okebet photos Shield AI and Palantir Technologies Deepen Strategic Partnership and Announce Deployment of Warp SpeedTo bridge the digital divide and boost the country's global competitiveness, a think tank, on Saturday, Dec. 28, called on the private sector to play a more active role in driving the digital transformation of Philippine public schools. “The digital transformation of our public schools is no longer an option but an urgent necessity,” said Stratbase Institute President Victor Andres "Dindo" Manhit. Manhit highlighted the urgent need for improved broadband connectivity, updated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities, and enhanced teacher skills. “Modernizing our ICT infrastructure, ensuring reliable broadband connectivity, and equipping our teachers with digital skills are foundational steps to elevate our students’ learning competencies,” Manhit added, seeking support for the Department of Education's (DepEd) Adopt-a-School Program. He explained that the Adopt-a-School Law provides an effective framework for private sector participation by offering tax incentives of up to 150 percent of the value of their contributions. “This is an opportunity for businesses to contribute not only to the welfare of their host communities but also to the development of a digitally enabled population—a strategic imperative for global competitiveness,” Manhit noted. Critical role of telcos In a separate statement, CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor, lawyer Tim Abejo, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the crucial role of telecommunications companies in driving the nation’s progress. “Telcos play a crucial role in the digital transformation of the country,” Abejo explained. He stressed that telcos provide the connectivity that drives progress, and that without robust digital infrastructure, the country’s ambitions for sustainable growth and development would falter. He noted that digital infrastructure is central to national progress and economic resilience. “Telcos provide connectivity, and connectivity drives progress,” Abejo said. “We must recognize that without robust digital infrastructure, our ambitions for the future cannot materialize,” he added. He also emphasized the importance of strictly enforcing the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) to prevent delays in digital infrastructure projects. He pointed out that in “today’s connected and AI-driven world, digital infrastructure is the most important form of infrastructure.” Abejo said that anyone who hinders connectivity, especially at the ground level, is anti-progress. Local Government Units (LGUs), he said, should fall in line and stop creating permitting or local regulatory roadblocks. “Any aspect that hinders connectivity is a blight to progress,” he added. Collaboration Meanwhile, Manhit highlighted the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to align with government initiatives. These include DepEd’s Digital Education 2028, the Higher Education Digital Integration of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Digital Skills Training in Technical and Vocational Education by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Manhit explained that these programs represent a unified effort to prepare Filipinos for a digitally empowered and globally competitive workforce. Abejo also connected these efforts to the broader goals of national economic development, noting that all initiatives by President Marcos to attract foreign investments and boost sustainable growth will “remain a dream if we cannot make connectivity happen in our country.” “This must be done now!” he added. Manhit further emphasized the importance of readiness in achieving digital transformation. He called for unified action among the national and local governments, the private sector, and civil society to build an education system that not only nurtures students but also develops future leaders capable of harnessing technology for innovation, productivity, and inclusive growth.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel. The resolution -- adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions -- urges "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" -- wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month. At that time, Washington used its veto power on the Council -- as it has before -- to protect its ally Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack. It has insisted on the idea of making a ceasefire conditional on the release of all hostages in Gaza, saying otherwise that Hamas has no incentive to free those in captivity. Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood repeated that position Wednesday, saying it would be "shameful and wrong" to adopt the text. Ahead of the vote, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said: "The resolutions before the assembly today are beyond logic. (...) The vote today is not a vote for compassion. It is a vote for complicity." The General Assembly often finds itself taking up measures that cannot get through the Security Council, which has been largely paralyzed on hot-button issues such as Gaza and Ukraine due to internal politics, and this time is no different. The resolution, which is non-binding, demands "immediate access" to widespread humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza, especially in the besieged north of the territory. Dozens of representatives of UN member states addressed the Assembly before the vote to offer their support to the Palestinians. "Gaza doesn't exist anymore. It is destroyed," said Slovenia's UN envoy Samuel Zbogar. "History is the harshest critic of inaction." That criticism was echoed by Algeria's deputy UN ambassador Nacim Gaouaoui, who said: "The price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow." Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, a majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the United Nations. "Gaza today is the bleeding heart of Palestine," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week during the first day of debate in the Assembly's special session on the issue. "The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action to end this nightmare," he said, calling for an end to the "impunity." After Wednesday's vote, he said "we will keep knocking on the doors of the Security Council and the General Assembly until we see an immediate and unconditional ceasefire put in place." The Gaza resolution calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to present "proposals on how the United Nations could help to advance accountability" by using existing mechanisms or creating new ones based on past experience. The Assembly, for example, created an international mechanism to gather evidence of crimes committed in Syria starting from the outbreak of civil war in 2011. A second resolution calling on Israel to respect the mandate of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and allow it to continue its operations was passed Wednesday by a vote of 159-9 with 11 abstentions. Israel has voted to ban the organization starting January 28, after accusing some UNRWA employees of taking part in Hamas's devastating attack. abd/sst/jgc/nro/des

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he won't play Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's games by voting to bring down the government on an upcoming non-confidence motion. The Conservatives plan to introduce a motion that quotes Singh's own criticism of the Liberals, and asks the House of Commons to declare that it agrees with Singh and has no confidence in the government. The motion is expected to be introduced on Thursday and the debate and vote are set for Monday. Singh said he is not going to trigger an election when he believes Poilievre would cut programs the NDP fought for. "I'm not going to be playing Pierre Poilievre's games. I have no interest in that. We're frankly not going to allow him to cut the things that people need. I want to actually have dental care expanded, I want people to actually start to benefit from the pharmacare legislation we passed," Singh said. With the NDP's expected support, the Liberals should survive this next confidence vote brought forward by the Conservatives. The Tories have vowed to bring forward non-confidence motions every chance they get. The party will have two more opposition motions after this one, which are expected to continue to call for non-confidence. The NDP are scheduled to have their opposition day on Friday. Earlier on Tuesday, Singh did acknowledge that the Conservatives have a sizeable lead on the NDP in public opinion polls, while giving a campaign-style speech to visiting party staffers from across the country. Most pollsters in Canada have recorded a roughly 20 point lead for the Conservatives over both the Liberals and NDP for the last few months. The non-confidence vote was scheduled after Speaker Greg Fergus intervened to pause a filibuster on a privilege debate about a green technology fund. The Conservatives have said they would only end that debate if the NDP agree to topple the government or if the Liberals turn over unredacted documents at the centre of the parliamentary gridlock.

Dick's Sporting Goods director Larry Fitzgerald Jr. buys $49,462 in stockThe UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel. The resolution -- adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions -- urges "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" -- wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month. At that time, Washington used its veto power on the Council -- as it has before -- to protect its ally Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group's October 7, 2023 attack. It has insisted on the idea of making a ceasefire conditional on the release of all hostages in Gaza, saying otherwise that Hamas has no incentive to free those in captivity. Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood repeated that position Wednesday, saying it would be "shameful and wrong" to adopt the text. Ahead of the vote, Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said: "The resolutions before the assembly today are beyond logic. (...) The vote today is not a vote for compassion. It is a vote for complicity." The General Assembly often finds itself taking up measures that cannot get through the Security Council, which has been largely paralyzed on hot-button issues such as Gaza and Ukraine due to internal politics, and this time is no different. The resolution, which is non-binding, demands "immediate access" to widespread humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza, especially in the besieged north of the territory. Dozens of representatives of UN member states addressed the Assembly before the vote to offer their support to the Palestinians. "Gaza doesn't exist anymore. It is destroyed," said Slovenia's UN envoy Samuel Zbogar. "History is the harshest critic of inaction." That criticism was echoed by Algeria's deputy UN ambassador Nacim Gaouaoui, who said: "The price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow." Hamas's October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,805 people, a majority of them civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the United Nations. "Gaza today is the bleeding heart of Palestine," Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week during the first day of debate in the Assembly's special session on the issue. "The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action to end this nightmare," he said, calling for an end to the "impunity." After Wednesday's vote, he said "we will keep knocking on the doors of the Security Council and the General Assembly until we see an immediate and unconditional ceasefire put in place." The Gaza resolution calls on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to present "proposals on how the United Nations could help to advance accountability" by using existing mechanisms or creating new ones based on past experience. The Assembly, for example, created an international mechanism to gather evidence of crimes committed in Syria starting from the outbreak of civil war in 2011. A second resolution calling on Israel to respect the mandate of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and allow it to continue its operations was passed Wednesday by a vote of 159-9 with 11 abstentions. Israel has voted to ban the organization starting January 28, after accusing some UNRWA employees of taking part in Hamas's devastating attack. abd/sst/jgc/nro/des

Concerns raised over hospitality staff after smoking curbs ditched

Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bearish stance on NIO . Looking at options history for NIO NIO we detected 22 trades. If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 4% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 90% with bearish. From the overall spotted trades, 17 are puts, for a total amount of $1,002,691 and 5, calls, for a total amount of $164,560. Predicted Price Range After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $4.0 and $20.0 for NIO, spanning the last three months. Insights into Volume & Open Interest Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for NIO's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of NIO's whale activity within a strike price range from $4.0 to $20.0 in the last 30 days. NIO Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview Biggest Options Spotted: Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Ask Bid Price Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume NIO PUT SWEEP BEARISH 01/16/26 $4.0 $3.9 $3.95 $8.00 $129.1K 17.6K 881 NIO PUT SWEEP BEARISH 01/16/26 $3.95 $3.85 $3.95 $8.00 $83.6K 17.6K 3.9K NIO PUT SWEEP BEARISH 01/16/26 $3.95 $3.9 $3.95 $8.00 $78.9K 17.6K 1.8K NIO PUT SWEEP BEARISH 01/16/26 $3.95 $3.9 $3.92 $8.00 $68.8K 17.6K 1.5K NIO PUT SWEEP BEARISH 01/17/25 $0.67 $0.65 $0.67 $5.00 $67.0K 63.0K 1.0K About NIO Nio is a leading electric vehicle maker, targeting the premium segment. Founded in November 2014, Nio designs, develops, jointly manufactures, and sells premium smart electric vehicles. The company differentiates itself through continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations such as battery swapping and autonomous driving technologies. Nio launched its first model, its ES8 seven-seater electric SUV, in December 2017, and began deliveries in June 2018. Its current model portfolio includes midsize to large sedans and SUVs. It sold over 160,000 EVs in 2023, accounting for about 2% of the China passenger new energy vehicle market. In light of the recent options history for NIO, it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance. Where Is NIO Standing Right Now? With a volume of 45,538,092, the price of NIO is up 3.4% at $4.86. RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock is currently neutral between overbought and oversold. Next earnings are expected to be released in 102 days. What The Experts Say On NIO Over the past month, 2 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $5.699999999999999. Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access .* An analyst from Macquarie has revised its rating downward to Neutral, adjusting the price target to $4. * An analyst from Macquarie has elevated its stance to Outperform, setting a new price target at $6. Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest NIO options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro . © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's final match

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Japan has offered a $108 million to help drive Nigeria’s emergency food security. Yuka Furutani, attache (development Cooperation and ECOWAS), Embassy of Japan in Nigeria, revealed this in her remarks at a demonstration workshop for digital extension service providers held in Abuja on Wednesday. The event, organised by the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS), in collaboration with Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), AGRA, Sahel Consulting and Africa Practice, recently launched an initiative on digital extension and advisory services, tagged ‘A Consultative Engagement Exercise for a Product Profile Design for Nigeria’s Public-Private Partnership Digital Extension Delivery System.’ It was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Bell and Melinda Gates-funded activity is an engagement exercise and scoping study that will be conducted in Oyo, Gombe and Kaduna states to identify and profile a digital extension delivery solution that addresses the specific needs. According to Furutani, “The Government of Japan has consistently demonstrated its strong commitment to support food crisis response and sustainable agriculture production in Africa.” She said, “At a Tokyo international conference on agriculture development, Japan and Nigeria signed the food security emergency support loan in April this year for approximately $108 million. “Additionally, Japan extended the grant aid of approximately $4.2 million to enhance the rice seed production system in Nigeria in the same month. This demonstrates our unwavering commitment to Nigeria’s food security. We particularly recognize that these agriculture extension services play a crucial role in realizing food security and sustainable agriculture production,” She said. “One such example we initiated is Japan’s collaboration with the Sasakawa Africa Association, funded by the Government of Japan. This project utilises a digital agriculture expansion service tool called Acropronto, developed by a Japanese company. Acropronto utilizes Japan’s extensive experience in agriculture infrastructure and its advanced technology.” In his remarks, Godwin Atser, country director of SAA Nigeria, which is leading the project’s first workstream, said the Bill and Melinda Gates-funded activity is an engagement exercise and scoping study that will be conducted in Oyo, Gombe and Kaduna states to identify and profile a digital extension delivery solution that addresses the specific needs of SSPs, promotes gender equality, and enhances climate resilience in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, especially in the value chains of Maize, Cowpea, Cassava, Soya bean and livestock. “We have lots of digital apps being developed today, which if we strategically engage farmers and protect them, we will be able to address the issues around extension. And if we are able to do that, it means that farmers’ productivity will increase. And if farmers’ productivity increases, then it means that when we begin to move a lot of the population out of poverty, recognizing that at least 70 percent of people in rural areas rely on agriculture.” In his remarks, Deola-Tayo Lordbanjou, director of the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension Services, said some studies conducted found that extension practice in Nigeria is dead, less effective, less impactful, and no longer sustainable. He noted that in the early 80s, Nigeria recorded a higher number of extension service providers compared to now. The Department of Agriculture and Extension is responsible for climate extension service in Nigeria, in terms of policy coordination, state coalition agreement, giving trust and direction and trying to the extension of politics in Nigeria. he added that information is key in the agricultural sector. “And not just information, but advisory services. Someone needs to tell the farmer how better to grow his crops, when to plant them, how to plant them when to harvest, what the likelihood of a disease is, and what should be done.”