Ange: I want to knock Pep, City off Prem summit
Trump says Microsoft's Bill Gates has asked to visit him in Florida
By HALELUYA HADERO, Associated Press President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” said Trump’s amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case. The filings come ahead of oral arguments scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. Earlier this month, a panel of three federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously upheld the statute , leading TikTok to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. The brief from Trump said he opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.”AU Expresses Concern Over Post-Election Violence In Mozambique
Royals Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News. COMMENT Natasha Archer has been helping to dress Kate, the Princess of Wales since 2007, but you have to assume that in March this year, she faced her toughest, saddest assignment ever – what the hell does a princess wear to tell the world she has cancer? When Kate appeared on screens on March 22 to do just that, to undertake what was the biggest moment of her life since her wedding, she was wearing ... a striped top and jeans. No nicely pressed shirt or pastel something or the sort of dress befitting the next Queen of Great Britain. It was Mumcore. 2024 will undoubtedly go down as the year that cancer stalked the House of Windsor, not once but twice, with not only the Princess of Wales but King Charles being diagnosed too. They are both stories that are still ongoing as we tick over into 2025 – he continues his weekly treatments, she continues her gradual return to work. Kate announcing her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. Picture: Handout/BBC Studios/AFP Pictured on September 2022 at the coronation of Charles and Camilla, Kate has more recently stopped worrying so much style-wise. Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images Pictured on September 2022 at the coronation of Charles and Camilla, Kate has more recently stopped worrying so much style-wise. Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images But there is another Kate story from this year that has been fascinating to watch play out. This was the year that, style-wise, Kate stopped giving a f**k. Kate and Charles in 2021. Picture: Chris Jackson/Pool/AFP Her style evolution for official outings, since the death of the late Queen in September 2022, has been glorious to watch; prim knee-length dresses that made her look like a trad wife poster gal have been (largely) left by the wayside in favour of smart suits, albeit in an array of sunglasses-required, candy-like colours. (The less said about the time she flirted with lime green, the better). Kate in a knee-length dress on April 17, 2022. Picture: Andrew Matthews-WPA Pool/Getty Images Another dress features on November 3, 2022. Picture: Charlotte Graham/Pool/AFP Still, the disappearance of Kate’s legs inside a nicely cut trouser was just the beginning. It’s not just what Kate wears when she’s on royal duty that has morphed, but more broadly, how she chooses to present herself to the world. Kate in green as the duo attend The Earthshot Prize in 2022. Picture: Ian Vogler-Pool/Getty Images After that March video, the next time we heard from the princess was in June when she released a highly personal statement reflecting on the “good days and bad days” she was experiencing while having chemotherapy, along with a new portrait to boot. Again, what did she choose to wear for this photo? How did she choose to portray herself? As just a woman in jeans, sneakers and a blazer. The underlying message was clear – this was not a princess relaying a message down from high unto the masses but a mother, wife, sister and daughter choosing to make herself vulnerable and to share her journey with the public. None of this was she under any obligation to do. That statement could just as easily have been released without the accompanying photo. Instead, we got Kate the Every Woman, a princess made unflinchingly real, less the face that launched a 1000 Made in China souvenir lines (Kate bottle opener, anyone?) and more flesh and blood, actual person. Kate released this image in June, along with a health update. Picture: Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace via Getty Images The baby, though, has not gone out with the bath water. Her day job is princess and she fulfils the KPIs for pomp and shininess nicely when required. Come Trooping the Colour or Remembrance Sunday, the princess is still turned out as perfectly as she always has been, in exquisitely tailored pieces from the small handful of British, largely female designers she regularly opts for like Sarah Burton, formerly of Alexander McQueen, Emilia Wickstead and Catherine Walker. Kate joined her family at Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024. Picture: Neil Mockford/GC Images Still, the arc of her style is definitely now tending towards the increasingly informal. The slight stuffiness, the squareness of only a couple of years ago has been replaced with an unbuttoning, a casualisation and a dressing down that carries a world of unspoken meaning. Sometimes it feels like the Old Kate, the woman who cleaved to her dress collection like a Republican frau, was a woman biding her time and politely and considerately doing what was expected while Queen Elizabeth ruled. As the Duchess of Cambridge, as she was for 11 years, she understood the rules of the game and played accordingly. More nude hose, on the double! Legs were crossed at ankles, ridiculously small clutch bags perma-grasped and the most useless collection of silk flowers found their way onto her head. However, a new reign and her elevation to Princess of Wales has seemingly had a freeing effect on her wardrobe, liberating her from unspoken diktats that seemingly governed royal dressing for decades. Kate in pants in 2022. Picture: Michael Klein She donned another dress in 2022. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images This year has only seen that trajectory accelerate. Come September, and the release of a three-minute, extravagantly produced home movie that was released to announce the end of her chemotherapy and that she was cancer-free. It saw the princess tra-la-la-la-la’ed through fields in a whimsical floaty Veronica Beard peasant dress, looking like a Bryon Bay mum who has a lot of thoughts about dairy. It was down home and down home some more. Kate walking in a field in Norfolk in September. Picture: Will Warr/Kensington Palace/AFP She announced that she had completed her course of chemotherapy. Picture: Will Warr/Kensington Palace/AFP At each of the major moments this year – her cancer reveal video, her update in June and the September short movie – the image she has sought to project with her clothes has been as a woman pared back, down home, eager to throw off the fustiness and to simply be herself. Has Kate simply learnt not to care? To not care about protocol and tradition? To not care about image-wise living up to expectations of how Conservative-voting retired colonels from the midlands think she should dress? Is she finally able to simply be her own woman? Facing a terrifying disease, did Kate simply just think ‘sod it all’ and get out her jeans? November and December have seen the Princess of Wales increase her official workload, appearing at formal events including Remembrance Sunday, taking part in the Qatari State visit and hosting her annual Christmas Carol concert at Westminster Abbey, each time wearing ankle length coats and dresses. Still, here’s my New Year’s wish: that come 2025, come Kate returning ever more to showing up for her own patronages and projects, we see those jeans again. Long may the day of the denim reign. Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles More Coverage ‘Peculiar’: New Kate trend emerges Daniela Elser ‘Thank Christ’: Kate ditches iconic look Daniela Elser Originally published as ‘Free': Princess Kate’s major 2024 style overhaul revealed Join the conversation Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout More related stories Royals Royal fan reveals Kate’s candid remark A royal fan has shared details of her personal chat with the Princess of Wales as the royal family made their way into their annual Christmas church service. Read more Royals ‘Elitist’: New blow for Harry amid ‘toxic’ claims BetterUp, the life-coaching company Prince Harry is paid millions each year to represent, has been slammed as a “boys club” as the Sussexes brace for a “pivotal decision” from Netflix. Read moreThe United States is expected to announce that it will send $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Friday, as the Biden administration pushes to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. Related video above: Biden works to cement legacy during final month in office The large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds, officials said. The officials, who said they expect the announcement to be made on Monday, spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The new aid comes as Russia has launched a barrage of attacks against Ukraine’s power facilities in recent days, although Ukraine has said it intercepted a significant number of the missiles and drones. Russian and Ukrainian forces are also still in a bitter battle around the Russian border region of Kursk, where Moscow has sent thousands of North Korean troops to help reclaim territory taken by Ukraine. Earlier this month, senior defense officials acknowledged that that the Defense Department may not be able to send all of the remaining $5.6 billion in Pentagon weapons and equipment stocks passed by Congress for Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. Trump has talked about getting some type of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and spoken about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Many U.S. and European leaders are concerned that it might result in a poor deal for Ukraine and they worry that he won't provide Ukraine with all the weapons funding approved by Congress. The aid in the new package is in presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take weapons off the shelves and send them quickly to Ukraine. This latest assistance would reduce the remaining amount to about $4.35 billion. Officials have said they hope that an influx of aid will help strengthen Ukraine’s hand, should Zelenskyy decide it’s time to negotiate. One senior defense official said that while the U.S. will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there may well be funds remaining that will be available for the incoming Trump administration to spend. According to the Pentagon, there is also about $1.2 billion remaining in longer-term funding through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more. Officials have said the administration anticipates releasing all of that money before the end of the calendar year. If the new package is included, the U.S. has provided more than $64 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• Every month I look forward to reading the columns of contributing columnist Angela Denker. Her Dec. 26 story about the clinical pastoral education graduates in the Stillwater prison and how she experienced the true presence of the Christmas season was my greatest literary gift of the season ( “What can’t be confined,” Strib Voices, Dec. 26). Fifty years ago in Edmonton, Alberta, at a Good Samaritan nursing home, I took a quarter of CPE. Though I was a teacher and not seeking ordained ministry, the supervisor needed a “token” woman in his group, and I agreed to participate. It was the most challenging and intense experience of my life! To read about this rigorous training being offered to inmates at Stillwater prison alongside pastoral candidates, the participants’ experiences and the hope the program provides in a prison setting was truly inspiring! Thank you for publishing this article about the graduation ceremony. It was my best gift this Christmas! Dorothy Meyer, Park Rapids, Minn. What would early DFLers think? Thank you to the Minnesota Star Tribune and Andy Brehm for his Dec. 23 comments on illegal immigrant entitlement in his column criticizing DFL spending ( “Actually, the DFL deserves complete credit for the budgetary mess Minnesota finds itself in,” Strib Voices, Dec. 23). I am currently a DFL voter but disapprove (as do my legal immigrant friends) of enabling unauthorized foreigners who break federal law to live in Minnesota. Our hard-earned taxpayer dollars should go to improve lives of citizens and legal residents, especially children and the vulnerable, not to enhancing the self-image of those who see themselves as humanitarians by passing laws “to provide college tuition support and generous health insurance subsidies for some of the 81,000 illegal immigrants living here,” which is, as Brehm says, “an affront to American sovereignty and ... a magnet” for more illegal immigration. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party was founded by human rights champion Hubert H. Humphrey, first a senator and later U.S. vice president, and was joined by figures like Sen. and later U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale. I doubt either DFLer would have approved of laws rewarding illegal immigration. We all possess human rights. There is no such thing as “immigrant rights,” an invention of those who want to control the narrative by merging terms. Human rights do not include illegal entry and demand for benefits. Illegal immigrants and their advocates have succeeded in normalizing and rewarding lawbreaking. Citizens of other nations have buddied up to Minnesota’s elected officials and news media, which I saw years ago as a visitor at our State Capitol. The tail should never wag the dog. Will we become a country, like many around the world, where law is not respected and anything anyone can get away with is OK? Linda Huhn, Minneapolis ••• I had told myself not to waste time reading the next column from Brehm. I failed. Oh, well. On Dec. 23, after he agreed that “cheap political blame games are a waste of time,” he blamed automatic inflation increases in K-12 spending as wasteful while student populations are decreasing. Cart before the horse. Students’ families are exiting public schools in large part because schools are not supported well enough financially in the first place. And as a corporate lawyer, he must be at least a little familiar with fixed costs. For example, school buildings themselves have inflationary expenses regardless of student attendance. An obvious reason there are not enough qualified teachers is that, like police, they need pay commensurate with the continually increasing stress they so often face. Of course, Brehm paid no attention in general to what government spending provides — things like no-charge school meals that allow kids and families to avoid shame that distracts students from the learning he wants, and things like paid family and medical leave that helps families focus on what matters, including school. Programs like the North Star Promise scholarship allow people to go to college and continue learning so that they can be effective corporate employees. Brehm criticizes college tuition for illegal immigrants. In the process, he diminishes so-called Dreamers, who are innocent people trying to find a way to earn enough to buy goods and services from corporations that hire lawyers. All the while, Brehm says he’s “all for racial, cultural and political diversity.” Jim Bartos, Maple Grove ••• Brehm’s commentary regarding the DFL’s responsibility for the state deficit was exactly right. One big error he fails to mention, however, was the decision to send out checks instead of keeping the previous budget surplus for a “rainy day” fund ... and here we are; it’s pouring. Dianne Damman, Eden Prairie Neighborliness is a two-way street There were many inaccurate statements in a recent article ( “Dayton family member’s purchase of wooded parcel sparks feud,” Dec. 24) but most of all it incorrectly portrayed the Bryn Mawr neighbors as unwilling to work with Vanessa Dayton. You left out the part where, on a Sunday afternoon, over 30 neighbors got together to clear brush and lay wood chips to reroute the trail around her property and onto the public right of way that goes through the woods so that no one would cross her property. What was her response? She called the police, again. Renee Torbenson, Minneapolis Reform requires funds I do strongly agree with the letter writer of “MPD isn’t hurting for funds” (Readers Write, Dec. 26) who says “We need to invest in both policing and additional, appropriate alternatives.” And the budget for MPD, she suggests, sounds strong. Opengov.com says the Minneapolis Police Department budget jumped from $183 million in 2020 to $231 million in 2024. That’s roughly a 26% increase. However, I disagree with the author that this is a good amount of funding. It’s very little if you consider that inflation from 2020 to 2024 has been about 20%, meaning MPD’s budget has increased only about 5% in real money in the years since 2020. How will 5% pay for steep but necessary increases in city police salaries to keep them competitive with suburban ones (where the job often is safer)? How will it pay for getting a full police force back onto our streets? How will 5% fund sorely needed additional alternatives to prevent lawbreaking before it happens? If we want a safer city, then instead of “defunding,” we must fund more and also reform. Doing both requires a much higher MPD budget. Richard Jewell, Minneapolis Farewell to a stellar state leader I remember when Rep. Mary Murphy was chair of the House judiciary committee ( “Longest serving woman in the Minnesota House,” Dec. 27). The hearing room was always full of people who had strong opinions about criminal justice: cops, prosecutors, social service agencies, victims’ service agencies. I was the state public defender, so I was there pretty often. At the first meeting of the committee she said, “Next meeting, each of you bring in a picture of your family to pass around. We won’t agree about a lot of things in here, but we all should know we are people connected to other people.” So we did. Especially right now, we need more politicians like Mary Murphy. John Stuart, Minneapolis
Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes officeStock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mixed close in thin trading following a holiday pause
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DiCello Levitt LLP announces that it is investigating whether Adobe, Inc. (“Adobe” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: ADBE) violated the federal securities laws, issued false and/or misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose information required to be disclosed to investors. Investors who purchased Adobe securities from September 2022 to the present and those with information about the allegations are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the firm’s investigation by contacting DiCello Levitt attorneys Brian O’Mara or Hani Farah by calling (888) 287-9005 or emailing investors@dicellolevitt.com . No Case Has Been Filed and No Class Has Been Certified. Until a case is filed and a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. Investigation Details: Adobe is one of the largest software companies in the world, offering software products used by creative professionals, businesses, and other consumers. DiCello Levitt is investigating whether the Company made false and misleading statements regarding Adobe’s efforts to monetize artificial intelligence (“AI”). On December 11, 2024, Adobe announced financial results for fiscal year (“FY”) 2024 and issued disappointing guidance for FY 2025. In response to the announcement, more than a dozen securities analysts cut their price targets for Adobe stock due to the Company’s apparent failure to monetize AI. For example, UBS wrote that “ Adobe’s been pushing an AI narrative for 2 years now and we still see no evidence of monetization .” Similarly, KeyBanc Capital Markets stated that “[t]he results in the quarter were more of the same that has vexed investors throughout 2024,” adding that “AI monetization continues to get kicked further and further down the road.” On this news, the price of Adobe common stock fell $75.30 per share, from a closing price of $549.93 per share on December 11, 2024, to a closing price of $474.63 per share on December 12, 2024, a decline of 13.7% on heavy volume. About DiCello Levitt: At DiCello Levitt, we are dedicated to achieving justice for our clients through class action, business-to-business, public client, whistleblower, personal injury, civil and human rights, and mass tort litigation. Our lawyers are highly respected for their ability to litigate and win cases – whether by trial, settlement, or otherwise – for people who have suffered harm, global corporations that have sustained significant economic losses, and public clients seeking to protect their citizens’ rights and interests. Every day, we put our reputations – and our capital – on the line for our clients. DiCello Levitt has achieved top recognition as Plaintiffs Firm of the Year and Trial Innovation Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal , in addition to its top-tier Chambers and Benchmark ratings. The New York Law Journal also recently recognized DiCello Levitt as a Distinguished Leader in trial innovation. For more information about the firm, including recent trial victories and case resolutions, please visit www.dicellolevitt.com . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Media Contact Amy Coker 4747 Executive Drive, Suite 240 San Diego, CA 92121 619-963-2426 investors@dicellolevitt.comDALLAS (AP) — Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract that was finalized Wednesday. The Mets also agreed to provide personal team security for the All-Star outfielder and his family at the team’s expense for all spring training and regular-season home and road games, according to details of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press. Major League Baseball teams usually provide security for player families in seating areas at ballparks. New York also agreed to assist Soto's family for in-season travel arrangements, guaranteed Soto will have uniform No. 22 and included eight types of award bonuses. Soto's suite will be valued at the Mets' prevailing prices, presumably for tax purposes, and after 2025 he can by each Jan. 15 modify or give up his suite selection for the upcoming season. He can request the premium tickets, to be used by family members, no later than 72 hours before the scheduled game time. The Yankees had refused to offer Soto a free suite. “Some high-end players that make a lot of money for us, if they want suites they buy them ... whether it's CC (Sabathia), whether it’s (Aaron) Judge, whether it’s (Gerrit) Cole, whether it’s any of these guys," general manager Brian Cashman said. "We've gone through a process on previous negotiations where asks might have happened and this is what we did and we’re going to honor those, so no regrets there." Cashman said the Yankees have a shared suite for player families and a family room with babysitting. Soto gets a $75 million signing bonus, payable within 60 days of the agreement’s approval by the commissioner’s office. The deal for the 26-year-old, which tops Shohei Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers, was reached Sunday pending a physical that took place Tuesday. Soto receives salaries of $46,875,000 each in 2025 and 2026, $42.5 million in 2027, $46,875,000 apiece in 2028 and 2029 and $46 million in each of the final 10 seasons. Soto has a contingent right to opt out of the agreement within three days of the end of the 2029 World Series to become a free agent again, but the Mets have the an option to negate the opt-out provision by increasing the yearly salaries for 2030-39 by $4 million annually to $50 million and raising the total value to $805 million. If the club exercises its option to negate the opt-out provision, Soto can make his opt-out decision by the fifth day after the World Series. He has a full no-trade provision and gets a hotel suite on road trips. Soto would receive a $500,000 bonus for winning his first Most Valuable Player award and $1 million for each MVP award. He would get $350,000 for finishing second in the voting and $150,000 for finishing third through fifth. Soto was third in the AL voting this year. He would earn $100,000 for each All-Star selection and Gold Glove, $350,000 for World Series MVP and $150,000 for League Championship Series MVP. Soto would get $100,000 for selection to the All-MLB first or second team, $150,000 for Silver Slugger and $100,000 for the Hank Aaron Award. Award bonuses are to be paid by the Jan. 31 after the season in which the bonus is earned. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Jonah Pierce had 20 points in Presbyterian's 67-42 win against Youngstown State on Friday night. Pierce added nine rebounds for the Blue Hose (4-3). Kory Mincy scored 12 points, shooting 5 for 11, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc. Kobe Stewart had 11 points and finished 4 of 9 from the field. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Sportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78International students urged to return to US campuses before Trump inauguration
Irv Wilson, a former programming executive at NBC and producer of several high profile TV movies that starred Jerry Lewis, Martin Sheen, Telly Savalas, Bruce Dern and Morgan Freeman, died December 26 after a short illness. He was 93. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend, Tom Nunan, who paid tribute to Wilson on Facebook by writing, “Wilson loved life, and anyone who became close to him knew that a good glass of red wine, a little weed, [his wife’s] cooking, and a Giants game came pretty close to heaven for the well-loved, culturally complex maven.” Born in New York City, Wilson served in the Korean war before returning to the Big Apple to attend NYU via the G.I. Bill. He would go on to spend his career in the entertainment industry, first as a talent agent and producer, then as a TV programming executive for NBC where he oversaw the TV movie department and later, daytime and late night programming. He worked alongside Fred Silverman and Brandon Tartikoff and helped to discover future filmmakers such as Ron Howard while supporting gifted playwrights like Stanley Greenberg. After his network executive life, Wilson returned to producing work under deals at Fries Entertainment and Viacom, where he made several high profile TV movies. He may be best known for executive producing The Missiles of October , an ABC made-for-TV play from 1974 about the Cuban Missile Crisis that starred William Devane as President John F. Kennedy and Martin Sheen as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Nunan says his friend was also proud of his 1980 TV movie FDR: The Last Year for NBC that starred Jason Robards. Wilson was a lifelong Giants fan, even after their move to San Francisco. He was also a news and information junkie and liked to spend much of his retirement debating politics. “He will be missed by many, but remembered by all who met him as simply a wonderful guy, a true character who always managed to get you to pick up lunch,” Nunan said on Facebook. “As he’d put it himself, he was King of the ‘Schnorrers.’ Look it up. It’s Yiddish, the language of giants.” Wilson is survived by Anne Carlucci, his wife of 46 years who was also a prolific TV movie producer; and his daughters Amy, Julie, and Kate.By Funsho Arogundade E ight years ago, Omotayo Jemila ‘OJ’ Awa-Ibraheem started her journey into the world of Spa and perfumery with the formal launch of her House of Jemila on 4 June 2016. Since then, this elegant beauty entrepreneur has not looked back in her quest to dominate her sphere of business. Thanks to her passion for creativity and the guidance of a trusted mentor. From opening her first and second stores on the Lagos Mainland, the style icon has embarked on an exciting new chapter in her beauty entrepreneurship. Elegant OJ recently celebrated a significant milestone with the unveiling of her flagship store and a new luxury perfumery store in the heart of Lekki, Lagos. It was a grand event by all standards when the new perfumery outlet named ‘PerfectScents Niche Emporium’ opened its doors to the public on Saturday 7 December in Lekki Lagos. OJ’s new store —the third in Lagos— is a one-stop shop for niche fragrances exclusively sourced from around the world for all perfume lovers all over Lagos and beyond. According to OJ, the new shop will enhance the experience of perfume buffs as she introduces a dedicated pure fragrance corner where customers can explore pure fragrance oils, undiluted and authentic. This interactive space will let customers identify the notes that appeal to them, helping us suggest perfumes that align perfectly with their preferences. Not done, Spotlight learnt, OJ is expanding her fragrance business as she is starting her own niche perfume line. The Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti Political Science graduate is partnering with a world-class perfume manufacturer in Europe who she said understood her vision. With their expertise, they have finalized the bottle designs, logo, and packaging. Every step was deliberate and meticulous to deliver quality fragrances to be launched in the first quarter of next year. It will then be sold side by side with other niche fragrances stocked by the new Lekki store.Jaipur: Addressing the long-pending issue of a gem bourse in Jaipur, industry minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Friday said the state BJP govt will support the industry in setting up the facility. Rathore also said the govt is planning to develop Rajasthan Mandapam, on the lines of Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, over 100 acre near Jaipur airport. Inaugurating the Jaipur Jewellery Show at JECC, Rathore said the sector, which accounts for 17% of Rajasthan's GDP, needs these key infrastructure supports to strengthen its leadership position in the country. "The industry needs to focus on international markets alongside domestic opportunities. It should leverage technology to align production with global market demands," added Rathore. Exports in the sector have been under a weather since the breakout of wars and global tension, leading to demand erosion. However, Rajiv Jain, honorary secretary of JJS, said, "The record number of booths, over 1200 in the show, indicates that there is buoyancy in the domestic market and jewellers in Jaipur are optimistic about the growth outlook." He said with 95% of exhibitors returning year after year, JJS stands as a testament to their trust and commitment. "Brand Jaipur is growing stronger with each passing day. But there are challenges like labour shortage which need to be addressed," added Jain. Regional chairman of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), Nirmal Kumar Bardiya, revealed that the upcoming gem bourse will span an area of 43,828 sq metres, with a total construction area of 30 lakh sq ft. "Once operational, it is expected to generate employment opportunities for over 60,000 persons," added Bardiya. This year, the show returned to promote ruby, but JJS spokesperson Ajay Kala said it comprehensively showcases a range of precious and vibrant coloured gemstones. Promotion of Jaipur's gems and jewellery across India has significantly strengthened the city's brand image, added Kala. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . 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