Stock market today: Tech stocks and AI pull Wall Street to more recordsEight years ago, hundreds of small investors took a long-odds bet on what was then a little-known financial technology company called Revolut — and now they have been turned into near millionaires after the rules were changed to allow them to crystallise some of their profits. Investors using the Crowdcube platform are due to have made 404 times their original investment when they sell a portion of their Revolut shares in the next few days. They paid $2.14 for each share in the UK start-up, some of which they are now being invited to sell for $865.42 apiece. The average investment at the time, £2,309, has been magnified to more than £900,000. The unlisted Revolut initially allowed only its own employees to cash out when it first announced a secondary share sale in August. Now it has relaxed the rules to allow early backers and former employees to sell some of their shares too.
Underperforming stars leave Tottenham with Europa League rescue missionNew York state Sen. James Skoufis announced his long-shot bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee on X on Saturday. Skoufis, who paints himself as an outsider, underdog and part of a new generation, said he intends to point to his successful record in his district that favors President-elect Donald Trump. Arguing for a new script, Skoufis said , "Voters have spoken, and we need to listen, not lecture. We need to be strong fighters again." "I may be an outsider, but I know how to win," he continued. "I will throw out the DNC's stale, Beltway-centered playbook so that we rebuild, stop ceding ground to Republicans and start winning again -- everywhere. Not just the party, but the country depends on it. We can win this fight together." MORE: DNC chair election set for Feb. 1, party official says Skoufis, who has served in the New York legislature since 2013, joins the field with Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland governor who has served as commissioner of the Social Security Administration since December 2023, and Ken Martin, a vice chairman of the DNC who also leads the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Jaime Harrison, the current chairman, is not seeking a second term. The election of a new DNC chair will take place at the party's winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 1, 2025. Harrison announced earlier this week that there will be four forums for candidates to make their cases to DNC members, who will also select a vice chair, treasurer, secretary and national finance chair, after the party lost the presidency and couldn't obtain a majority in either the Senate or the House in the 2024 elections. "As my time as Chair comes to a close and we prepare to undertake the critical work of holding the Trump Administration and Republican Party accountable for their extremism and false promises, we are beginning to lay out the process for upcoming DNC officer elections in the New Year," Harrison said in a statement . "The DNC is committed to running a transparent, equitable, and impartial election for the next generation of leadership to guide the party forward." MORE: Democrats plan to elect new party leader just days after Trump's inauguration The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet on Dec. 12 to determine the Rules of Procedure for the contest, including what will be necessary to gain access to the ballot. In 2021, candidates needed the signatures of 40 DNC members, which is expected to hold for the 2025 race. The 448 DNC members voting at the winter meeting includes 200 state-elected members from 57 states, territories and Democrats Abroad; members representing 16 affiliate groups; and 73 at-large members elected by the DNC, ABC News previously reported .WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son announced Monday a $100 billion investment in the US over the next four years. Speaking alongside Son at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump said the investment would result in at least 100,000 new jobs in the US focused on artificial intelligence and associated infrastructure. Trump said Son was making the investment because he "feels very optimistic about our country since the election." "This historic investment is a monumental demonstration in confidence in America's future, and it will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and other industries of tomorrow are built, created and grown right here in the USA," Trump said. Son separately said his "confidence level to the economy of the United States has tremendously increased with his victory," saying the incoming president will "bring the world into peace again." "I am truly excited to make this happen," he said. "President Trump is a double down president. I'm gonna have to double down." Trump appeared to jest in response, asking Son if he would make the investment $200 billion. The announcement is similar to one made by Son as Trump prepared to take office in the first time when he rolled out a $50 billion investment in the US.CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — RJ Johnson scored 23 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, Daylen Berry added two clutch free throws and Charleston Southern surprised Miami 83-79 on Saturday. The Buccaneers led for the last four minutes of the first half and deep into the second half before a 3-pointer from Austin Swartz gave Miami a 76-75 lead with 3 minutes left in the game. A three-point play by Lynn Kidd gave the Hurricanes a 79-75 lead with 2:11 remaining. Berry hit a 3-pointer to make it 79-78 and Johnson followed with a 3 that gave the Buccaneers an 81-79 lead. Kidd missed in the paint for Miami but came up with a steal a few seconds later. With 15 seconds left, Swartz missed a 3-pointer and the Buccaneers rebounded. Miami put Berry on the line and he made both free throws for a four-point lead with 11 seconds remaining. Miami's Jalen Blackmon missed a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left, the Hurricanes' A.J. Staton-McCray grabbed the rebound and he missed a 3 as time ran out. Taje Kelly had 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Buccaneers (2-7), who snapped a five-game losing streak and defeated a Division I opponent for the first-time this season. Thompson Camara made five 3-pointers and scored 21. Brandon Johnson made six 3-pointers and scored 23 for Miami (3-4). Swartz scored 15 points off the bench and Staton-McCray had 13 points. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Lancashire Evening Post, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. The team at Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care on Waterloo Road, dressed the part with Christmas jumpers and festive headgear and held a lucky dip and a ‘guess the name of the elf’ game in aid of the cause. The funds raised will go to Alzheimer’s Society, a charity which Scrivens has been supporting for nine successive years. Branches and customers around the country have got behind the charity with tens of thousands of pounds raised by the company over the years. Advertisement Advertisement Yvonne Mitchell, assistant branch manager at Scrivens Blackpool, said: “It’s been a fantastic day seeing our team of Elves get in the festive mood in aid of Alzheimer’s Society. A huge thank you goes to our customers who’ve continued to support this and various other fundraising events in our branch throughout the year. We’re so grateful and look forward to planning more activities in 2025!” Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care is a family run business which was established in 1938. It has 167 stores in England and Wales, with 1,000 employees. For more information, visit www.scrivens.com
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Priyank Kharge challenges PM’s conspiracy claimsPHILADELPHIA (AP) — The guy on the Philly sports talk radio station had something to say, and he started to vent about the perceived strained relationship between star quarterback Jalen Hurts and standout wide receiver A.J. Brown. Why weren’t these two Pro Bowl Eagles on the same page? Why had their personal and professional relationship changed even with Philadelphia enjoying tremendous success? It was football gossip usually ripe for a hot-take host or fed-up fan to stir up on the air — only in this instance, the temperature check came from inside the locker room. Normally respected team leader Brandon Graham, who is sidelined with a triceps injury, noted in a radio appearance that “ ” between Hurts and Brown in the wake of a in last week’s win over Carolina. An apologetic Graham walked back his comments. Hurts and Brown both insisted their relationship was cool in front of media hordes more appropriate for the Super Bowl. As for the rest of the Eagles, they were ready to squash the so-called controversy. “We are moving on,” offensive lineman and Jordan Mailata said. “It is the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Not the A.J. Brown and Jalen Show. It is the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s it.” Oh yeah, the Steelers! Lost in the brouhaha ignited in a Philly sports bar is the fact that sitting — and winning — on the western side of Pennsylvania are the Steelers (10-3). Unlike most matchups in series history, this one Sunday at the Linc comes with the tantalizing appeal of a potential Super Bowl preview. The Steelers have won seven of eight, and the Eagles (11-2) have won nine straight and could clinch the NFC East with a win and a Washington loss or tie. It’s the first time the teams — among the original eight NFL teams — will play each other when they both have a double-digit win total. Both teams are in strong position for a playoff run — the Eagles led by and his pursuit of Eric Dickerson’s NFL season rushing record; Russell Wilson and the atop the AFC North in large part thanks to six wins against teams that currently have losing records. “I do like playing really good people, I think there’s growth in it,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “You’ve got to get the job done. But man, I think there’s significant growth in pitting your collective talents and skills versus big-time opponents and they’re certainly that.” Will the drama out of Philly this week affect the Eagles? They certainly don’t think so and neither do the oddsmakers — the Eagles are 5 1/2-point favorites, per BetMGM. “What I’ve noticed about this football team is they’re so locked in and determined to get better each day,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We don’t really want anyone else talking to us about anything other than the Pittsburgh Steelers.” Good luck with that, Coach. Maybe playing the Steelers on Sunday at home can snap the Eagles out of their offensive malaise. Hurts threw three TD passes to Brown in a 35-13 win in 2022. Barkley watch Barkley in rushing with 1,623 yards, 216 yards ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. He is averaging 124.8 yards per game. At that pace, and with one more game to play than Dickerson had, he would become the top single-season rusher in NFL history. He needs 483 yards over the final four games to top Dickerson’s 40-year-old record. Barkley is on pace for 2,122 yards, which would put him just 17 yards beyond Dickerson’s 2,105 in 1984. Barkley doesn’t need much of a reminder from his 2020 performance when, while playing for the New York Giants, he ran into a Pittsburgh defense that seemed reminiscent of its famed Steel Curtain. The Steelers held Barkley to 6 yards on 15 carries. Bye, George The Steelers will have to find a way forward against the NFL’s toughest defense without wide receiver George Pickens, who will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Pittsburgh survived last week against Cleveland, with Mike Williams and Scotty Miller — afterthoughts of late — coming off the bench to make an impact. While Tomlin believes “the strength of the pack is the pack,” the reality is the Steelers don’t have anyone who can stretch the field like Pickens, who leads the team in receptions (55) and yards (850) by a wide margin. It’s a challenge, but considering the way Wilson has spread the ball around — eight players caught passes against the Browns — he won’t lack for options. “Everybody in the receiver room has a different skill set, different strengths,” Calvin Austin III said. “The coaching staff knows that and they know how to put us in position to be able to show that.” Playoff preview The cross-state trip to Philadelphia, where the Steelers haven’t won in nearly 60 years, is the start of an 11-day stretch in which Pittsburgh faces three teams likely bound for the playoffs. While Tomlin is leaning into the “nameless, gray faces” mantra he uses for every opponent, his players know facing the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs in such a short period is a litmus test for what’s to come in January. “That’s why I’m in the league, period,” linebacker Patrick Queen said. “When you sign up to play football, you want to play at the highest level. ... I love to play the game the right way. I think these next few games is going to show that and it starts with the Eagles.” ___ AP NFL: