KUWAIT: With midterm exams just days away for thousands of middle and high school students in public and private Arabic schools, the Ministry of Education reassured that recent shakeups within its personnel have not affected the exam printing process. Last week, the Ministry dismissed several employees from the printing press responsible for producing the exams after uncovering serious violations. As a result, all exams handled by these employees were canceled, and new versions were requested. The ministry said it would replace the dismissed employees with new personnel who meet strict criteria and comply with the relevant exam regulations. In a statement released Saturday, the ministry announced it has completed the formation of the new committee for the Central Secure Printing Press, which handles high school exams. The committee has already begun a thorough review of the equipment and technologies used in the preparation and printing processes. The ministry said it would evaluate the security protocols implemented at the press to ensure the highest standards of confidentiality and efficiency in the exam process. New versions of the scrapped high school exams are already being printed, it added. Parents working at the press Responsible for printing midterm and final exams, the printing press has been the center of scandals for years. In 2024, the Public Prosecution ordered the detention of several employees from the Ministry of Education, including the head of the secure printing press, on charges of leaking confidential exam information and involvement in money laundering. In a recent review, the Ministry of Education uncovered several serious violations, including conflicts of interest involving employees at the Central Secure Printing Press, which is responsible for printing high school exams. An internal investigation revealed that seven employees at the press had first-degree relatives—specifically their children—who were set to take the exams. This directly violated the core principles of fairness and neutrality that govern the exam process. Additionally, further violations were found in three regional secure printing presses responsible for middle school exams. These violations involved other staff members with first-degree relatives among the exam candidates, further breaching the ministry’s strict regulations. The ministry said it would take legal and administrative action against those responsible for the violations. New versions of the exams will also be printed. Strict proctoring regulations The review was conducted under the direct supervision of Minister of Education Jalal Al-Tabtabaei, who emphasized the need for strict security measures to ensure the fairness of the exams, aiming to maintain public trust in the educational system. To further strengthen the exam process, Minister Al-Tabtabaei has instructed the ministry to implement stricter oversight of exam committees across all grade levels. No proctor or committee head will be allowed to supervise exams if they have first-degree relatives among the students taking the exams. This requirement will be monitored and documented as part of the ministry’s commitment to transparency and fairness. Despite these changes, the ministry has assured the public that exams will proceed as scheduled, with no changes to the exam dates. The ministry has also stressed that all procedures will be followed meticulously to ensure that exams run smoothly and according to plan. The primary goal of these actions is to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all students, while restoring trust in the exam process. Minister Al-Tabtabaei emphasized his commitment to maintaining the integrity of the education system and stressed that no violations would be tolerated. Legal and administrative action will be taken against anyone found responsible for misconduct, ensuring that justice is served. The ministry will continue to monitor the exam process closely, particularly during grading and results recording, it said.
The has risen over 17% so far in 2024 as investors expect a gradually improving economic environment to boost corporate earnings in the coming years. This is one of the key reasons why most high-growth stocks have seen a spectacular rally. As we look ahead to 2025, certain businesses on the TSX could take this strong momentum even further, backed mainly by strong , innovative business models, and exposure to fast-growing markets. In this article, I’ll spotlight two top TSX stocks from the that could continue to soar in 2025 and beyond, making them attractive buys right now. Celestica stock After registering a 154% jump in 2023, the rally in ( ) stock gained further steam in 2024 as it currently trades with 253% year-to-date gains. With this, CLS stock is now trading at $136.94 per share with a of $15.9 billion. And I expect the ongoing strength in its financials amid strong demand for its services to keep driving the stock higher in 2025 and beyond. In the trailing 12 months, Celestica’s total revenue rose 17.5% YoY (year over year) to US$9.2 billion due mainly to strong demand in its Connectivity & Cloud Solutions (CCS) segment, which surged by 42% in the third quarter alone. This growth reflects the company’s ability to tap into the rapidly expanding cloud computing and AI (artificial intelligence) markets, driven by its innovative solutions and robust customer relationships. More importantly, Celestica’s adjusted earnings in the last four quarters combined have jumped by over 60% YoY to US$3.57 per share, beating Street analysts’ expectations by a big margin. This strong financial performance encouraged Celestica’s management to raise its full-year 2024 outlook, signalling continued confidence in its growth trajectory. The company now expects revenue to reach US$9.6 billion, up from its earlier projection of US$9.45 billion. In addition to these positive factors, Celestica’s continued focus on strategic partnerships and expansion into high-growth industries make it an excellent long-term buy, in my opinion. Descartes Systems stock Currently trading with a strong 49% year-to-date gain, while ( ) hasn’t experienced the same level of explosive growth as Celestica of late, it has quietly built a reputation as a consistent performer in the TSX tech sector. With the current market price of $164.50 per share, DSG stock has a market cap of $14 billion. If you don’t know it already, this Waterloo-based company mainly focuses on logistics and supply chain management solutions, providing software and services that help businesses streamline operations and improve efficiency. Despite recent macroeconomic risks, Descartes continues to impress investors with its strong and steady financial growth trends. In the latest quarter ended in October 2024, the company reported a 17% YoY increase in revenue to US$168.8 million, driven mainly by its services segment. Also, its adjusted quarterly earnings climbed by 35.5% from a year ago to US$0.42 per share. With recent acquisitions, including MyCarrierPortal and Sellercloud, Descartes is expanding its portfolio to address evolving logistics and e-commerce challenges, which could help it sustain strong growth trends in the years to come.
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E-commerce Is Slowing Down. Is It Because of Package Theft?Massimo Group ( NASDAQ:MAMO – Get Free Report ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 58,700 shares, an increase of 59.1% from the November 30th total of 36,900 shares. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 129,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.5 days. Massimo Group Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:MAMO opened at $2.58 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.77 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.58. Massimo Group has a one year low of $2.42 and a one year high of $4.66. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Massimo Group stock. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Massimo Group ( NASDAQ:MAMO – Free Report ) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 11,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,000. Massimo Group Company Profile Massimo Group, through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacturing and sale of utility terrain vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, and pontoon and tritoon boats. The company also offers motorcycles, scooters, golf carts, and go karts and balance bikes, as well as snow equipment. In addition, it provides accessories, including EV chargers, electric coolers, power stations, and portable solar panels. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Massimo Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Massimo Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
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President-elect Donald Trump's repeated support for TikTok has sparked speculation about potential solutions to prevent the app's impending ban in the United States, though the path forward remains unclear. "We got to keep this sucker around for a little while," Trump told supporters on Sunday, just days after meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Florida. Trump, who credits the wildly popular platform with delivering him a large young user base, opposes banning TikTok partly because he believes it would primarily benefit Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company behind Instagram and Facebook. The situation is complex, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, given the various potential solutions and Trump's unpredictable nature. Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation, signed by President Joe Biden in April, that would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. US officials and lawmakers grew wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access the data of TikTok's American users. Even with Trump's decisive election victory and incoming Republican-led Congress, acquiescing to the president-elect's desire and preventing the ban faces significant hurdles. The law enjoyed rare bipartisan support in a divided Washington, making its outright repeal through a vote in Congress politically unlikely even with Trump's influence over Republicans. The Supreme Court may offer the clearest path forward. TikTok has appealed to the nation's highest court, arguing the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech. The court, which is dominated by Trump-aligned conservatives, will hear the case on January 10, just nine days before the ban takes effect. This follows a lower appeals court's unanimous decision to uphold the law in December. Another possibility, according to Tobias, is that a Trump-led Department of Justice could determine ByteDance has addressed the law's national security concerns. However, such a move would likely be seen as caving to China by Congress and others. The final option is ByteDance selling to a non-Chinese buyer, though the company has consistently refused this possibility. With 170 million monthly active users, acquiring TikTok's US operations would require substantial resources. As president, Trump could extend the ban deadline by 90 days to facilitate a transaction. Few potential buyers have emerged, with major tech companies likely deterred by antitrust concerns. Former Trump Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, who runs a private equity fund backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, has expressed interest. During a recent event with Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son pledged to invest $100 billion in the US economy, though specific investments weren't detailed. Other contenders include US real estate billionaire Frank McCourt, who aims to make social media safer through his Project Liberty organization. Elon Musk, given his proximity to Trump and ownership of X, could also have a role to play, as he has expressed plans to transform the text-focused platform into something more like TikTok. A senior Republican lawmaker recently suggested Trump might orchestrate a "deal of the century" satisfying both US concerns and ByteDance's interests. The chairman of the US House committee on China, John Moolenaar, told Fox News Digital that once ByteDance accepts it must comply with US law, the situation could progress rapidly. Any agreement would need Beijing's approval, with US-China relations expected to remain tense during Trump's upcoming term. This isn't the first attempt to resolve TikTok's US status. In 2020, Trump also threatened a ban unless ByteDance sold its US operations. While Oracle and Walmart reached a preliminary agreement with ByteDance for ownership stakes, legal challenges and the transition to the Biden administration prevented the deal's completion. arp/mlmAs I See It: My warning to Albany: Do not go down this same rabbit holeIn you didn't know, people have THOUGHTS about the main suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO case . See for yourself. And when you get done taking a look at those, take a look at the funniest tweets by women this week: Make sure to follow these funny ladies on Twitter! 1. ughhhhh I didn't fix my entire life this weekend FUCK 2. Someone put a scale in the office kitchenette with a sign up sheet for "new year new you" this is an act of terrorism and I will be engaging in hand to hand combat with them at noon today 3. no longer desire a boyfriend all I need is a two bedroom apt and an in unit washer/dryer 4. I know for sure that the ball isn’t in my court. But also I’m not entirely sure the ball is in his court either. Honestly I fear the ball may have gotten stuck in the gymnasium rafters or lost or worse... 5. no worries if not pic.twitter.com/OlZYBpaj8e 6. I’m working on it https://t.co/tDgJ9QXF0e 7. My New Year’s resolution is to stun in new photo 8. how do you expect to keep a woman if you have no whimsy 9. love how gogurt was so powerful they were like “we need to make this for cats” 10. “galinda is a lesbian and gelphie is real” i say into the mic. the crowd boos. i begin to walk off in shame, when a voice from the back speaks and commands silence in the room. “she’s right!” someone says. i look for the owner of the voice. its ariana grande. 11. my body is not a temple. my body is a nightclub 12. heyyyyy does anyone want to come over & bake christmas cookies with me & tenderly wipe a streak of flour from my cheek & we both stop, struck by the warmth of each other’s bodies, the kitchen, the season & oop the oven timer went off hahahahaha what was that about 13. i think it was shakespeare who wrote “tell your boyfriend if he says he’s got beef, that i’m a vegetarian and I ain’t fucking scared of him”. 14. I needed to sneak some packages in, and my daughter—without a word from me—walked up to my husband and said, “So, what’s better: gas or charcoal grilling?” He’s still talking. I’ve never been prouder. She’s ready for marriage. 15. i am so warm and affectionate and playful that i cannot help but exude dead wife montage energy. sorry if this is distressing 16. Christmas is in two weeks and ion even got the thought that counts 17. my 10 month old is dying to talk and communicate with the rest of us and yesterday i could see he was trying so hard to get something out to us and finally he just yelled, "BABY" 18. The original Alien is the best because of the smoking. No futuristic nicotine delivery. Just blasting cigs around all that sensitive space equipment. That’s the direction technology advanced: to allow cigarettes in spacecrafts. 19. Before cell phones you had to go through your boyfriend’s horse to find out if he was visiting other women Don't miss the funniest tweets by women last week: 18 Tweets By Women This Week That Made Me, A Fellow Woman, Laugh So Hard I Started Gasping For AirForte scores 21, South Dakota beats Western Illinois 89-66
Kyne Lim —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Kyne Lim is the regional business manager of Southeast Asia at Emma, the world’s largest direct-to-consumer sleep brand with revenue of $1 billion in 2023. He was the country head for the Philippines and Korea prior to his new assignment. In this interview, he shares insights into Emma’s entry into the Philippines. Question: What was Emma’s market entry strategy for the Philippines? How did you tailor your approach to fit the local market, and what challenges did you face? Answer: We had a twofold challenge in entering the Philippines: one, overcome top-of-mind brands that are synonymous with mattresses and two, differentiate ourselves from those available in the market. These are important because if people are not aware of your brand, then they won’t even consider you when they do want to make a purchase. READ: Playing to win: Entrepreneurship and the competitive spirit These were the areas we dedicated our efforts to. We mainly used social media and influencers to spread our key messages. We used these channels to not only inform potential customers that Emma exists, but also to educate them about what’s different about our product. An example is how our ads, even back then, were communicating our seven-zone technology and motional isolation technology. Marketing became a cornerstone of our market entry strategy to the point that we may have appeared too often for some people. Q: I researched Emma mattresses and found that they have multiple layers of foam, including memory foam and Airgocell foam. Briefly, why do people need these? How do they differ from what’s available locally? A: Our combination and configuration of these layers of foam and spring allow us to offer our seven-zone technology and our motion isolation technology. We believed these features would help us in the Philippines. To quickly explain, our seven-zone technology is a feature wherein your body part “sinks” to a different level depending on which part of the mattress you are. This is to allow your spine to remain aligned whatever your sleeping position may be. We were probably one of the first to market these technologies extensively to the public, so Emma stood out versus other available brands. Q: Emma undercuts the price of high-end imported mattresses. Beyond price, why should people consider Emma? A: Emma really values innovation; we value the technological part of our mattresses. Our mattresses undergo validation across these third-party test companies in Europe whose main job is to rigorously test mattresses across different dimensions. So, when we say, for example, our Diamond Degree graphite foam dissipates heat, these are backed up by testing. This is genuine. Our mattresses are also consistent award-winners in multiple countries, so Emma has both the technological proof and the social proof. Q: You are an online company with no physical store. How did you come up with this channel decision? A: Our principle is centered on customer satisfaction. By operating primarily online, we can offer a 100-day home trial period, allowing customers to experience our mattresses in their own environment and ensuring they make a fully informed decision. This is in contrast to in-store trials, which only last a minute or two. Additionally, we do have physical stores in Europe to be closer to our customers, and partner with wholesalers globally to reach those who prefer to try the mattress in-store before making a purchase. In the Philippines, our products can be found in showrooms like Abenson and Habitat. There are numerous factors to consider when establishing physical stores, including the costs of construction, rent and staffing. These expenses can be substantial, especially with multiple locations. By saving on these costs and investing in online marketing instead, we can pass the savings on to our customers. This strategy allows us to offer competitive prices compared with other international brands, making us an affordable premium brand. Q: Prospects can actually try Emma in some of your partner stores like Abenson Home and Habitat. How do you protect these retailers when you also encourage prospects to buy directly from you? A: It is a win-win partnership. The sleep market is gigantic; everyone that sleeps needs a mattress. They see our potential and instead of only acting as a competitor, they want to profit from our growth. By having our products, we bring traffic to their stores and if we grow, they grow. I believe both of us, Emma and our partner stores, recognize the reality that online purchase of goods is a recent phenomenon and that a sizable number would still choose to purchase offline given the chance. But, at the same time, for us, partnering up with retailers allows us to reach that customer that still prefers to buy it offline. To give more insight, we do have marketing activities that we do for our retailers, but even when we market normally, it has a trickle-down effect wherein people who are interested—but are not yet convinced of buying an Emma mattress online despite the 100-night trial—will still head to one of our retail partners to test out. In this sense, there is no clash at the moment. Q: How does the 100-night risk-free trial work? What is your return rate for online purchases compared with in-store purchases, and how does this compare with the 12-percent industry average? When do you offer a 100-night versus a 200-night risk-free trial? A: The 100-night trial is our guarantee wherein after you receive your order but are not satisfied with it, we’ll take back the mattress and refund you how much you bought it for within the next 100 nights. This stems from our belief that it takes more than just a few minutes to understand if a mattress is for you or not; you need to have slept on it for a few days or even weeks to really know if it suits you. Emma is a company that values that local insight–this is what has helped us grow wherever we set roots on. The team here surveyed the Philippines landscape and deemed the 100-night trial was the most effective duration. In fact, from those that returned their Emma products, we see that Filipinos tend to return them much earlier than 100 nights. To add though, what I can say is that our return rate is lower than the industry average, which is a good indicator for us that Emma’s products are being accepted by the market. Q: How has influencer marketing impacted your brand’s reach and customer engagement? What strategies have you found most effective in working with influencers? How do you measure its effectiveness? A: One of the things our company is good at is performance marketing. We think of ways to measure our marketing. When available, we use the platform’s available data. For example, if we use Facebook, they have Facebook Ads Manager that allows us to see this information. For influencers, it’s a mix of a few things. We have our own created attribution model, which is a mix of factors–part of it is the coupon code usage. For influencers, we ask them to also include a coupon code that they can share to their followers, so we’re able to measure performance through that. In addition, if we use influencers in our ads–we’d measure those ads’ performance too. We then put it all together, we have a better view of how this influencer was able to help us. We learned that in working with influencers, it is very important to play to our strengths. This means that instead of dictating 100 percent of the content, we work with their branding and their style to communicate the key messages that Emma wants to say. We follow and watch influencers because we enjoy the way they present after all. Q: Filipinos appear to be sleeping an average daily of six hours and 22 minutes, less than the seven hours recommended average. What should Filipinos know about quality sleep? A: Quality sleep is very important. We need good quality sleep to tackle the next day ahead. In the Philippines, we chose our influencers such as Kryz Uy, Small Laude, Anne Curtis-Smith–all of whom are personalities who demonstrate a tight schedule juggling different things. At Emma, we believe that they are able to perform at their 100 percent all day because of having a good-night sleep. Our mission statement is to “awaken your best,” because we believe in the power of good sleep. It allows you to rejuvenate not just your body, but also your mind–and that in return allows you to do your best in your day ahead, to achieve whatever you want to achieve. —CONTRIBUTED Disclosure: This interview had been requested by Emma but no compensation or other considerations were received in exchange. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Josiah Go is the chair and chief innovation strategist of Mansmith and Fielders Inc., as well as the coauthor of Marketing For Beginners (the No.1 book in marketing) and Entrepreneurship: The Four-Gate Model (the No. 1 book in entrepreneurship.)Vodafone Idea plans for 5G migrationThane: A man and his teenage son have been arrested for allegedly killing their relative, a retired merchant navy officer, over property in Maharashtra’s Thane district, an official said on Saturday. The father-son duo poisoned Kalyan resident Mukesh Shyamsunder Kumar (62) to death on August 11. They stuffed his body in a bag and dumped it near Kalyan-Nagar road on August 14, said police. Though police were informed about the body on August 15, they could not identify it immediately as there was a delay in filing a missing complaint concerning Kumar, whose children live abroad. Inputs recently received by head constable Prakash Sahil of Thane rural police led cops to Varap village, where Kumar’s cousin Ajaykumar Mishra lives. Police questioned Mishra and his 17-year-old son who confessed to killing the retired merchant navy officer, the official said. The duo was arrested on Thursday. According to the police, Mishra invited Kumar to his place under some pretext and poisoned him to death to grab his property. He and his son then dumped the body, stuffed in a bag, three days later. While Mishra is in police custody, his minor son has been sent to a juvenile correctional facility in Bhiwandi, the official said.
Justin Baldoni ‘s publicist, Jennifer Abel, dismissed the “cherry picked messages” between herself, Baldoni, and management expert Melissa Nathan, which were leaked in Blake Lively ’s harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star. Abel made the comments in several lengthy posts in a Facebook group, which have since been deleted but were seen and confirmed by Rolling Stone . She denied that a “smear” campaign against Lively was implemented, as the actress has claimed. “No negative press was ever facilitated, no social combat plan, although we were prepared for it as it’s our job to be ready for any scenario,” Abel wrote. “But we didn’t have to implement anything because the internet was doing the work for us.” Lively filed her lawsuit this weekend, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and coordinating a smear campaign against her amidst the movie’s tumultuous release . (Baldoni has denied the claims.) To back up the smear claims, the suit included exhibits like a pre-release strategy to shift the online conversation toward criticism of Lively, as well as the aforementioned text messages. In the messages between Abel and Nathan, the two spoke about Baldoni’s concern that there was “not much defense” in the planning document if Lively went on the offensive. “You know we can bury anyone but I can’t write that to [Baldoni],” Nathan wrote to Abel. In another message, Abel said, “I’m having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with... Just to get ahead of it.” Baldoni also sent Abel and Nathan a threaded tweet about “Hailey Bieber’s history of bullying many women,” which had over 19 million views at the time. “This is what we would need,” Baldoni wrote. As the press cycle around It Ends With Us churned, Baldoni’s team appeared to celebrate that Lively was the primary focus of the coverage. “So are we in the clear now?! Did we survive?!,” Abel asked Nathan, who replied: “We survived. All press is so overwhelming. We’ve confused people. So much mixed messaging. It’s actually really funny if you think about it.” Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time While Abel denied ever carrying out a smear campaign, she did say, “Sure we talked about it, contemplated if we needed certain things, flagged accounts that we needed to monitor, worked with a social team to help us stay on top of the narrative so we could act quickly if needed.” She also acknowledged that they “rejoiced and joked in the fact that fans were recognizing our clients heart and work without us having to do anything but keep our heads down and focus on positive interviews for our client.” Abel said they “sophomorically reveled” in private about the online feedback to “the woman whose team was making our lives incredibly difficult.” To that end, she claimed at the start of the campaign, “the opposing team had been planting horrible stories” about Baldoni as a “fail safe” if he “did not comply with the demands set forth for the campaign.” Abel also defended Baldoni from the harassment accusations: “Now what kind of woman would work against another woman who was a victim of all the things being claimed? Thanks for asking,” she wrote. “After reviewing the evidence, facts, hard proof that countered every single thing that was being claimed and demanded at the start of production, I made a choice to stand by my client of almost 5 years, who had dedicated his life to the equal treatment of others, especially women. Who had no incidents of negative treatment of others, and who had a wonderful community and team at [Baldoni’s production company] Wayfarer who all held the same moral fortitude and lived their life accordingly. As representatives, we all have to make that choice. So I did that to the best of my ability, and felt good about our efforts.” Related Content Amber Heard Supports Blake Lively Amid Justin Baldoni Smear Campaign Allegations: 'I Saw This Firsthand' Paul Feig Speaks Up in Support of Blake Lively: 'Professional, Creative, Collaborative' America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel Support ‘Sister’ Blake Lively Amid Justin Baldoni Suit 'It Ends With Us' Author Shares Support for Blake Lively Amid Justin Baldoni Lawsuit Bryan Freedman, who is representing Baldoni, Abel, and Nathan in the suit, echoed the sentiment of Abel’s posts in a statement shared with Rolling Stone . He said Nathan’s company, The Agency Group (TAG) PR, “operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources.” He continued: “The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on.” As for how the text messages were leaked in Lively’s lawsuit, Abel denied speculation that they were subpoenaed. Instead, she noted that she’d recently left her previous PR firm, Jonesworks, where she was working during the It Ends With Us campaign. She said the company “had access to my work emails and work phone, so you can deduce from that what you will.” Freedman, in a longer statement to The Hollywood Reporter , alleged that in late August, Joneswork “utilized a lawyer and security guard to take possession of Wayfarers confidential information through confiscation of Jen Abel’s phone. We are continuing to investigate the use of that confidential information but demands are being made to Stephanie Jones and Leslie Sloan and once we obtain the evidence, anyone actively involved in any possible connection with this abhorrent conduct will be sued into oblivion.” A rep for Jonesworks did not immediately return a request for comment.Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and his wife are set to assume absolute power after loyalist lawmakers Friday approved a constitutional amendment elevating her to the position of "co-president" and boosting the pair's joint control over the state. Under sanctions for human rights abuses, Ortega himself had proposed the change, which also increases the Central American country's presidential term from five to six years. Nicaragua's National Assembly is under control of Ortega's ruling FSLN party, and parliament chief Gustavo Porras said Friday the measure was approved "unanimously." It is all but guaranteed to pass a second reading in January. Ortega, 79, has engaged in increasingly authoritarian practices, tightening control of all sectors of the state with the aid of his powerful wife, 73-year-old Vice President Rosario Murillo in what critics describe as a nepotistic dictatorship. The ex-guerrilla had first served as president from 1985 to 1990, returning to power in 2007. Nicaragua has jailed hundreds of opponents, real and perceived, since then. Ortega's government has targeted critics, shutting down more than 5,000 NGOs since 2018 mass protests in which the United Nations estimates more than 300 people died. Thousands of Nicaraguans have fled into exile, and the regime is under US and EU sanctions. Most independent and opposition media now operate from abroad. The constitutional amendment stipulates that "traitors to the homeland" can be stripped of their citizenship, as the Ortega government has already done with hundreds of politicians, journalists, intellectuals and activists, among others perceived as critical. Ortega and Murillo accuse the Church, journalists and NGOs of having supported an attempted coup d'etat, as they describe the 2018 protests. The change also allows for stricter control over the media and the Church, so they are not subject to "foreign interests." And it gives the co-presidents the power to coordinate all "legislative, judicial, electoral, control and supervisory bodies, regional and municipal" -- formerly independent under the constitution. Manuel Orozco, a Nicaraguan analyst for the Inter-American Dialogue, told AFP the reform "guarantees the presidential succession" of Murillo and the pair's son, Laureano Ortega. The Geneva-based UN human rights office (OHCHR) in its annual report on Nicaragua warned in September of a "serious" deterioration in human rights under Ortega. The report cited violations such as arbitrary arrests of opponents, torture, ill-treatment in detention, increased violence against Indigenous people and attacks on religious freedom. The revised constitution will define Nicaragua as a "revolutionary" and socialist state and include the red-and-black flag of the FSLN -- a guerrilla group-turned political party that overthrew a US-backed dictator in 1979 -- among its national symbols. Constitutional law expert Azahalea Solis said this change excludes other political ideologies, while Salvador Marenco, a human rights lawyer exiled in Costa Rica, said it will end political pluralism and the doctrine of separation of powers. "Everything in the reform is what has actually been happening in Nicaragua: a de facto dictatorship," Dora Maria Tellez, a former comrade in arms of Ortega turned critic, told AFP from exile in the United States. When it was proposed by Ortega earlier this week, Organization of American States secretary general Luis Almagro described the amendment as "an aberrant form of institutionalizing the marital dictatorship." He also labeled the initiative an "aggression against the democratic rule of law." mis-mlr/dw
Blue Square X Expands Art Curation Services at Art Basel MiamiIn an unexpected turn in the world of entertainment, the popular tiktoker ‘The Mana’ has decided to come forward and respond to the recent statements issued on the program ‘Puro floro’. The influencer not only showed her discontent, but also exposed private conversations with Otto Diaz one of the ‘magpies’ of ‘Magaly TV, the firm’ and host of the aforementioned program, evidencing an apparent contradiction in his attitude towards her, despite being married. ‘The Mana’ She was surprised by the way in which her comments about what happened to Gabriela Serpa were minimized. The tiktoker assured that Otto Diaz who had frequently reacted to his Instagram stories and had offered to make a “little note”, now seemed to be oblivious. “I thought you liked me, Otto. You always reacted to me with hearts, you even liked my tattoo... you even told me I had to make you a little note,” said the content creator, who also shared screenshots as proof of their statements. ‘La Mana’ reveals chats with Otto Díaz, host of ‘Puro Floro’ In the screenshots shared by ‘The Mana’ you can read several messages sent by Otto Diaz that make clear a previous relationship that is closer than he now appears. In one of the messages, Otto asks him: “How is that little face, the double chin? And the other thing must also be spectacular. You have to do a little note with your orchestra, something fun.” These messages not only reveal a friendly tone, but also a certain admiration for the TikToker’s aesthetic changes. “You told me that everything turned out very well, I appreciate it,” he recalled. ‘The Mana’ in his statement. The content creator did not hesitate to point out the irony of the situation, highlighting how attitudes can change depending on context and convenience. Social networks were quick to react to the revelations of ‘ The Mana’ . Many users expressed their support for the tiktoker, criticizing the attitude of Otto Diaz and the way ‘Puro floro’ had handled the incident with Gabriela Serpa . The exposure of these messages generated a debate about the professionalism of the ‘magpies’ and the role they play in the entertainment industry. Join our entertainment channel
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