Pioneering Métis human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne dies at 87
CHECK OUT: Education is Your Right! Don’t Let Social Norms Hold You Back. Learn Online with LEGIT. Enroll Now! Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events Ikoyi, Lagos state - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he would not reduce the size of his cabinet including 48 ministers and several Special Advisers. Tinubu said the large size of his cabinet was necessary for effective service delivery. He stated this while speaking during his first Presidential Media Chat held at his Bourdillon Street residence in Ikoyi, Lagos on Monday night, December 23. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! According to Leadership, President Tinubu firmly defended the size of his cabinet. “I am not ready to shrink the size of my cabinet.” Tinubu explained that the ministers were selected based on efficiency and the needs of the country. “I saw the need for them when I created the portfolios,” “Nigeria is a large country. If you are to entertain over 200 million persons, calculate how many stewards will be required.” Read also Hardship in Nigeria: Remi Tinubu donates 1,000 bags of rice to Christians in Bauchi for Christmas According to President Tinubu , the number of ministers and advisers was crucial to effectively govern the country. Tinubu affirmed that he remained committed to maintaining a large team to meet the demands of the diverse nation. Legit.ng recalls that Tinubu announced the scrapping of the ministries of Niger Delta and sports development in a major cabinet reshuffle . Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, also said Tinubu merged the Ministry of Tourism with the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy. Onanuga added that the president created a new Ministry of Regional Development to manage the affairs of the Niger Delta and other development commissions. Cabinet Reshuffle: New ministers appointed by Tinubu and portfolios Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Tinubu submitted the names of seven new ministerial nominees to the national assembly following the dismissal of six ministers from his cabinet. Read also Year in review: Aiyedatiwa, Okpebholo, other biggest political winners in 2024 The nominees are set to fill the resulting vacancies, while the President also restructured his administration by reassigning 10 ministers to new portfolios. Among the nominees, Tinubu has selected Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu for the position of minister of state for foreign affairs. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ngAs the concert came to a grand finale, Yamapi and Jay Chou left the audience in awe with a powerful duet that left everyone speechless. Their voices harmonized beautifully, their passion radiating from the stage and enveloping the entire venue in a warm embrace. The crowd erupted into a standing ovation, showering the performers with love and adoration as they took their final bow.
Stocks shook off a choppy start to finish higher Monday, as Wall Street kicked off a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 ended 0.7% higher after having been down 0.5% in the early going. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also recovered from an early slide to eke out a 0.2% gain. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Gains in technology and communications stocks accounted for much of the gains, outweighing losses in consumer goods companies and elsewhere in the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3.7%. Broadcom climbed 5.5% to also help support the broader market. Walmart fell 2% and PepsiCo slid 1%. Japanese automakers said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. U.S.-listed shares in Honda jumped 12.7%, while Nissan ended flat. Eli Lilly rose 3.7% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store Nordstrom fell 1.5% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. All told, the S&P 500 rose 43.22 points to 5,974.07. The Dow gained 66.69 points to 42,906.95. The Nasdaq rose 192.29 points to 19,764.89. Traders got a look at a new snapshot of U.S. consumer confidence Monday. 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 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 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 closed 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.
This is not the first time that Yang Shize has used his skills as an actor to deftly navigate tricky situations in the public eye. Known for his charming personality and quick wit, the young star has a knack for turning potential controversies into moments of connection and amusement with his fans.
Cornelious Brown IV throws 5 TD passes to lead Alabama A&M past Mississippi Valley State 49-35
Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China's BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere. Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time. Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March. A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers. Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan's market leader Toyota Motor Corp and with Germany’s Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan's Mazda Motor Corp and Subaru Corp. Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn't have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions. Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said. “Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn’t currently play,” that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt. While Nissan's electric Leaf and Ariya haven't sold well in the U.S., they're solid vehicles, Fiorani said. “They haven't been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology,” he said. “They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation.” Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million). Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes. Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan's credit outlook to “negative,” citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion). Nissan's share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector. The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon. Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China. Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker. All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico. Meanwhile, analysts say there is an “affordability shift” taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that's forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits. AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit.The luck of Suaalii: Broken wrist ruled out and could face Ireland
FAIRMONT, W.Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- MVB Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: MVBF) (“MVB Financial,” “MVB,” or the “Company”) has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per share, maintaining the dividend declared in the previous quarter for shareholders of record as of December 1, 2024, payable on December 15, 2024. This is the fourth quarterly dividend for 2024. “We are pleased to continue to add value for our shareholders and encouraged by the adaptability of Team MVB and the resilience of our business model,” said Larry F. Mazza, Chief Executive Officer, MVB Financial. “MVB’s foundational strength remains intact, evidenced by stable asset quality, an enhanced capital base and growth in tangible book value per share. We are increasingly well-positioned for future growth and improved profitability.” About MVB Financial Corp. MVB Financial Corp., the holding company of MVB Bank, Inc., is publicly traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market® under the ticker “MVBF.” Nasdaq is a leading global provider of trading, clearing, exchange technology, listing, information and public company services. Through its subsidiary, MVB Bank, Inc., and the Bank's subsidiaries, the Company provides banking services to Fintech clients throughout the United States. For more information about MVB, please visit http://ir.mvbbanking.com . Forward-Looking Statements MVB Financial has made forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, in this press release that are intended to be covered by the protections provided under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations about the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “will,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “continues,” or the negative of those terms or similar expressions. Note that many factors could affect the future financial results of the Company and its subsidiaries, both individually and collectively, and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Therefore, undue reliance should not be placed upon any forward-looking statements. Those factors include but are not limited to: market, economic, operational, liquidity, and credit risk; changes in market interest rates; impacts related to or resulting from recent bank failures and volatility; inability to achieve anticipated synergies and successfully integrate recent mergers and acquisitions; inability to successfully execute business plans, including strategies related to investments in Fintech companies; competition; the pace of recovery following the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Company’s business and financial condition; changes in economic, business, and political conditions; changes in demand for loan products and deposit flow; operational risks and risk management failures; and government regulation and supervision. Additional factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update, revise, or correct any forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121464014/en/ CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT Amy Baker VP, Corporate Communications and Marketing MVB Bank abaker@mvbbanking.com (844) 682-2265INVESTOR RELATIONS Marcie Lipscomb mlipscomb@mvbbanking.com (844) 682-2265 KEYWORD: WEST VIRGINIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: MVB Financial Corp. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 04:30 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 04:30 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121464014/enPrudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU) Shares Purchased by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.
The AI Smartphones That Never Arrived: 2024’s Unfulfilled Promises(AP): Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the much-hyped medications didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It’s a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It’s all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person’s response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are typically prescribed along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn’t happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It’s not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn’t respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I’m hoping it’s slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.”
POTTS LAW FIRM: TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY INCIDENT LEADS TO LAWSUIT AGAINST SUPPLIER OF OIL FIELD EQUIPMENT