Missing man not dressed for the weather, Ottawa police sayItaly's Serie A does deal with Meta to fight illegal streamingPeople Can Fly lays off more than 120 employees as it cuts back on in-development games: 'We need to tailor our plans to our financial capacity'
Biden says Trump economic plan will be 'disaster'Public support key but hard to maintain for striking Canada Post workers, experts say
Toronto Venture Stock Exchange (TSXV)-listed has agreed to be acquired by London, Ont.-based , a fellow marketing, payment, and point-of-sale (POS) solutions company. The all-cash transaction will see Paystone acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Ackroo at a price of $0.15 CAD per share, as well as assume all of its assets and liabilities, including a $3-million debt to the Business Development Bank of Canada. The value of the transaction is approximately $21 million and represents a 25 percent premium over Ackroo’s closing price before the transaction was announced. “Given the current state of the capital markets, it was in the best interest of the company to pursue this transaction.” Ackroo, based just outside of Hamilton in Stoney Creek, Ont., has been on the TSX since 2012. Its stock debuted at a price of $2.70 per share but has consistently traded below $0.50 since 2014. The last time Ackroo stock was valued at the purchase price of $0.15 per share was November 2021. Ackroo CEO Steve Levely said in a statement that, since taking over Ackroo in May 2014, his goal was for Ackroo to accrue value through market consolidation until Ackroo was consolidated itself. “Speaking on behalf of the board, we believed, at this stage of the business, and given the current state of the capital markets, it was in the best interest of the company to pursue this transaction, which creates a liquidity event for shareholders while positioning Ackroo’s product, team and clients to be able to benefit from a much larger private organization,” Levely said. A number of Canadian tech companies have opted to go private in 2024, including Montréal-based payments company as well as , , and . Payments giant Lightspeed Commerce is currently entertaining a similar move as it conducts a of the business. According to Ackroo, Levely and “another arm’s-length shareholder” will be deferring payment for their shares by 12 months following transaction close. According to the acquisition agreement, Ackroo can terminate the transaction if Paystone hasn’t acquired a commitment for debt financing that would meet the offer price. If the transaction is terminated under certain circumstances, Paystone is entitled to a fee of $750,000. The companies expect the transaction to complete in February 2025, at which point Levely will also assume the role chief operating officer at Paystone. Founded in 2000, Ackroo offers customer loyalty, gift card, and POS services to merchants of all sizes. Its cloud-based marketing platform helps merchants track loyalty, promotions, and gift cards at the point of sale. The company has sustained itself on growth through acquisitions, having acquired 13 companies to date. In 2023, Ackroo acquired two American companies in client engagement startup for $2 million USD ($2.7 million CAD) and eGift card business for $350,000 USD. Founded in 2009, Paystone has a similar business model, providing payment processing, customer loyalty, and gift card services to merchants while expanding through acquisitions. Paystone Canadian Payment Services, its sixth acquisition, in 2022. The move followed Paystone arming itself with several rounds of funding totalling $99 million in 2021 to fuel both its and plans.
For those who may have missed out on the first season or want to refresh their memories before diving into the new episodes, there is good news! The complete first season of "Lies of the Criminals" is now available for free, allowing viewers to catch up on all the intrigue and drama that set the stage for the thrilling events of the upcoming season.
In conclusion, Udinese's recent resurgence and impressive performances have breathed new life into their Serie A campaign. With key players stepping up and the team showing character and determination, Udinese have the potential to challenge the top teams in the league and make a push for a European qualification spot. The race for the top spots in Serie A promises to be thrilling and unpredictable, with Udinese emerging as a dark horse that could upset the established order and make a statement in Italian football.
Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York City, apparently was living a charmed life: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation's top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-old Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are working to piece together why Mangione may have diverged from this path to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. The killing sparked widespread discussions about corporate greed, unfairness in the medical insurance industry and even inspired folk-hero sentiment toward his killer. But Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sharply refuted that perception after Mangione's arrest on Monday when a customer at a McDonald's restaurant in Pennsylvania spotted Mangione eating and noticed he resembled the shooting suspect in security-camera photos released by New York police. “In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero,” Shapiro said. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.” Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather, Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his best-known projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday, Baltimore County police officers blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. Reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. Nick Mangione had 37 grandchildren, including Luigi, according to the grandfather's obituary. Luigi Mangione’s grandparents donated to charities through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating Nick Mangione’s wife’s death in 2023. They donated to various causes, including Catholic organizations, colleges and the arts. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesman for the lawmaker’s office confirmed. “Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” Mangione’s family said in a statement posted on social media by Nino Mangione. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved.” Mangione, who was valedictorian of his elite Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman told The Associated Press. He learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His social media posts suggest he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends at the Jersey Shore and in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, and other destinations. The Gilman School, from which Mangione graduated in 2016, is one of Baltimore’s elite prep schools. The children of some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent residents, including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., have attended the school. Its alumni include sportswriter Frank Deford and former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington. In his valedictory speech, Luigi Mangione described his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things.” Mangione took a software programming internship after high school at Maryland-based video game studio Firaxis, where he fixed bugs on the hit strategy game Civilization 6, according to a LinkedIn profile. Firaxis' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, said it would not comment on former employees. He more recently worked at the car-buying website TrueCar, but has not worked there since 2023, the head of the Santa Monica, California-based company confirmed to the AP. From January to June 2022, Mangione lived at Surfbreak, a “co-living” space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Honolulu. Like other residents of the shared penthouse catering to remote workers, Mangione underwent a background check, said Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for owner and founder R.J. Martin. “Luigi was just widely considered to be a great guy. There were no complaints,” Ryan said. “There was no sign that might point to these alleged crimes they’re saying he committed.” At Surfbreak, Martin learned Mangione had severe back pain from childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life, including surfing, Ryan said. “He went surfing with R.J. once but it didn’t work out because of his back,” Ryan said, but noted that Mangione and Martin often went together to a rock-climbing gym. Mangione left Surfbreak to get surgery on the mainland, Ryan said, then later returned to Honolulu and rented an apartment. An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione showed what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone's lower spine. Martin stopped hearing from Mangione six months to a year ago. An X account linked to Mangione includes recent posts about the negative impact of smartphones on children; healthy eating and exercise habits; psychological theories; and a quote from Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti about the dangers of becoming “well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Mangione likely was motivated by his anger at what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by AP. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s handwritten notes and social media posts. He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, asserting in his note that he is the “first to face it with such brutal honesty,” the bulletin said. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, the document said. Associated Press reporters Lea Skene in Baltimore; Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Maryclaire Dale in Philadelphia; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Michael Kunzelman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.Celebrities can spark change when they speak up about their healthPolice say suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing wasn't a client of the insurer
Despite her success and popularity, Liu Dameili struggled with confidence issues and body image concerns, which eventually led her to seek cosmetic procedures such as liposuction. While her decision to undergo surgery was a personal one, her untimely death has raised questions and concerns about the risks associated with cosmetic enhancements.
NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellectis (Euronext Growth: ALCLS – NASDAQ: CLLS) (the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its pioneering gene-editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies, today announced that it has drawn down the final tranche of €5 million (“Tranche C”) under the credit facility agreement for up to €40 million entered into with the European Investment Bank (the “EIB) on December 28, 2022 (the "Finance Contract"). With the drawdown of Tranche C, the Company has drawn down the full €40 million available under the Finance Contract. Tranche C is expected to be disbursed by the EIB by December 18, 2024. The Company plans to use the proceeds of Tranche C towards the development of its pipeline of allogeneic CAR T-cell product candidates: UCART22 and UCART20x22. As a condition to the disbursement of Tranche C the Company issued 611,426 warrants to the benefit of the EIB, in accordance with the terms of the 14 th resolution of the shareholders’ meeting held on June 28, 2024 and articles L. 228-91 and seq. of the French Commercial Code (the “Tranche C Warrants”). Each Tranche C Warrant allows the EIB to subscribe for one ordinary share of the Company, at a price of €1.70, corresponding to 99% of the volume-weighted average price of the Company’s ordinary shares over the last 3 trading days preceding the decision of the board of directors of the Company to issue the Tranche C Warrants. The total number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Tranche C Warrants represent circa 0.6% of the Company’s outstanding share capital as at their issuance date. Tranche C will mature six years from its disbursement date and will accrue interest at a rate of 6% per annum capitalized annually and payable at maturity. The other terms of the Tranche C Warrants and prepayment events of Tranche C under the Finance Contract are as set forth in the Company’s press release of April 4, 2023 and Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on such date. About Cellectis Cellectis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its pioneering gene-editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies. Cellectis utilizes an allogeneic approach for CAR-T immunotherapies in oncology, pioneering the concept of off-the-shelf and ready-to-use gene-edited CAR T-cells to treat cancer patients, and a platform to make therapeutic gene editing in hemopoietic stem cells for various diseases. As a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with 25 years of experience and expertise in gene editing, Cellectis is developing life-changing product candidates utilizing TALEN ® , its gene editing technology, and PulseAgile, its pioneering electroporation system to harness the power of the immune system in order to treat diseases with unmet medical needs. Cellectis’ headquarters are in Paris, France, with locations in New York, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina. Cellectis is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (ticker: CLLS) and on Euronext Growth (ticker: ALCLS). To find out more, visit our website: www.cellectis.com Follow Cellectis on social networks @cellectis on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) TALEN® is a registered trademark owned by Cellectis. Cautionary Statement This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “expect,” “plan,” and “will,” or the negative of these and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements, which are based on our management’s current expectations and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include statements about the date of disbursement of the Tranche C and the use of the proceeds of amounts received under the Finance Contract. These forward-looking statements are made in light of information currently available to us and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including with respect to the numerous risks associated with market conditions, and our ability to satisfy the conditions precedent under the Finance Contract. Furthermore, many other important factors, including those described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F as amended and in our annual financial report (including the management report) for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent filings Cellectis makes with the Securities Exchange Commission from time to time, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov , as well as other known and unknown risks and uncertainties may adversely affect such forward-looking statements and cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. For further information on Cellectis, please contact: Media contacts: Pascalyne Wilson, Director, Communications, + 33 (0)7 76 99 14 33, media@cellectis.com Patricia Sosa Navarro, Chief of Staff to the CEO, +33 (0)7 76 77 46 93 Investor Relations contact: Arthur Stril, Interim Chief Financial Officer, investors@cellectis.com Attachment 20241128_Cellectis_BEI_Tranche C_ENGLISH_PR-MBT
The fascination with all things kawaii is not a recent development, but rather a cultural movement that has gained momentum in recent years. Originating in Japan, the term "kawaii" translates to "cute" or "adorable" in English and has permeated various aspects of pop culture worldwide. It has captured the hearts of a diverse audience, particularly young people who are drawn to its whimsical and playful nature.
The success of these billion-dollar private equity funds can be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, their experienced fund managers possess in-depth industry knowledge and expertise, enabling them to identify lucrative investment opportunities and make strategic decisions in a timely manner. Additionally, their rigorous risk management practices and diversified investment portfolios have helped mitigate potential volatility and safeguard investors' capital.The English Premier League is widely regarded as one of the most competitive and physically demanding football leagues in the world. With its fast pace, fierce competition, and relentless schedule, it is no wonder that even the most seasoned professionals can find themselves feeling physically and mentally drained.
In response, the defense team for Yu Hua and Ying sought to demonstrate that their clients had been unfairly targeted and that there were inconsistencies in the prosecution's case. They claimed that Yu Hua and Ying were unaware of the full extent of the operation and that they had been coerced into participating by more powerful individuals.China’s AIMA brand electric motorbike is now in Bangladesh
