firm delivers technology-enabled and focused solutions that position clients for innovation, resilience, and growth. With high-quality standards and a relentless pursuit of client success, Guidehouse's more than 18,000 employees collaborate with leaders to outwit complexity and achieve transformational changes that meaningfully shape the future. guidehouse.com Media Contact: Cecile Fradkin, cfradkin@scprgroup.com , Guidehouse View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/guidehouse-names-shannon-white-leader-of-defense--security-segment-302332867.html SOURCE Guidehouse