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Sagah (centre) being briefed on an app developed by one of the participating teams. – Photo by Sarawak Public Communications Unit KUCHING (Nov 23): Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn has proposed the development of mobile apps and tools to help students with learning loss catch up on their school work. He highlighted that there are students who are still unable to read, write and do simple arithmetics because their learning was affected due to school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic. “(There is) Another group of special needs, those who were involved in learning loss especially during the Covid-19. “Some students are not being able to catch up with school work, going to Primary 2, Primary 3 not knowing how to read and write, let alone to sum up things,” he said at the Girlscode Hackwnd here today. As such, he urged teachers and students involved in coding to create innovative apps and tools to support these students in overcoming these challenges. On a separate note, Sagah is proud of the achievement of Team Agape from SMK Sarikei, which won the Technology Award at the Technovation World Summit in the United States last month. He said this had proven that Sarawakians have the ability to excel on the global stage. “Their tool called Agape With Love designed to help children with special needs learn more effectively is a wonderful example of how we can use technology for good,” he said. On the Girlscode Hackwnd programme, he said it was one of the initiatives supported by his ministry to nurture the next generation of talents in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). At the event, Team Fusion Angel from SJKC Chung Hua Krokop, Miri won the ‘Junior’ Category (Primary School) while Team TPG from SMK Tinggi Kuching won the ‘Senior’ Category (Secondary School).Businesses and consumers in China found the 11.11 or the annual Singles’ Day shopping festival less attractive this year amid a sluggish economy, forcing e-commerce firms to look abroad for growth. Online service provider and e-commerce platform Alibaba started the now-famous event on Nov. 11, 2009, offering attractive discounts to entice shoppers to spend more. The extravaganza, also known as “Double 11,” has since expanded to other platforms in China — like JD.com and Pinduoduo — and abroad. It has long been regarded as a barometer of consumer sentiment. While Singles’ Day was previously a one-day event, shopping platforms in China now kickstart the festival weeks ahead to drum up sales volume. Even some brick-and-mortar stores join the festival by launching sales campaigns and hanging promotional banners and posters in the hopes of luring shoppers. But amid China’s lagging domestic economy, dragged down by a real estate crisis and deflationary pressures , consumers no longer go all out during the shopping extravaganza. Meanwhile, e-commerce platforms grappling with a slowing domestic market have turned to overseas markets to seek new growth, offering promotions like global free shipping and allowing merchants to sell worldwide with ease. Alibaba, for example, said in a blog post on its Alizila site that some 70,000 merchants saw sales double with global free shipping. In markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, new customers also doubled, the e-commerce company said. Since the festival began in late October, “I have only spent a few hundred yuan on daily necessities,” said Wang Haihua, who owns a fitness center in the capital, Beijing. Wang said that the prices offered on e-commerce platforms during Singles’ Day are not necessarily cheaper than usual. “They’re all tricks and we’ve seen through it over the years,” she said. Zhang Jiewei, a 34-year-old who runs a barber shop in the city of Xi’an, echoed Wang’s sentiments, saying that he no longer trusts Singles’ Day promotions as some merchants tend to raise the usual prices before offering a discount, giving consumers the illusion they are getting a deal. “I used to buy a lot two or three years ago and I even purchased a mobile phone (during Singles’ Day),” he said. However, following the coronavirus pandemic, he stopped “because of lower income.” “I am not going to buy anything this year,” Zhang said. Some experts say that Beijing’s recent stimulus measures have had little impact on boosting consumer confidence. Most Filipino TikTok users start Christmas shopping early, hunt for bargains, study says Online shopping scams: How to avoid them “People are not interested in spending and are cutting back on big-ticket items,” said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai. “Since October 2022, the weak economy means that everything has been on discount year-round, 11.11 is not going to bring in more discounts than the month before.” Rein said he expects low growth for the Singles’ Day shopping festival as consumers tighten their spending in anticipation of difficult economic times ahead. Categories such as sportswear and fitness, however, have been doing well as customers “trade down a Gucci bag for Lululemon sportswear,” he said. Jacob Cooke, CEO of e-commerce consultancy WPIC Marketing + Technologies, said that despite the luxury downturn, the shopping festival still showed strong sales for goods in premium price brands across categories like mother-baby, personal care and toys, as well as outdoor and sport. “There’s a clear shift in consumer priorities towards experiences, hobbies, and health,” Cooke said. “With record-level platform subsidies and generous membership programs like Alibaba’s 88VIP, consumers actually showed a preference for premium branded goods during this year’s festival.” Platforms like JD.com and Alibaba previously used to publish the total value of the festival’s transactions, but have stopped since 2022. While yearly growth used to be in the double digits, estimates of recent figures have dwindled to low single-digit growth. Syntun, a data provider, estimated that last year’s gross merchandising volume sales across major e-commerce platforms grew just 2% to 1.14 trillion yuan ($156.40 billion), a far cry from double-digit growth before COVID-19. Alibaba also owns popular e-commerce platforms Taobao and Tmall, Even some merchants who typically participated in the festival say the high cost of advertising no longer pays off as sales dwindle. Zhao Gao, who owns a garment factory in eastern Zhejiang province, said that after paying to advertise on e-commerce platforms, he would only break even after sales. “The platforms have so many rules for promotions and customers have become more skeptical,” he said. “As a merchant, I no longer participate in the Singles’ Day promotions.” Another merchant, Du Baonian who runs a food company processing mutton in Inner Mongolia, said consumers spend less and his overall sales were down by 15% compared to the past year. He still takes part in the Singles’ Day promotions but said the higher expenses do not typically generate returns because of slow sales. “We are seeing shrinking revenue, but advertisement on the platform can help us maintain our leading sales position,” he said, adding that he was considering advertising on more e-commerce platforms to target more consumers.Baker Mayfield has put together a strong sophomore season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after breaking onto the scene last year with a Pro Bowl season. Why's Baker - and the Buccaneers under his leadership - been so successful in Tampa? A five-second span during the Bucs' 30-7 win over the New York Giants was a microcosm of that reason. With the Bucs leading 30-7 in the fourth quarter and the game obviously well out of hand, Mayfield handed off to Bucky Irving, who broke free and took off in a footrace towards the end zone. Out of nowhere, Mayfield comes flying onto the screen and throws a lead block about 40 yards from the line of scrimmage. Watch Baker on the lead block How can you not love Baker Mayfield?! : #TBvsNYG on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/wuCgzLl5kn . @BakerMayfield as the lead blocker for @BuckyIrving : #TBvsNYG on CBS pic.twitter.com/xiglUhxeFV Mayfield's block downfield wasn't ceremonial either. He managed to dislodge a Giants defender from Irving's back and get his running back another 15 yards or so down the field. That's exactly why Mayfield has been so successful and so well liked in Tampa. His effort. His passion. His intensity. There's no doubt that the locker room is bought in on #6 as the unquestioned leader on the roster. Mayfield has also been smart about using his legs and athleticism as a tool in his bag this season, particularly on Sunday. He took off several times on the run to help move the sticks with his legs. He also completed 24/30 attempts passing for 294 yards on the day. Now, at 5-6 and just a game behind the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South, the Bucs are trending the right way coming out of the bye with the second-lowest winning percentage in the league for their remaining opponents coming into Sunday. And if today's showing was any indication, the Bucs are going to go down swinging - one way or another - with #6 leading the charge as they try to claim their fourth straight division crown and fifth playoff spot in a row. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

HARRISBURG — Spending on public education, reforming aspects of health care, loosening regulations on business and strengthening the commonwealth’s workforce were among the legislative wins achieved in 2024 in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. Lawmakers adopted Pennsylvania’s biggest budget, to date, a $47.6 billion spending plan with a deficit balanced by $3 billion transferred from the commonwealth’s reserves. Gov. Josh Shapiro and his supporters welcomed the move, spending down on what had been a combined $14 billion in savings they viewed as a reinvestment in taxpayers whose money sat dormant. Fiscal conservatives point to a five-year outlook in the budget that forecasts all of that money being spent by 2029, warning that the structural deficit risks fiscal insolvency. The budget included a $1.2 billion increase for public education as the commonwealth grapples with a late-2023 court decision that found its funding system unconstitutional. Schools collectively saw multi-million increases in spending on special education, K-12 classroom subsidies plus additional funds for the poorest districts to backfill an “adequacy gap” identified by the court, plus more funding for mental health initiatives and security. Expect more record requests for spending on education in the immediate budget years to come as the commonwealth upturns its system on how public schools are funded. At the same time, a fight to establish a school voucher system will continue, too. Lifeline Scholarships were shunned two years in a row, however, Republicans remain committed to creating vouchers in the name of school choice. They’re emboldened by shifts in political party registrations and substantial victories in the 2024 election cycle. Budget battles might lead some in Harrisburg and beyond to seek libations for a brief escape and this year in Pennsylvania, those of legal age have a new option. Legislators advanced a bill into law creating a new permit for licensed bars, restaurants, grocery stores and more to sell canned cocktails to-go. The pre-packaged, pre-mixed drinks were only available in state liquor stores prior to the change. Estimates reached $145 million in new tax revenue, however, the gains will be offset to some degree by lost revenue within the state-owned system. Pennsylvania’s bars and restaurants also benefitted from other regulatory changes that expanded aggregate time allowed for happy hours from 14 hours to 24 hours a week and also permitted drink-and-meal combination discounts that were once illegal. Lawmakers approved reforms in health care with a new law that changes how pharmacy benefit managers operate in the commonwealth. The “middle men” are blamed for practices causing smaller pharmacies to close and consumer prices to rise. Pennsylvania’s legislation bars PBMs from lowering reimbursements for unaffiliated pharmacies, prevents them from spiking prices on medications above what customers might pay when using cash out of pocket, ends certain “steering practices” that lead to increased business for affiliated pharmacies and requires certain reporting requirements that will reveal which companies fail to pass on manufacturer rebates to customers. Aside from public education, state lawmakers made big changes in the realm of higher education. They created Pennsylvania’s first State Board of Higher Education directed to coordinate higher-ed across all levels and also develop recommendations to create a performance-based funding system for state-related universities including Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. Funding for smaller schools, that is, community colleges and state-owned schools, was increased as was funding for student scholarships and grants along with a new program that for the first time will provide stipends to student teachers. A new telemedicine law assures patients that any medically necessary service they’d receive in person that’s covered by their insurance plan would also be covered if administered remotely through telemedicine. Disputes preventing Pennsylvania’s full participation in an interstate healthcare licensure compact were resolved through legislation concerning fingerprinting and background checks. With a resolution in place, nurses and doctors and others from Pennsylvania can now work in cooperating states without obtaining another license. Xylazine is now formally listed as a Schedule III narcotic in the commonwealth. Protections are included for veterinary use of the sedative developed for large animals. Illicit production of the drug led to it being cut into fentanyl and other opioids sold on the streets, greatly enhancing potency and the risk of death by overdose. Distracted driving was addressed with the passage of Paul Miller’s Law, named after a 21-year-old Scranton man killed by a distracted driver in 2010. The measure, building on an existing statute that bans texting while driving, authorizes traffic stops for similar actions on handheld mobile devices including sending an email, posting to social media, snapping a photo and recording a video. The use of hands-free functions, however, remains permissible. New state law also created a Solar for Schools program incentivizing K-12 public schools, career and technical centers and community colleges to pursue state grant funding that can fund half the construction cost of an approved solar energy project. Another law established the framework for carbon dioxide capture, utilization and sequestration toward storing the pollutant below ground, an initiative tied to the multi-billion dollar proposal to open a pair of hydrogen hubs in the Philadelphia region. The 2023-24 Legislative Session is now closed and the 2025-26 session began Dec. 1 with lawmakers already signaling the introduction of new bills and the reintroduction of old bills that haven’t yet cleared the House and Senate. When voting picks up again in January, expect continued debate and formal proposals for legislative initiatives that weren’t successful including legalizing marijuana for recreational use, enacting gun control measures, approving ballot measures for constitutional amendments on universal voter ID and opening a temporary legal window to sue alleged perpetrators or enablers of long-ago sexual abuse, creating Lifeline Scholarships for school choice, regulating skill games, expanding Sunday hunting opportunities and boosting Pennsylvania’s housing stock.Iranian authorities have lifted a ban on Meta’s instant messaging platform WhatsApp and Google Play as a first step to scale back internet restrictions, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday. The Islamic Republic has some of the strictest controls on Internet access in the world, but its blocks on U.S.-based social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are routinely bypassed by tech-savvy Iranians using virtual private networks. “A positive majority vote has been reached to lift limitations on access to some popular foreign platforms such as WhatsApp and Google Play”, Iran’s official IRNA news agency said on Tuesday, referring to a meeting on the matter headed by President Masoud Pezeshkian. “Today the first step in removing internet limitations... has been taken,” IRNA cited Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi as saying. Social media platforms were widely used in anti-government protests in Iran. In September the United States called on Big Tech to help evade online censorship in countries that heavily sensor the internet, including Iran.

LIVERPOOL, England -- maintained their 100% start to the with against on Wednesday that leaves the reigning European champions in danger of missing out qualification for the knockout stages. Second-half goals from and at Anfield sealed Liverpool's fifth successive Champions League victory and moved Arne Slot's team two points clear at the top of the table. It was the Reds' first win against in the Champions League since March 3, 2009, ending an eight-game winless streak against the Spanish capital club (a span that included seven losses). But Real, who won the Champions League for a record 15th time against at Wembley last season, have now lost three of five games so far and sit in 24th position -- the final qualification spot for February's playoff stage. had the chance to equalise for Madrid when he had a penalty saved by Liverpool keeper while the scoreline was 1-0 to the home side. The penalty drama also affected Liverpool, with sending his spot kick wide on 70 minutes. Real now face a tough trip to champions on Matchday 6 next month as they attempt to kickstart their hopes of qualifying for the next stage of the competition. Mbappé and Salah both miss, Mbappé's is costly Nobody will have been more pleased to see Salah skew his second-half penalty wide at Anfield than Mbappé, having seen his own spot kick saved nine minutes earlier. Salah's miss took at least some of the spotlight off Mbappé, after a truly disastrous evening for the Madrid forward. This was the international's s biggest opportunity yet to impress in a Madrid shirt, after a shaky start to life at the Bernabeú. Instead, it was his season so far in microcosm. In 90 minutes, Mbappé had only two shots, one on target, and that was the penalty. He attempted just 22 passes -- only had fewer -- completing 16 of them. Scoring the penalty could have changed his night, and would have had Madrid right back in the game at 1-1. Instead, Mbappé fluffed his lines. His performance will be scrutinised in the Madrid media on Thursday, and the fans' patience won't last forever. Salah's miss was less costly -- even if it was a worse effort -- and might be forgotten soon enough, given Liverpool's win. But it wasn't what he needed, either, in the week having not received a new contract offer. Salah is a Liverpool legend, though, and his team are flying domestically and in Europe. Mbappé is just starting out at Madrid, and with three defeats out of five, their Champions League campaign is already spiraling out of control. Kelleher lives up to Klopp-given nickname If Kelleher's Liverpool career to date could be summed up by a single moment, then his superb penalty save to deny Mbappé would perhaps be it. A bystander for much of the evening against Madrid, the man Jürgen Klopp once dubbed the "best No. 2 in the world" lived up to his title once again, becoming the first goalkeeper to deny the Frenchman from the spot in the Champions League and laying the foundations for Liverpool to secure a famous win against their European nemesis. In truth, Kelleher can no longer be dubbed a "No. 2." He has featured more for Liverpool than in 2024, owing to the Brazilian's ongoing struggles with a hamstring problem. Once again on Wednesday night, he didn't let Slot's side down, making a handful of late saves to preserve the hosts' clean sheet. While the impending arrival of from surely means Kelleher's long-term future lies away from Anfield, his enduring brilliance in Alisson's absence means that if, or when, he does depart he will do so as a cult hero. Bradley gives Alexander-Arnold a look into the future may have had an uncomfortable glimpse into the future while sitting on the Liverpool substitutes' bench as his teammates defeated Real Madrid. On the one hand, the Liverpool full-back will have seen produce a stunning performance at right-back and show that he is more than capable of keeping Alexander-Arnold out of the team now that he is fully fit. And with endless speculation linking Alexander-Arnold with a free agent move to Real next summer if he fails to sign a new deal at Anfield, the 26-year-old might just have learned that the La Liga giants are a team in decline just six months after winning the Champions League and that a move to the Santiago Bernabeú may not be the dream it once seemed. This night was really all about Bradley, though, the impressive 21-year-old who was outstanding against Real. The Northern Ireland international set the tone with a crunching tackle on Mbappé in the first half that brought a huge cheer from The Kop. He went on to produce a rock-solid performance at full-back, as well as offering threat going forward. Bradley was only denied a goal when produced a world-class save to keep out his second-half header from close range. If Liverpool are worried about losing Alexander-Arnold, they really shouldn't be. Bellingham feels Anfield's wrath delivered an outspoken news conference ahead of this game when after 's failure to win Euro 2024. He also dismissed speculation that he almost joined Liverpool before signing for Real Madrid in 2023 because Real were on a "different level." Bellingham's comments about Liverpool led to him being booed by the Anfield crowd whenever he touched the ball. It seemed to have an impact on his performance because the 21-year-old was poor against Slot's side. Liverpool midfielders Mac Allister and dominated Bellingham, both in physical challenges and with the ball, and he spent the majority of the game struggling to make an impact. In Bellingham's defence, he was playing in a deeper role than he typically enjoys. Carlo Ancelotti deployed him on the left of midfield behind a front three of Mbappé, and . Just as with England at Euro 2024, though, when the game passes Bellingham by, he offers little and his frustration becomes evident. This game was another example, and it couldn't have been more badly timed considering Bellingham had complained about his treatment after the Euros. When a player talks about being misjudged or harshly treated, the best way to prove a point is usually by doing it on the pitch. At Anfield, he ended up being outshone by two of the players Liverpool recruited after pulling out of the race to sign him 18 months ago.REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SEER), a leading life sciences company commercializing a disruptive new platform for proteomics, today announced it ranked No. 57 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 TM, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America, now in its 30th year. Seer grew 2,440% during this period. Seer’s President and CFO, David Horn, credits increased adoption of Seer’s Proteograph Product Suite, as well as new discoveries made by its customers across neurodegenerative disease, cancer, and metabolic disease, with the company’s 2,440% revenue growth. "This has been an exciting year for Seer, from the launch of our technology access center in Europe, to seeing our Proteograph platform used by astronauts on the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, to the recent announcement of our co-marketing and sales agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific,” Horn said. “We’re proud to see continuing validation of our work providing customers and the broader scientific community with the power to enable deep proteomic insights at a scale and price point that hasn’t been possible before." Seer previously ranked No. 5 as a Technology Fast 500 award winner for 2023. Overall, 2024 Technology Fast 500 companies achieved revenue growth ranging from 201% to 153,625% over the three-year time frame, with an average growth rate of 1,981% and median growth rate of 460%. About the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500: Now in its 30th year, the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 provides a ranking of the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies — both public and private — in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2020 to 2023. In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company’s operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least US$50,000, and current-year operating revenues of at least US$5 million. Additionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of four years and be headquartered within North America. About Seer: Seer is a life sciences company developing transformative products that open a new gateway to the proteome. Seer’s Proteograph Product Suite is an integrated solution that includes proprietary engineered nanoparticles, consumables, automation instrumentation and software to perform deep, unbiased proteomic analysis at scale in a matter of hours. Seer designed the Proteograph workflow to be efficient and easy to use, leveraging widely adopted laboratory instrumentation to provide a decentralized solution that can be incorporated by nearly any lab. Seer’s Proteograph Product Suite is for research use only and is not intended for diagnostic procedures. For more information, please visit www.seer.bio . Media Contact: Patrick Schmidt pr@seer.bio Investor Contact: Carrie Mendivil investor@seer.bio About Deloitte: Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 8,500 U.S.-based private companies. At Deloitte, we strive to live our purpose of making an impact that matters by creating trust and confidence in a more equitable society. We leverage our unique blend of business acumen, command of technology, and strategic technology alliances to advise our clients across industries as they build their future . Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Bringing more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 460,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com . Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the “Deloitte” name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

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NATO chief Mark Rutte held talks with US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on the “global security issues facing the alliance,” a spokeswoman said Saturday. The meeting took place on Friday in Palm Beach, NATO’s Farah Dakhlallah said in a statement. In his first term, Trump aggressively pushed Europe to step up defence spending and questioned the fairness of the NATO transatlantic alliance. The former Dutch prime minister had said he wanted to meet Trump two days after Trump was elected on November 5 and discuss the threat of increasingly warming ties between North Korea and Russia. Trump’s thumping victory to return to the US presidency has set nerves jangling in Europe that he could pull the plug on vital Washington military aid for Ukraine. NATO allies say keeping Kyiv in the fight against Moscow is key to both European and American security. “What we see more and more is that North Korea, Iran, China and of course Russia are working together, working together against Ukraine,” Rutte said recently at a European leaders’ meeting in Budapest. “At the same time, Russia has to pay for this, and one of the things they are doing is delivering technology to North Korea,” which he warned was threatening to the “mainland of the US (and) continental Europe”. “I look forward to sitting down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively,” Rutte said.