STUART, Fla. , Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Health In Tech, an Insurtech platform company backed by third-party AI technology, today announced the closing of its initial public offering of 2,300,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a public offering price of $4.00 per share, for gross proceeds of $9,200,000 , before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses. The Company has granted the underwriter an option, exercisable within 30 days from the date of the final prospectus, to purchase an additional 345,000 shares of Class A common stock from Health In Tech at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. Assuming such option is fully exercised, the Company may raise a total of approximately US$10,580,000 in gross proceeds from the Offering Health In Tech intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for system enhancements, expansion of service offerings, sales and distribution channels, talent development and retention, working capital, and other general corporate purposes. American Trust Investment Services, Inc. acted as the sole book-running manager for the offering. A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-281853) relating to the shares was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and became effective on December 19, 2024 . This offering was made only by means of a prospectus, forming part of the effective registration statement. A copy of the prospectus relating to the offering can be obtained when available, by contacting American Trust Investment Services, Inc., 230 W. Monroe Street , Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60606, or via E-Mail at ECM@amtruinvest.com. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Health In Tech Health in Tech ("HIT") is an Insurtech platform company backed by third-party AI technology. We offer a dynamic marketplace designed to create customized healthcare plan solutions while streamlining processes through vertical integration, process simplification, and automation. By eliminating friction and complexities, HIT enhances value propositions for employers and optimizes underwriting, sales, and service workflows for Managing General Underwriters (MGUs), insurance carriers, licensed brokers, and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs). Learn more at healthintech.com . Forward-Looking Statements Regarding Health In Tech Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates or expectations about Health In Tech's possible or assumed operational results, financial condition, business strategies and plans, market opportunities, competitive position, industry environment, and potential growth opportunities. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "design," "target," "aim," "hope," "expect," "could," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "predict," "project," "potential," "goal," or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements relate to future events or to Health In Tech's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Health In Tech's actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond Health In Tech's control and which could, and likely will, affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects Health In Tech's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to Health In Tech's operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. Investor Contact Investor Relations: ir@healthintech.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-in-tech-announces-closing-of-initial-public-offering-302338923.html SOURCE Health In TechSyria's new authorities say they've secured the release of an American pilgrim imprisoned by AssadThe move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.
GLOBE, Ariz. — The Gila County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for help in locating a woman who has been missing for the last year. Natalie Sabastian was last seen walking away from her residence in Globe on Dec. 23, 2023 and has not been heard from since. At the time of her disappearance, Natalie was 54 and had blonde hair. GCSO said the missing woman may have been a victim of foul play. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to finding Natalie. Anyone with information can contact the sheriff's office at 928-402-1872. RELATED: 'He loved Christmas': Toy drive held in honor of murdered coach RELATED: 23-year-old killed in crash on US 60 Watch 12News for free You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12+ app! The free 12+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV . 12+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives. Roku : Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX." Amazon Fire TV : Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12+ app to add to your account , or have the 12+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.Major stock indexes rose on Wall Street in afternoon trading Monday, after a choppy start to a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered from an early slide to gain 29 points, or 0.1% as of 3:40 p.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%. Gains in technology and communications stocks helped outweigh losses in consumer goods companies and elsewhere in the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3.3%. Broadcom climbed 5.5% to also help support the broader market. Walmart fell 2% and PepsiCo slid 1.2%. Japanese automakers Honda Motor and Nissan said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. U.S.-listed shares in Honda jumped 13.4%, while Nissan slipped 0.2%. Eli Lilly rose 3.5% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store Nordstrom fell 1.6% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. The Conference Board said that consumer confidence slipped in December. Its consumer confidence index fell back to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 113.8. The unexpectedly weak consumer confidence update follows several generally strong economic reports last week. One report showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The latest report on unemployment benefit applications showed that the job market remains solid. A report on Friday said a measure of inflation the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. Worries about inflation edging higher again had been weighing on Wall Street and the Fed. The central bank just delivered its third cut to interest rates this year, but inflation has been hovering stubbornly above its target of 2%. It has signaled that it could deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier anticipated because of concerns over inflation. Expectations for more interest rate cuts have helped drive a roughly 25% gain for the S&P 500 in 2024. That drive included 57 all-time highs this year. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market's path ahead and shifting economic policies under an incoming President Donald Trump. "Put simply, much of the strong market performance prior to last week was driven by expectations that a best-case scenario was the base case for 2025," said Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.59% from 4.53% late Friday. European markets were mostly lower, while markets in Asia gained ground. Wall Street has several other economic reports to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. will release its November report for sales of newly constructed homes. A weekly update on unemployment benefits is expected on Thursday. Markets in the U.S. will close at 1 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Wednesday for Christmas.
Colorado is gearing up for the rugged Big 12 schedule, but first the Buffaloes wrap up their nonconference slate with two more games, starting Friday night when they host South Dakota State in Boulder, Colo. Colorado (7-2) has won two straight after competing in the Maui Invitational, most recently a 72-55 win over in-state rival Colorado State. Now the focus turns to South Dakota State and shoring up issues before conference play. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Stacker ranked the best films of 2024 so far using data from Metacritic as of Dec. 2, 2024. Check back to see this list evolve as the year concludes. Click for more. The best movies of 2024 so farDuring this season of giving, we are taking a moment to express deep appreciation for the unwavering support and enthusiasm shown towards our work. As we prepare for a brief hiatus, we want to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve shared with you, dear readers, and recognize the vital role you play in our community. Your engagement and feedback has been invaluable in shaping the content we produce. The you demonstrate for technology and innovation inspires us daily and drives our commitment to delivering high-quality insights and reviews. We are grateful for your loyalty, which motivates us to continuously improve and adapt in this ever-evolving digital landscape. As we step back to recharge and strategize for the future, please note that MacSources will be offline until January 2, 2025. During this time, we encourage you to explore our of articles and reviews that continue to offer relevant information and guidance. We look forward to returning with fresh content that reflects your interests and needs. Thank you once again for being such an integral part of the MacSources family. Your support means the world to us.
DAMASCUS, Syria — An American citizen who disappeared seven months ago into former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system was suddenly discovered Thursday outside Damascus after being released and handed over to rebel forces, Syria’s new authorities said. The political affairs office of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that led the lightning offensive to topple Assad’s government, said the group had secured the release of U.S. citizen Travis Timmerman. In interviews with media in Syria, Timmerman said he was imprisoned after crossing from Lebanon into Syria on a Christian pilgrimage. He appeared to be among the thousands of people released from Syria's sprawling military prisons this week after rebels reached Damascus, overthrowing Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule. “We affirm our readiness to cooperate directly with the U.S. administration to complete the search for American citizens disappeared by the former Assad regime,” the group said, adding that a search was underway for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. As footage emerged online Thursday of Timmerman, looking disheveled and disoriented as rebels led him out of a family's home near Damascus, some initially mistook him for Tice. In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket. A group of men in the video said that he was being treated well and would be safely returned home. A Syrian family told The Associated Press they found Timmerman barefoot on a main road in the countryside of Damascus early Thursday. He appeared cold and hungry, so they brought him back to their home. “I fed him and called a doctor,” said Mosaed al-Rifai, the 68-year-old waste collector who first found Timmerman. Al-Rifai said it was hard to communicate because of the language barrier but it seemed Timmerman had been held by an internal security agency. A few hours after al-Rifai discovered him, rebels arrived at the family’s house to pick him up, he said. Mouaz Mostafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based nonprofit group, said he met Timmerman at the house and arranged for a car to take him to Damascus, where the new authorities gave the ex-detainee food and water and brought him clothes and shoes. Timmerman had lice in his long, unkempt hair, Mostafa said, and reported walking for 13 miles barefoot before being discovered. Timmerman — now recovering until the rebels can figure out how to hand him to U.S. authorities — was planning to get to Jordan after his release to obtain a new passport, Mostafa said. Earlier this year, a Missouri State Highway Patrol bulletin identified him as “Pete Travis Timmerman,” 29, and said he had gone missing in Hungary in early June. In late August, Hungarian police put out a missing persons announcement for “Travis Pete Timmerman,” saying he was last seen at a church in Hungary’s capital, Budapest. Authorities in Missouri and Hungary had shared photos of a young man who strongly resembles the ex-prisoner who identified himself as “Travis Timmerman" in interviews with international news outlets on Thursday. Missouri court records indicate Timmerman is from Urbana, Missouri, about 50 miles north of Springfield. A graduation list from Missouri State University shows he earned his bachelor’s degree in finance in the spring of 2017. Timmerman’s mother, Stacey Collins Gardiner, told National Public Radio that he returned home to Urbana after working in Chicago for a couple of years. He then left for Budapest with the goal of writing about his Christian faith and helping people, she said. Timmerman had warned her, she added, that his travels might make communication difficult. After losing contact with him during his stay in Hungary, Gardiner later learned that her son had gone to Lebanon. On Thursday, she heard that he was found through the media. “I will hug him. ... And then I probably won’t let him go,” she said, laughing. “I’ll say, well, thank God you’re still alive. And I’m so happy. Our prayers came true." U.S. officials said they were working to confirm Timmerman's identity and provide the support. From Aqaba, Jordan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that the White House was “working to bring him home, to bring him out of Syria” but declined further comment for privacy reasons. Timmerman, with a scraggly beard and grey sweatshirt, later spoke with the Al-Arabiya TV network, saying he had illegally crossed into Syria on foot from the eastern Lebanese town of Zahle seven months ago before being detained and held in a cell alone. He said he was treated well in detention but that he could hear other young men being tortured. “It was OK. I was fed. I was watered. The one difficulty was that I couldn’t go to the bathroom when I wanted to,” he said. He said he was only allowed to go three times a day. “I was not beaten, and the guards treated me decently,” he added. Washington's top hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, traveled to Lebanon earlier this week in hopes of collecting information on the whereabouts of Tice. President Joe Biden has said his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, though he also acknowledged on Sunday that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. The case has frustrated U.S. intelligence officials for years. On Thursday, Blinken emphasized the administration’s work on Tice's case. “Every single day we are working to find him and to bring him home” Blinken said. "This is a priority for the United States.” Tice, who has had his work published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and others, disappeared at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus in August 2012 as the Syrian civil war intensified. A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men. He hasn't been heard from since. Assad's government had denied that it was holding him.
Bill Shorten represents the best in Australian politics. And the worst. In his valedictory speech to the House on Thursday, ending 17 years in parliament, he spoke of the achievement in government that was “closest to my heart” – the National Disability Insurance Scheme. “The NDIS belongs alongside Medicare and superannuation as examples of Australian exceptionalism.” Illustration by Simon Letch Credit: Shorten is rightly proud of the NDIS. It was a world-first undertaking and instantly set the standard for the way that civilised societies should treat their disabled citizens. It was not all his work. As Shorten acknowledged, it was Kevin Rudd who gave him his start in the field by appointing him as the parliamentary secretary for disabilities in 2007. “I thought I knew hardship, having seen disadvantage representing workers,” Shorten told the House. “But nothing had prepared me for the way literally hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability and their carers were sentenced to a second-class life of lesser opportunity.” And it was Julia Gillard who committed her government to implementing it. Shorten recalls asking the then prime minister to do just one thing: “I asked her to meet five people in my office and leave her phone outside for an hour and a half.” She heard their stories and was persuaded. Credit must also go to Tony Abbott, the opposition leader who embraced the idea. As he said: “Normally I’m Mr No, but on this occasion I’m Mr Yes!” It’s hard for any major reform to endure without bipartisan support; Abbott gave it that support. Bill Shorten delivers his valedictory speech in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer But Shorten can take most of the credit for creating the scheme when Labor was in power in 2007-2013, and for repairing it now that Labor is in power once more. By the time Anthony Albanese gave Shorten responsibility for the NDIS in 2022, it had veered out of control. It had become an open secret that it was rife with rorting. Not rorted by the disabled people receiving help, but by the companies and individuals who were supposed to help them and who then billed the government for services provided. The incoming minister was appalled to discover that, if a service provider sent their invoice to the National Disability Insurance Agency between 5pm and 6.30pm, they were paid immediately without any verification. And that 92 per cent of them were unregistered. And that there was no specified list of authorised services. Providers were charging the public purse some outrageous sums for some outrageous supposed needs: “What we have seen is the rise of opportunistic, unethical providers,” Shorten said earlier this year. “They’re selling snake oil. They’re selling stuff which frankly doesn’t work and shouldn’t be being paid for.” That included airline lounge memberships, sex work, pet costs, cigarettes and vapes, illegal drugs, tarot card reading, clothes, guns and cuddle therapy. So Shorten published a list of approved services, the first one, last month, banning all those categories, among others. Shorten’s awkward munching helped make democracy sausage word of the year in 2016. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen It’s no wonder that the costs of the NDIS blew out spectacularly. It’s now on track to become the most expensive item on the federal budget, overtaking the age pension, by 2030. The original 2011 estimates for the scheme were that it would cover 411,000 people and cost $13.6 billion a year. This year it has 660,000 participants with budgeted cost of $42 billion. It’s obvious that the scheme is succeeding in giving life-changing help to many but failing the test of sustainability. Unreformed, the scheme would have to be cut back or shut down. As its father, Shorten was best placed to fix it. And, crucially, the one most trusted to fix it. Last year, the government announced measures to restrain its annual cost growth of 14 per cent to 8 per cent by 2026-27. This is essential to achieve Shorten’s stated aim – to make it “politician-proof”. Among other reforms, he replaced 10 of the 11 top managers and recruited Kurt Fearnley as chair. Shorten persuaded state governments to increase their share of funding from next July. He tripled the number of staff at the Quality and Safeguards Commission to improve scrutiny. He created a Fraud Fusion Taskforce which, over its two-year lifespan, has put 50 people before the courts, prevented $60 million in fraud and currently has more than $1 billion in payments under investigation. Shorten played a key role in removing Kevin Rudd as PM in 2010 and then reinstalling him, at Julia Gillard’s expense, in 2013. Credit: Andrew Meares He’s not quite finished, but he has put the scheme on “train tracks” to sustainability , as he puts it. Compared with the outlay growth anticipated in 2022, Shorten’s reforms will have saved the taxpayer well over $100 billion over the course of a decade. In creating – and then repairing – such an important improvement to the lives of Australia’s people, Shorten shows Australian politics at its best. But he was also one of the faction chiefs who connived to destroy two elected Labor prime ministers, ushering in the “coup era” of Australian politics, the rampant regicide of the “revolving door” prime ministership that made Australia a laughing stock for a decade. If that only damaged Labor governments and destabilised the political system, that would be bad enough. But it did much more. We can now see that the factional fun and games in the corridors of Canberra inflicted enduring harm on the people’s trust in democracy. Shorten wasn’t the instigator of the threshold event, the 2010 lightning coup against Kevin Rudd. The motive force was Mark Arbib with sidekicks Karl Bitar, David Feeney, Stephen Conroy and Don Farrell. And, of course, the willing participation of Julia Gillard; you can’t have a challenge without a challenger. Shorten, with wife Chloe, concedes defeat after the 2019 election. Credit: AP But Shorten, as leader of elements of the Victorian Right faction, energetically joined the execution of the elected prime minister. He said at the time that he feared that he and his little gang would be cut out of the victors’ circle if the coup succeeded. His motives were self-interested and unprincipled. So he helped remove Rudd and install Gillard. Only to then connive against Gillard and help restore Rudd to the prime ministership as electoral oblivion loomed. The madness, of course, soon infected the Liberals, too. Rudd-Gillard-Rudd was followed by Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison. One consequence is that John Howard was the last Australian prime minister to be re-elected. But democracy is much bigger than politics, politicians, factions, parties, prime ministers and even elections. It is, at core, an act of the people’s confidence in the virtue of collective decision-making, of trust in our fellow citizens and submission to the greater good. So what happens when the people who are supposed to model these ideals expose themselves to be self-interested thugs, grasping opportunists and self-involved narcissists? Unsurprisingly, Australians have been discouraged and disgusted. People’s trust in democracy has not recovered from the era of the disposable leader. The ANU and Griffith University’s Australian Election Study shows that the public disapproved of every leadership coup, regardless of party or personality. Loading The proportion of Australians saying they are “satisfied with democracy” was in a healthy 80 per cent range in the late Howard and early Rudd years, the highest at any time since 1969. It peaked at 86 per cent in 2007, the year Rudd was elected. From the moment he was torn down, this proportion started to shrink non-stop until it hit bottom at 59 per cent in 2019. For perspective, this was its lowest since the dismissal of the Whitlam government. When the pandemic struck, trust in government recovered somewhat. But, to this day, satisfaction with democracy has not recovered to the pre-coup era, according to the Australian Election Study. Does Shorten regret his part in the destruction of two Labor prime ministers, the onset of the coup mania and the enduring damage to Australians’ confidence in democracy? “You do regret your mistakes, you don’t forget your failures,” Shorten said in his valedictory on Thursday, and for a moment the House held its breath in anticipation. Shorten resumed: “Oh, what I would give to go back to election day 2016 and turn that sausage in bread around the right way.” He got a laugh as the audience recalled that much-publicised lapse in democracy sausage etiquette when he approached it from the side instead of the end. But this was not any metaphor for political remorse, however. Asked for his political regrets, Shorten falls back on Frank Sinatra: “Regrets. I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention.” When I ask him straight whether he regrets his part in the downfall of two Labor prime ministers, he disavows responsibility and only replies: “I regret that the instability occurred.” The journalist David Marr wrote a 2016 assessment of Shorten in the Quarterly Essay . It was titled “Faction Man”. Today, Marr looks back on Shorten’s political career and concludes that “he never ceased being a man of factions”. The best and the worst of Australian politics. Peter Hartcher is political editor. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Political leadership Bill Shorten ALP Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard For subscribers Opinion Peter Hartcher is political editor and international editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Connect via email . Most Viewed in Politics Loading
A civil jury in Ireland finds that mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor assaulted a woman in a hotel. (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert misstated the claim the jury found him liable for.)The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced that its board of directors declared an increase in the quarterly cash dividend on the company’s common stock to $0.43 for the first-quarter 2025 dividend, payable March 7, 2025, to holders of the Common Stock of record at the close of business on January 24, 2025. The first-quarter 2025 cash dividend will be the 345th consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Pfizer. “Our decision to increase our quarterly dividend underscores our strong financial performance, disciplined execution and our commitment to returning value to our shareholders,” said Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients’ Lives At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For 175 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website at www.Pfizer.com . In addition, to learn more, please visit us on www.Pfizer.com and follow us on X at @Pfizer and @Pfizer News , LinkedIn , YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer . Disclosure Notice: The information contained in this release is as of December 12, 2024. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments. This release contains forward-looking information about the Company’s quarterly dividend and capital allocation strategy that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development; the uncertainties inherent in business and financial planning, including, without limitation, risks related to Pfizer’s business and prospects, adverse developments in Pfizer’s markets, or adverse developments in the U.S. or global capital markets, credit markets, regulatory environment or economies generally; uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19 on Pfizer’s business, operations and financial results; and competitive developments. A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in Pfizer’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Information and Factors That May Affect Future Results”, as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and www.pfizer.com . Category: Finance View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241211645444/en/ CONTACT: Media Contact: PfizerMediaRelations@Pfizer.com +1 (212) 733-1226Investor Contact: IR@Pfizer.com +1 (212) 733-4848 KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY FDA HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL CLINICAL TRIALS SOURCE: Pfizer Inc Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 05:25 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 05:25 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241211645444/en[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for No Good Deed Season 1.] After eight episodes of drama, heartache, family strife, and very big secrets, the bidding war for the enchanting and desirable Loz Feliz home at the heart of No Good Deed has come to an end: The keys to Derby Drive are in the hands of suburban couple Leslie ( Abbi Jacobson ) and Sarah ( Poppy Liu ). But the reveal of who ended up in the house was far from the biggest twist or surprise that the Liz Feldman -created show served up. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Cardlytics reports that card-linked cash-back offers represent a strategic stocking stuffer for smart shoppers navigating the expensive holiday landscape. Click for more. Holiday spending hacks: How to unwrap savings without sacrificing festive cheerNissan will be the victim of cost-cutting “carnage” if it combines forces with Japanese peer Honda , former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told CNBC on Tuesday. “I think, without any doubt, Honda is going to be in the driver’s seat, which is very sad to see after having led Nissan for 19 years [and] brought Nissan to the forefront of the industry, to see that they’re going to be the victim of a carnage, because there is total duplication between Nissan and Honda,” he told CNBC’s “ Squawk Box Europe .” Ghosn, who once led three automakers as part of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance, has been residing in Lebanon after being arrested in Japan in November 2018 and fleeing trial on charges of financial crimes. He denies misconduct. “There is practically no complementarity here, which means, if they want to make synergy it is going to be through maybe cost reduction, duplication of plan, duplication of technology, and we know exactly who’s going to pay the price of it. It’s going to be the minor partner, and it’s going to be Nissan,” Ghosn said. Nissan had greater complementarities with France’s Renault , Ghosn estimated, referencing a long-standing partnership that has been largely unwound . Speculation about a potential Honda and Nissan merger began earlier this month, and the two companies confirmed the official start of talks over a business integration during a news conference on Monday. Under current proposals, a holding company would act as the parent of both firms and be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with Honda — which has a market capitalization around four times that of Nissan — nominating most board members of the new entity. Nissan’s strategic partner Mitsubishi is also engaged in talks over joining the group. A $54 billion Nissan-Honda group would leapfrog South Korea’s Hyundai to become the world’s third-largest automaker by vehicle sales, behind Japan’s Toyota and Germany’s Volkswagen . The integrated group would also represent a landmark in automotive industry consolidation, which has been long expected in both Japan and worldwide as businesses struggle to shoulder the development costs of electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology. Executives at both Honda and Nissan on Monday stressed that a combined company would be able to share the intelligence and resources necessary to compete in the EV transition and deliver economies of scale, boosting operating profit to a projected 3 trillion yen ($19.1 billion) in the long term. Nissan is embarking on the ambitious merger while simultaneously undertaking a deep restructure it announced in November, which will reduce global production capacity by a fifth and cut 9,000 jobs. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe on Monday acknowledged that some shareholders may feel his company would be supporting struggling Nissan as part of the deal, but stressed that the business integration talks will “not come to fruition” if the two automakers fail to stand on their own. Ghosn nevertheless told CNBC that the merger plan suggests “Nissan is in panic mode, looking for somebody to save them from the situation, because they are unable to generate the solution by themselves.” He expressed “high doubts” that the turnaround at Nissan will be successful, without providing details. Kei Okamura, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Neuberger Berman, echoed the sentiment that details of the merger plan still need to be ironed out. “If you’re an investor you’re going to be thinking about the three to five earnings outlook. What was announced [Monday] was the near term, so the timeline, and the long-term vision. The only issue is how is this merged entity going to get there, and that’s where there are a lot of uncertainties ahead,” Okamura told CNBC’s “ Street Signs Asia ” on Tuesday. “The post-merger integration is going to be absolutely essential ... unless these companies are able to really full integrate themselves together in terms of the people, the assets and of course the culture, these deals have the potential to unwind, and we have to take into consideration that this deal may not happen if [Nissan] doesn’t come through with its turnaround program,” Okamura added. Nissan declined to comment on this story beyond its statement out on Monday. Honda did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.
Drew Lock likely to start at QB for the Giants against the Colts on SundayPercentages: FG .373, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 4-15, .267 (Lee 1-2, Shogbonyo 1-3, Akins 1-4, Addo-Ankrah 1-5, Pickett 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 2 (Lopez-Sanvicente 2). Turnovers: 11 (Shogbonyo 3, Craig 2, Akins, Bowen, Lee, Lopez-Sanvicente, Mani, Pickett). Steals: 5 (Lee 5). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .431, FT .833. 3-Point Goals: 4-16, .250 (Gonsalves 2-6, Bieker 1-1, Riley 1-1, Rainwater 0-1, Turay 0-1, Berrett 0-3, Byrd 0-3). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Ariyibi, Berrett, Rainwater, Riley). Turnovers: 9 (Byrd 3, Ariyibi 2, Rainwater 2, Riley, Schenck). Steals: 6 (Gonsalves 3, Hutchings, Riley, Turay). Technical Fouls: None. A_102 (4,779).
NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too! Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng . But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes , we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year. There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests. People are also reading... There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history. So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane: Lily Gladstone poses in the press room Jan. 7 with the award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. January It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at the GOLDEN GLOBES . But perhaps the most poignant moment comes from neither film: LILY GLADSTONE , first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift on Feb. 11 after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game in Las Vegas. February Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA ’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peak SWIFT cultural dominance , try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory. Ryan Gosling performs the song "I'm Just Ken" from the movie "Barbie" on March 10 during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. March “What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings at the OSCARS, channeling BARBIE . And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan's “OPPENHEIMER” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE sure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.” Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket. Beyonce And BEYONCÉ carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart. Taylor Swift performs June 21 at Wembley Stadium in London as part of her Eras Tour. April Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by “CHALLENGERS,” the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.) Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “BABY REINDEER,” the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix. Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez arrive Feb. 13 at the premiere of "This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story" at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. May It’s MET GALA time — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZ cancels her summer tour amid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK . It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called “THIS IS ME ... NOW" — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck. June Welcome to BRAT SUMMER ! CHARLI XCX releases her hit “Brat” album , with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,” its word of the year, as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: KELCE dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIAS delights the crowd with his cheery number “OMG.” Stephen Nedoroscik is introduced June 29 at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials in Minneapolis. July Bonjour, it’s OLYMPICS time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous CELINE DION , perched on the EIFFEL TOWER , singing her heart out — in the rain, too. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND , rugby player ILONA MAHER , and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK , who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Baby pigmy hippo Moo Deng plays with a zookeeper Sept. 19 in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand. Also capturing hearts: yep, MOO DENG , born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.” Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes Aug. 9 during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. August This is them ... now: BENNIFER is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. One union dissolves, another returns: OASIS announces a reunion tour. Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON 's “ DEMURE, MINDFUL ” act — even the WHITE HOUSE press team. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s RAYGUN , arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani brings his dog Decoy to the mound Aug. 28 before Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles in Los Angeles. Cute animal alert: SHOHEI OHTANI ’s perky pooch DECOY does a great “first pitch” in his Major League Baseball debut. Chappell Roan performs "Good Luck, Babe" on Sept. 11 during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. September One of the year’s biggest breakout artists, CHAPPELL ROAN , withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment, “Bachelorette” JENN TRAN , the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN , dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians. Miles Mitchell, 21, wins of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest Oct. 27 near Washington Square Park in New York. October “Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for a TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG , who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts. New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during an Oct. 24 ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER ? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT , the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, appears Nov. 2 with Maya Rudolph on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in New York. November MAYA RUDOLPH does a pretty good KAMALA HARRIS laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON , SARAH PALIN and others. Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that “VANDERPUMP RULES,” the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP . As for MOO DENG , she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch . And THAT brings us back to ... Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for photographers Nov. 11 prior to the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. December “WICKED” ! Director JON M. CHU ’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “GLADIATOR II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney's “MOANA 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go. 2024 Year in Review The stories and images that defined 2024. What were the most popular Wikipedia pages of 2024? Searching for something? From queries about U.S. politics to cricket in India, Wikipedia has become a source of information for millions of people across the globe. PHOTOS: The top sports images from 2024 From the Paris Olympics to the Super Bowl. From Simone Biles to Shohei Ohtani. And, of course, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. These are the sp... PHOTOS: The top images of 2024 AP photographers assembled a visual catalog of our civilization as life in 2024 hurtled directly at us at every speed and in every imaginable ... PHOTOS: The top images from the US in 2024 In 2024, photographers captured glimpses of humanity, ranging from a deeply divisive presidential election, to hurricanes and fires that ravag... PHOTOS: The top images from the 2024 elections Associated Press photographers captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. PHOTOS: The top entertainment images from 2024 See entertainment's biggest moments in 2024, through the lens of Associated Press photographers. How to sum up 2024? The Oxford University Press word of the year is 'brain rot' It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. From Kamala to Chappell, here are some of the most mispronounced words of 2024 News anchors, politicians and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with these words the most this year. 'Polarization' is Merriam-Webster's 2024 word of the year Is it any surprise Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "polarization"? Here are the other words that rounded out the top 10 for 2024. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!
NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too! Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng . But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes , we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year. There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests. There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history. So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane: Lily Gladstone poses in the press room Jan. 7 with the award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at the GOLDEN GLOBES . But perhaps the most poignant moment comes from neither film: LILY GLADSTONE , first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift on Feb. 11 after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game in Las Vegas. Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA ’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peak SWIFT cultural dominance , try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory. Ryan Gosling performs the song "I'm Just Ken" from the movie "Barbie" on March 10 during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings at the OSCARS, channeling BARBIE . And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan's “OPPENHEIMER” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE sure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.” Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket. Beyonce And BEYONCÉ carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart. Taylor Swift performs June 21 at Wembley Stadium in London as part of her Eras Tour. Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by “CHALLENGERS,” the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.) Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “BABY REINDEER,” the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix. Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez arrive Feb. 13 at the premiere of "This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story" at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. It’s MET GALA time — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZ cancels her summer tour amid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK . It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called “THIS IS ME ... NOW" — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck. Welcome to BRAT SUMMER ! CHARLI XCX releases her hit “Brat” album , with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,” its word of the year, as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: KELCE dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIAS delights the crowd with his cheery number “OMG.” Stephen Nedoroscik is introduced June 29 at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials in Minneapolis. Bonjour, it’s OLYMPICS time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous CELINE DION , perched on the EIFFEL TOWER , singing her heart out — in the rain, too. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND , rugby player ILONA MAHER , and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK , who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Baby pigmy hippo Moo Deng plays with a zookeeper Sept. 19 in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand. Also capturing hearts: yep, MOO DENG , born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.” Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes Aug. 9 during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. This is them ... now: BENNIFER is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. One union dissolves, another returns: OASIS announces a reunion tour. Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON 's “ DEMURE, MINDFUL ” act — even the WHITE HOUSE press team. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s RAYGUN , arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani brings his dog Decoy to the mound Aug. 28 before Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles in Los Angeles. Cute animal alert: SHOHEI OHTANI ’s perky pooch DECOY does a great “first pitch” in his Major League Baseball debut. Chappell Roan performs "Good Luck, Babe" on Sept. 11 during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. One of the year’s biggest breakout artists, CHAPPELL ROAN , withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment, “Bachelorette” JENN TRAN , the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN , dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians. Miles Mitchell, 21, wins of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest Oct. 27 near Washington Square Park in New York. “Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for a TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG , who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts. New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during an Oct. 24 ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER ? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT , the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, appears Nov. 2 with Maya Rudolph on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in New York. MAYA RUDOLPH does a pretty good KAMALA HARRIS laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON , SARAH PALIN and others. Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that “VANDERPUMP RULES,” the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP . As for MOO DENG , she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch . And THAT brings us back to ... Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for photographers Nov. 11 prior to the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. “WICKED” ! Director JON M. CHU ’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “GLADIATOR II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney's “MOANA 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go. The stories and images that defined 2024. Searching for something? From queries about U.S. politics to cricket in India, Wikipedia has become a source of information for millions of people across the globe. From the Paris Olympics to the Super Bowl. From Simone Biles to Shohei Ohtani. And, of course, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. These are the sp... AP photographers assembled a visual catalog of our civilization as life in 2024 hurtled directly at us at every speed and in every imaginable ... In 2024, photographers captured glimpses of humanity, ranging from a deeply divisive presidential election, to hurricanes and fires that ravag... Associated Press photographers captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. See entertainment's biggest moments in 2024, through the lens of Associated Press photographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. News anchors, politicians and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with these words the most this year. Is it any surprise Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "polarization"? Here are the other words that rounded out the top 10 for 2024. Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!Stock market today: Wall Street's rally stalls as Nasdaq pulls back from its record
Phillies add depth to bullpen with 1-year deal for reliever Joe RossThe Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI), in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hosted a panel discussion titled, “Artificial Intelligence (AI), Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS) and contemporary challenges” at the LKI Lighthouse Auditorium on 19 December 2024. It was attended by diplomats, representatives of international organisations, senior officials of relevant Ministries and agencies, military personnel, leading researchers and university students. Delivering the keynote address at the event, the Foreign Affairs Ministry Additional Secretary for East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa Yasoja Gunasekera underscored the urgent need for global action to regulate Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Weapons Systems. She emphasised that while AI has become integral to numerous sectors, its growing presence on the battlefield raises profound concerns regarding its application in weapon systems. The Additional Secretary recalled that it was under the Chairmanship of Sri Lanka in 2015, that the high contracting parties to the convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) agreed to elevate the discussion of LAWS from an informal expert led discussion to a State-led dialogue, leading to the establishment of the first meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) at the 2016 CCW Review Conference. She noted that in addition to actively engaging in the GGE, in October 2021 Sri Lanka together with a wide cross regional group of 70 states co-sponsored the first Joint Statement on LAWS at the UNGA and supported the adoption of “the Pact for the Future” by the UNGA in September 2024. Sri Lanka strongly supports the negotiation of a legally binding instrument to prohibit and regulate LAWS and supports the UN Secretary General and the President of the ICRC’s joint appeal to establish new rules on AWS by 2026. Earlier welcoming the gathering, LKI Executive Director Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha said the event was intended to salute the role played by the ICRC which commemorated the 75th anniversary of the operation of the Geneva Conventions, without which the world might have been a different place. He recalled the ICRC’s contributions to Sri Lanka since establishing a presence in 1989, particularly during the armed conflict – escorting food and civilian convoys to the North and the East, facilitating immunisation drives, passing messages between the parties in conflict and enabling the return of the wounded and the dead on both sides, and post conflict assistance in mine clearance, disaster response, and in the search for missing persons. Across time, the ICRC had also played an important role in training the security forces on IHL compliance and engaged in prison visitations and supported the improvement of prison conditions. He observed that the theme of the discussion chosen on disarmament, besides being one where the ICRC and Sri Lanka closely collaborated globally, is the focus of several ongoing research endeavours of the LKI in recent times, along with ICT and its contemporary challenges. Delivering the opening remarks, ICRC Sri Lanka Head of Delegation Severine Chappaz focused on the continued relevance of IHL. Stressing that the main responsibility to apply IHL in good faith lies with States to mitigate human suffering, she underlined the importance of making IHL a national and international political priority. She also emphasised on aspects of IHL that are particularly relevant to Sri Lanka, including the post-conflict application of IHL, which applies specifically to the issue of missing persons, their right to be searched for, the right of their families to know the fate and whereabouts of their missing loved ones and the obligation to prevent people from going missing. She also referred to the significance of national integration of IHL where the National IHL committee of Sri Lanka plays a key role, training the armed forces in IHL, and the dissemination of IHL through academic and religious circles. In her remarks, Sri Lanka’s international engagement in the promotion and development of IHL, notably in the field of disarmament regulations, was also recognised. ICRC Regional Legal Advisor Prof. Andrei Kozik highlighted the novel humanitarian and legal challenges posed by technological developments including AI and AWS. Delving into the subject, he drew attention to the unique characteristics of AWS that heighten risks for civilians and raise challenges for IHL compliance. In his presentation, Prof. Kozik also clarified the ICRC’s position on AWS, stating that the ICRC calls for new rules that prohibit the use of “unpredictable” and “anti-personnel” autonomous weapons systems. It was noted that in this context, “unpredictability” refers to the discriminatory nature of AWS weapons while “anti-personnel” refers to autonomous weapons designed or used to target humans directly. The ICRC’s report titled “International Humanitarian Law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts” was referenced as a source to obtain an overview of some of the challenges for IHL posed by contemporary armed conflicts. The report broadly underscores the humanitarian consequences that could result from the potential loss of human control over the use of force in armed conflict. Sri Lankan Coordinator for the Global Campaign “Stop Killer Robots” Yanithra Kumaraguru underscored the critical role of ethics in shaping both the legal frameworks and the development of autonomous weapons, especially in areas where current laws may not provide clear guidance. She highlighted several key ethical concerns, including the challenge of ensuring that autonomous weapons comply with international humanitarian law principles and also questioned whether machines could reliably make life-and-death decisions without human biases, stressing the risks of errors that could lead to violations of human dignity. She further discussed the “moral accountability gap”, an ethical concern that extends beyond legal frameworks and asked whether responsibility for actions taken by autonomous weapons lies with designers, operators, or no one at all emphasising the dehumanising consequences of delegating such critical decisions to machines. Stressing the fact that some advocates for autonomous weapons argue that these technologies could lead to greater precision and fewer civilian casualties, Kumaraguru countered that those technological limitations, the unpredictable nature of conflict and the human realities of conflict make such claims overly idealistic. Defence Ministry Director of Media and Spokesman, and Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) Head Colonel Nalin Herath while acknowledging the ethical challenges posed highlighted the transformative impact of AI on modern warfare emphasising its potential for operational efficiency, noted how such weapons are reshaping combat strategies and in distinguishing civilians from military targets. He raised concern about the growing access of non-state actors to advanced technologies, which heightens unpredictability in conflicts and cautioned against the dangers posed by AI in terms of misinformation and disinformation. Stressing the absence of a global consensus on regulating AI in warfare, he called for caution and cooperation to ensure ethical use of AI and to prevent its misuse. National Innovation Agency (NIA) Chief Innovation Officer and Pugwash Sri Lanka Past President Prof. Ajith De Alwis addressed the dual-use nature of science, technology, and innovation, particularly in the context of autonomous weapons systems and AI. He noted that since the wright brothers’ revolutionary invention of flight in 1903 which within a decade was quickly adapted for bombing, historically technology had been weaponised. He pointed to the futility of questioning whether blame can be apportioned to autonomous weapons used in wars, what is more crucial is that states create the conditions to prevent wars from taking place in the first place. He emphasised the need for better prioritising of the use of AWS, rather than banning per se, and advocated for leveraging AI and autonomous systems for humanity’s benefit rather than their weaponisation. Pointing to the climate issue where time was running out and the emission trajectories being put into wrong trajectories by all the conflicts going on, he asked that researchers must be persuaded to become more socially responsible, as the scientists who walked out of the “Manhattan Project” which pursued the creation of the atomic bomb. He also advocated strengthening a UN led global mechanism supporting whistle blowing and asked that we push ourselves to value humanity more - touching on the Pugwash principles. Ambassador Aryasinha who moderated the panel discussion, reflecting on the challenges faced as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative in Geneva in presiding over the CCW during Sri Lanka’ Presidency of the CCW in 2015/2016 which secured a consensus to commence the discussion of LAWS at the level of States parties nearly a decade ago, regretted that movement had been slow and that many relevant States needed for effective regulation of AWS, opposed or remained ambivalent in supporting such regulation. While the ethical and legal arguments were not in doubt, greater moral persuasion and compromise would be needed to also carry those who already possess or are on the verge of possessing AWS from using them, as war fronts expand and armies seek to minimise casualties. During an almost hour-long discussion that followed, the audience pointed to the absence of a universal definition, highlighted gaps in International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the politicisation of AWS, the advances and limitations in distinguishing combatants from non-combatants, opaque decision-making, the ethical and legal issues concerned and the slow pace of regulation. They also impressed on the need for a Sri Lanka national policy on AI and AWS, suggested that smaller nations like Sri Lanka press for reforms to protect weaker states. Members of the panel explored the tension between technological innovation and ethical responsibility, emphasising alignment with IHL principles like distinction and proportionality. They underscored transparency in AI’s “black box” decision-making, gaps in IHL related to espionage and information warfare, and the relevance of Article 36 of the Geneva Conventions in reviewing new weapons. The session concluded by stressing collaboration, culturally informed ethical considerations, and practical, legally binding measures to balance technological advances with human oversight.ATTIKI, GREECE / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2024 / Elvictor Group, Inc. (the "Company" or "Elvictor") (OTCPK:ELVG), reported today that it has entered into an engagement agreement with CIM Securities, LLC, a FINRA member broker-dealer as the Managing Placement Agent to raise up to $7,000,000 in a Regulation D, Rule 506(c) offering open only to verified accredited investors and subject to securing a Lead Investor. The securities sold in this Offering will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in reliance upon an exemption from securities registration afforded by the provisions of Regulation D, and Rule 506(c), as promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act. Regulation D Rule 506(c) is for accredited investors only. THE PRELIMINARY OFFERING MATERIALS BEING USED BY CIM SECURITIES CAN BE ACCESSED AT OUR WEBSITE, AS FOLLOWS: Link to Investor Deck https://www.elvictorgroup.com/downloads/ElvictorDeck-FINAL.pdf Link to Introductory Email https://www.elvictorgroup.com/downloads/ELVICTOR_CIM_SECURITIES_SHORT_EMAIL_DEC2024.pdf About Elvictor Group, Inc.: Prior to becoming a publicly traded company in 2017, Elvictor operated as a private Greece corporation since 1977. The Company's common stock is publicly traded (OTCPK: ELVG). The Company operates a global marine crew management/staffing company that provides innovative maritime solutions. Since 2001, under the direction of CEO Konstantinos Galanakis, the Company has adopted a cloud-based system to enhance crew management and streamline recruitment. Elvictor provides various marine services, including crew management, training, consulting, and ship management. The Company emphasizes crew welfare through ongoing training and boosting employee satisfaction and productivity. Based in Vari, Greece, Elvictor believes it has a strong Europe & Asia Pacific presence, serving a diverse clientele in key locations, including Ukraine, Georgia, the Philippines, Russia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Safe Harbor Statement The press release may include certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts but are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include the description of our plans and objectives for future operations, assumptions underlying such plans and objectives, and other forward-looking terminology such as "may," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "projects," or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of such terms. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. Such information is based upon various assumptions made by, and expectations of, our management that were reasonable when made but may prove to be incorrect. All of such assumptions are inherently subject to significant economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies beyond our control and upon assumptions with respect to the future business decisions which are subject to change. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that actual results will meet expectations and actual results may vary (perhaps materially) from certain of the results anticipated herein. No information in this press release should be construed in any way whatsoever as an indication of the Company's future revenues, results of operations, or revenues. Contact Information: Elvictor Group, Inc. Konstantinos Galanakis - CEO management@elvictorgroup.com +3021 0422 4220 SOURCE: Elvictor Group Inc. View the original on accesswire.com
Friendly reminder |
The authenticity of this information has not been verified by this website and is for your reference only. Please do not reprint without permission. If authorized by this website, it should be used within the scope of authorization and marked with "Source: this website". |
Special attention |
Some articles on this website are reprinted from other media. The purpose of reprinting is to convey more industry information, which does not mean that this website agrees with their views and is responsible for their authenticity. Those who make comments on this website forum are responsible for their own content. This website has the right to reprint or quote on the website. The comments on the forum do not represent the views of this website. If you need to use the information provided by this website, please contact the original author. The copyright belongs to the original author. If you need to contact this website regarding copyright, please do so within 15 days. |