PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Former Temple basketball standout Hysier Miller sat for a long interview with the NCAA as it looked into concerns about unusual gambling activity, his lawyer said Friday amid reports a federal probe is now under way. “Hysier Miller fully cooperated with the NCAA’s investigation. He sat for a five-hour interview and answered every question the NCAA asked. He also produced every document the NCAA requested,” lawyer Jason Bologna said in a statement. “Hysier did these things because he wanted to play basketball this season, and he is devastated that he cannot.”
Berlin confirmed plans to make it a criminal offence to ‘facilitate the smuggling of migrants to the UK’ as part of the agreement. Germany has pledged to tighten its law to make it easier to prosecute people-smugglers enabling small-boat crossings to Britain, as the two countries signed a new deal aimed at tackling immigration crime. Berlin confirmed plans to reform its legal framework make it a clear criminal offence to “facilitate the smuggling of migrants to the UK” as part of the agreement, the Home Office said. The Home Office said the move would give German prosecutors more tools to tackle the supply and storage of dangerous small boats. Both countries will also commit to exchange information that may help to remove migrant-smuggling content from social media platforms and tackle end-to-end routes of criminal smuggling networks as part of the deal. It comes ahead of the UK and Germany hosting the so-called Calais Group in London, which sees ministers and police from the two countries, alongside France, Belgium and the Netherlands, gather to discuss migration in Europe. Delegates are expected to agree a detailed plan to tackle people-smuggling gangs in 2025 at the meeting on Tuesday. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For too long organised criminal gangs have been exploiting vulnerable people, undermining border security in the UK and across Europe while putting thousands of lives at risk. “We are clear that this cannot go on. “Germany is already a key partner in our efforts to crack down on migrant smuggling, but there is always more we can do together. “Our new joint action plan with deliver a strengthened partnership with Germany, boosting our respective border security as we work to fix the foundations, and ultimately saving lives.” Nancy Faeser, German federal minister of the interior said: “We are now stepping up our joint action to fight the brutal activities of international smugglers. “This is at the core of our joint action plan that we have agreed in London. “I am very grateful to my British counterpart Yvette Cooper that we were able to reach this important agreement. “It will help us end the inhumane activities of criminal migrant smuggling organisations. “By cramming people into inflatable boats under threats of violence and sending them across the Channel, these organisations put human lives at risk. “Many of these crimes are planned in Germany. “Together, we are now countering this unscrupulous business with even more resolve. “This includes maintaining a high investigative pressure, exchanging information between our security authorities as best as possible, and persistently investigating financial flows to identify the criminals operating behind the scenes.”In today’s newsletter, an out-of-style genre makes a comeback, and then: The acquittal of Daniel Penny Michael Schulman on the best performances of 2024 Rashid Johnson’s metamorphosis A Feminist Director Takes On the Erotic Thriller Halina Reijn has always loved the genre—and revelled in creating a steamy melodrama for Nicole Kidman in which the protagonist is “greedy,” “dark,” and “wrong.” The final day of shooting for “Babygirl,” a new erotic thriller, was devoted to a sequence that the film’s writer and director, Halina Reijn, had deliberately saved for last. In the movie, which will be released on Christmas, Nicole Kidman plays Romy, the hyper-competent C.E.O. of a robotics company, who feigns pleasure in her marriage and flirts perilously with a younger man at work until he tempts her into a kinky affair. In this scene, Romy and her paramour, Samuel (Harris Dickinson), were alone in a cheap hotel room in Manhattan, attempting to define their new dynamic. The environs were unsavory—Reijn had chosen blood-red curtains and carpeting specifically to evoke a womb—but there was a charge in the air. The end of the encounter would be the literal consummation of the couple’s mind games: Romy would orgasm. Keep reading, or listen to the story » The Lede How Daniel Penny Was Found Not Guilty in a Subway Killing That Divided New York The trial over the death of Jordan Neely—which made Daniel Penny, the man who choked him, a right-wing cause célèbre—became a flash point in the debate over crime and vigilantism in big cities. Penny has been acquitted. “It is a strange thing to sit in a courtroom and watch a man die over and over and over again,” Adam Iscoe writes, reporting from the trial. Read the story » How Long Will the Trump Crypto Boom Last? The Best Performances of 2024 The Confident Anxiety of Rashid Johnson Can You Write It Better Than Taylor Swift? Daily Cartoon Link copied Play today’s challenging puzzle. A clue: Paris-born Surrealist Dora: four letters. P.S. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired on TV in the U.S. on this day in 1965. It arrived in an “unsettled season, as the so-called generation gap was rending the cultural landscape,” Jonathan Franzen wrote , in a moving personal history about the deep impression the “perfect silliness” of the comic strip left on his adolescence. Despite the social turmoil, “Charles Schulz’s work was almost uniquely beloved.” 🎄 Hannah Jocelyn contributed to this edition.A space base that made global headlines when it first launched rockets from Northeast Arnhem Land is closing its operations in the Northern Territory. Equatorial Launch Australia will shut the Arnhem Space Base at Gulkula on the Gove Peninsula immediately and plans to open a new facility in Far North Queensland. The company said its decision had been forced by its failure to secure a lease to expand the base with the Northern Land Council. “The decision came after the Northern Land Council (NLC) failed to meet its own specified deadline for the approval of the Head Lease for the fourth time over the last 12 months, in October 2024,” the company said in a statement. “Despite desperate appeals from ELA, the Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Department and the Gumatj Corporation since February 2024, the NLC would not issue a Head Lease or provide any official reasons for the delays.” The NLC has been contacted for comment and is expected to issue its own statement later today. A source at the land council told Sky News ELA was wrongly blaming the NLC for the closure, saying it was the company that had been stalling negotiations. The Arnhem Space Base was built in partnership with the Gumatj Corporation, an Indigenous-owned business that provides employment opportunities for local Yolngu people. It was supported by the former NT Labor Government, which provided $5 million in funding to get the project off the ground. The centre made international headlines in 2022 when NASA launched three rockets from the base, marking Australia’s first commercial space launch. ELA announced plans to expand the base to allow it to launch up to 50 rockets per year. But those plans are now in tatters. “The continued delays from the NLC have made the existence of the spaceport in the Northern Territory challenging, and the most recent delay to late 2025 to allow consultation with traditional owner groups, had the potential to put ELA in breach of its contractual obligations with launch clients and jeopardised a previously secured major funding round,” the ELA statement said. “Accordingly, Management and the Board of ELA were left with no option other than to act in the best interest of its customers and shareholders and abandon negotiations and seek an alternate equatorial site in Queensland.” The company said it had been working with the Queensland Government and had identified a site at Weipa to establish a new base, which will be called the Australian Space Centre Cape York. “ELA is saddened that the more than $100m investment that ELA was making in the East Arnhem region, and the projected $3.6 billion in direct economic stimulus, local jobs creation and support and motivation for local and regional students in STEM projects and the long-term opportunities that were forecast over the life of the proposed lease, will now no longer materialise,” the company said. “ELA would like to thank the unrelenting support of the Northern Territory Government and the Gumatj Corporation, who have both been exemplary partners in the spaceport’s eight-year existence and throughout this difficult process.”The Dallas Cowboys are shutting down CeeDee Lamb for the rest of the season after the star wideout played through a shoulder injury for nearly two months. Lamb initially sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder on Nov. 3 but has not missed any of the Cowboys' first 15 games this season. "Additional examinations and scans this week on CeeDee Lamb's shoulder have determined that his injury has now progressed to a point that he will be listed as ‘Out' for the remaining two games of the season," a team spokesperson said in a statement to media outlets. "He will undergo a process of treatment and rehabilitation for his shoulder, is not currently expected to require surgery and is projected to make a full recovery." The Cowboys (7-8), eliminated from playoff contention, face two division rivals to close the season. They visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and will host the Washington Commanders in Week 18. Lamb, 25, hauled in 101 receptions for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns this season. It marked his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, and he may be selected to a fourth straight Pro Bowl for his efforts. Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million contract extension in August, covering the 2025-28 seasons. --Field Level Media
Insider Q&A: High hopes for Australia social media ban and channeling parental 'fury' over techITV The 1% Club fans fume 'What's the point' as Lee Mack show makes major change
State commerce officials have launched a program to connect Maryland companies with international markets. The state’s Soft Landing Exchange Program, announced Monday, was designed to connect companies with overseas business incubators and accelerators at reduced costs, officials said. Maryland was the 26th largest state exporter last year, with goods valued at more than $18 billion, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Exports from Maryland supported an estimated 54,000 jobs in 2021, the latest year job statistics were available, the trade office said. Gov. Wes Moore said the program aims to help the state’s small businesses grow. The state Department of Commerce-run program is designed for companies that want to expand existing export capabilities. “Not only will this help those businesses, but it will boost Maryland’s competitiveness by showing the world what we have to offer,” the Democratic governor said in an announcement. Participants can tap into a network of organizations in strategic markets around the world that will host the companies in their facilities and offer access to resources, advisors, networking and other assistance. As long as funding remains available, the program has no cap on the number of participating companies. Among partner groups are Cicada Innovations, a tech incubator in Australia; EuraTechnologies in France, which bills itself as one of Europe’s largest startup incubators; and Kanagawa Science Park, a research and development business park outside Tokyo. Other partners are located in Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Maryland companies that participate can also apply for grants of up to $10,000 to offset travel, lodging, transportation and other program costs. To be eligible, companies must have operations in Maryland, be in existence for at least a year and have plans for an international business initiative. They also need to be in good standing with the state Department of Assessments and Taxation. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Have a news tip? Contact Lorraine Mirabella at lmirabella@baltsun.com , (410) 332-6672 and @lmirabella on X.
Morrissey throws 67-yard TD pass to Calwise Jr. to lift Eastern Kentucky over North Alabama 21-15Multiverse, Daarcomm, FBNH drag bourse down as investors lose N98bnPASAY CITY, Philippines , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The SM Group is approaching the coming year with cautious optimism, encouraged by the continued growth of the Philippine economy. SM Investments President and Chief Executive Officer Frederic C. DyBuncio said that despite ongoing challenges of peso volatility and higher inflation, the business sector has adapted well. Consistent demand sustained household spending in the third quarter, with Household Final Consumption Expenditure posting a year-on-year growth of 5.1%, maintaining the same level in the same quarter last year, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed. "Any moderation in inflation should trigger a strong confidence rebound. This could create opportunities in consumer-focused sectors in the country and we are poised to cater to these evolving demands," Mr. DyBuncio said. To cater to growing demand, SM continues to expand into more underserved areas, contributing to sustainable economic development and collaborating with government stakeholders to enhance access to modern retail, financial services, and integrated property developments. "By investing and expanding to more areas nationwide, SM creates new markets and improves access to these essential sectors, serving more communities and helping stimulate sustained economic activities," he said. Mr. DyBuncio also said SM continues to invest in promising ventures such as renewable energy and logistics, that foster economic activity. SM has invested in the clean energy industry through Philippine Geothermal Production Company (PGPC) which produces 300 Megawatts of geothermal steam supply. SM aims to continue to develop geothermal concessions through PGPC in support of the Department of Energy's goal of reaching 50% renewable energy supply by 2040. To encourage circularity towards green energy production, SM's property arm, SM Prime Holdings partnered with GUUN Co. Ltd. (GUUN) to implement the Japanese technique of reducing landfill impact. The technology converts non-recyclable and hard-to-recycle packaging into alternative fuel. SM's banking arm, BDO Unibank is one of the largest funders of renewable energy projects. BDO has funded PHP898 billion in sustainable finance, including loans to 59 renewable energy projects as of December 2023. In logistics and tourism, the improvement of transport networks across the country's archipelago connects tourist and industrial areas that will help create inclusive growth. SM though its subsidiary 2GO launched MV Masigla and MV Masikap in 2024 to help better connect goods to 19 ports across the country including Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Manila , further supporting the government's push for medium term growth through an upgraded tourism infrastructure and ecosystem. "Our focus for 2025 will be to drive purposeful growth, empowering communities and partners through our investments towards a sustainable future," Mr. DyBuncio said.
( MENAFN - Investor Brand Network) Rumble (NASDAQ: RUM) , a growing video-sharing platform, has announced a $775 million strategic investment from Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin. This deal aims to bolster Rumble's growth trajectory, enhance its technology infrastructure, and expand its audience reach. The investment aligns with Rumble's mission to provide an open and decentralized digital space while reinforcing Tether's commitment to supporting platforms that champion free expression. The market reacted positively, with Rumble's stock surging as investors anticipated the transformative impact of this partnership. To view the full press release, visit About Rumble Inc. Rumble is a high-growth video platform and cloud services provider that is creating an independent infrastructure. Rumble's mission is to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again. For more information, visit href="" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer rumbl . About Web3MediaWire Web3MediaWire (“W3MW”) is a specialized communications platform with a focus on the next generation of internet technologies. It is one of 70+ brands within the Dynamic Brand Portfolio @ IBN that delivers : (1) access to a vast network of wire solutions via InvestorWire to efficiently and effectively reach a myriad of target markets, demographics and diverse industries ; (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ outlets ; (3) enhanced press release enhancement to ensure maximum impact ; (4) social media distribution via IBN to millions of social media followers ; and (5) a full array of tailored corporate communications solutions . With broad reach and a seasoned team of contributing journalists and writers, W3MW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that want to reach a wide audience of investors, influencers, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, W3MW brings its clients unparalleled recognition and brand awareness. W3MW is where breaking news, insightful content and actionable information converge. To receive SMS alerts from Web3MediaWire, text“Web3” to 888-902-4192 (U.S. Mobile Phones Only) For more information, please visit Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the Web3MediaWire website applicable to all content provided by W3MW, wherever published or re-published: /Disclaimer Web3MediaWire Los Angeles, CA 310.299.1717 Office [email protected] Web3MediaWire is powered by IBN MENAFN26122024000224011066ID1109033811 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.At just 17 years old, Ava Hamilton is the fastest woman speed climber in the UK. The sport involves competitors climbing up a 15m wall in races that take mere seconds to complete - with a world record time of just 4.798 seconds. It joined the Olympic Games for the first time at Tokyo 2020, but Scotland still only has one full-sized speed climbing wall. After beating the UK women's record this year at the European Championships with a time of 8.64 seconds, Ava, from Glasgow, wants the sport to become more accessible so more people can try it out. The last time a British woman set a speed climbing record was Shauna Coxsey in 2019, with a time of 9.1 seconds. "I was really happy but also so relieved," Ava told BBC Scotland News. "I'd done it quite a few times in practice but not loads, and this was a personal best for me. "You just need to make that time in competition because that means it's official." She hopes to beat her own record with a time of less than 7.5 seconds within the next year. "I think that's a very realistic goal in the next few months," she said. "And eventually my goal is to make less than seven seconds. "That would be world class level. Although it's not very long - it's literally just one second off what I do now - it means so much in speed climbing." Ava started competing in speed climbing at 15 and said she was grateful that her school accommodated her taking time off to travel to international bouts. Dan Wyatt, rector at Glasgow's Kelvinside Academy, praised her commitment to the sport. He said: "She's an inspiration to any young person, and a shining example of the dedication and application required to make it in any sport. "The unseen hours in the car, on the wall, completing homework whenever possible, and missing parties and gatherings have all been part of Ava's journey." Now she has hopes of scoring a spot on Team GB at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. "That's the massive goal," she said. "This year I'm focusing on the 2025 season and going from there so hopefully I'll be on a good trajectory by then." The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) standardised speed climbing in 2007. "I only remember that because it's the year I was born," said Ava. "Tokyo 2020 did wonders for the sport because people could see the speed these climbers were running up the walls and it gained a lot of traction. "It's a shame it's not as accessible to the public as other types of climbing, but it'll get there." There are three full-sized standardised speed climbing walls in the UK, and the only one in Scotland is in Edinburgh. Every wall is the same, down to the millimetre and materials used, with exactly 20 handholds and 11 footholds. Ava worked with Above Adventure in Kilmarnock, to create a speed wall in their rock climbing gym to these exact measurements. "It means I can practise every bit individually," she said. "But it's not a huge thing in the UK so it's not really funded and most people are self-funded or through private sponsors. "It would be good to see more people competing in the UK as it's quite an underdeveloped sport here." International competitions have meant that she has travelled to Austria and South Korea for races. Now she has plans to go to a US training camp in Salt Lake City for three months next year with her coach Albert Ok. She hopes the experience will help to shave valuable milliseconds off her record time. "I really enjoy training because the improvements are really obvious when you get better," she said. "It's reflected in your time. "You have to learn every individual move and link them together the best you can, so it's probably a lot more technical than people might expect. "There's a lot of problem-solving since you have to work out what's best for you and if you're strong enough to do certain moves. I've got a lot more in me hopefully."
Boxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.
SAN FRANCISCO , Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AusperBio Therapeutics, Inc . and Ausper Biopharma Co., Ltd . (collectively AusperBio ), a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to advancing targeted oligonucleotide therapies to achieve a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B ( CHB ), today announced the successful completion of a USD 73 million Series B financing. The round was led by HanKang Capital , with participation from Sherpa Capital , CDH Investments , and a strategic investor, as well as continued participation from existing investors Qiming Venture Partners , InnoPinnacle Fund , and YuanBio Venture Capital . This financing followed the company's Series A round completed in July this year, demonstrating continued investor confidence in its proprietary platform and strategic direction. The proceeds will fund the continued Phase 2 development of AHB-137 , AusperBio's lead investigational therapy, supporting both clinical studies in China and global trials, as well as the development of commercial-scale manufacturing processes. The funding will also facilitate the expansion of the company's therapeutic pipeline and operational capabilities to drive sustained growth. Dr. Guofeng Cheng , co-founder and CEO of AusperBio, stated, " We are honored by our investors' confidence and support. This milestone financing recognizes our scientific and clinical accomplishments to date and enables us to accelerate our clinical programs and move closer to delivering a functional cure for CHB patients in need." Dr. Chris Yang , co-founder and CSO, added, "AHB-137 continues to attract attention from the scientific and clinical communities, particularly after the late-breaking oral presentation at the recent AASLD conference. The promising clinical data further validates our Med-OligoTM platform, strengthening our development of groundbreaking targeted oligonucleotide therapies for CHB and other serious chronic diseases." AusperBio is committed to delivering patient-centered innovations, aiming to alleviate the global health burden of CHB and transform treatment paradigms for this serious chronic disease. About AHB-137 AHB-137, a novel unconjugated antisense oligonucleotide ( ASO ) developed within AusperBio's proprietary Med-OligoTM ASO technology platform, was designed to treat chronic hepatitis B for a functional cure. Its compelling preclinical and Phase 1 clinical data were highlighted at the 2023 EASL conference and the 2024 EASL conference, respectively. Interim Phase 2a data was presented in a late-breaking oral session at the 2024 AASLD. This novel dual-mechanism ASO has completed its global Phase 1b trial and is now undergoing multiple Phase 2 trials in China . With its global development strategy, AHB-137 is advancing rapidly toward the goal of an HBV cure. About AusperBio. AusperBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with operations in the USA and China , dedicated to advancing oligonucleotide and targeted delivery technologies for transformative therapies, with an initial focus on curing chronic hepatitis B infection. The company has developed a proprietary Med-OligoTM ASO platform which has been shown to substantially enhance the current ASO therapeutics, through novel insights into ASO design. Combining with efficient targeted delivery conjugation technologies, the modular Med-OligoTM Platform empowers ASO therapeutics to treat a broad range of diseases, including viral infections, metabolic conditions, genetic disorders, and immune diseases. For further information, please contact: Media Contact Email: info@ausperbio.com Investor Relations Contact: Tel: 650-888-1756 (US) Email: growth@ausperbio.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ausperbio-secures-73-million-in-series-b-financing-to-advance-functional-cure-for-chronic-hepatitis-b-302339451.html SOURCE AusperBio Therapeutics Inc.
won’t be taking over from Cathie Wood at ARK Invest – you heard it here first. But there are some other things that are unlikely in 2025 that investors should pay attention to. While risk is inevitable, working out how to minimise it is key. And that involves working out where it would take something big for things to go wrong. “Diageo cuts dividend” ( ) is facing a dual threat of US tariffs and anti-obesity drugs. But I don’t see either of these causing the business to lower its dividend in 2025. With the tariff issue, I think it’s worth noting that a decent part of the company’s portfolio – including , , and is produced in the US. These would be unaffected by taxes on imports. On the subject of anti-obesity drugs, the majority of users are people who already tend to consume less alcohol anyway. So I’m sceptical of the idea that this is likely to have a significant impact on demand. The risks can’t be ignored entirely, but the discounted share price means I’m looking to buy the stock in 2025. And I think the chances of the dividend doing any thing but go up in 2025 are extremely remote. “Rightmove accepts takeover bid” Earlier this year, REA group made a bid to acquire ( ). The offer was rejected and I don’t think anyone is going to succeed with a similar proposal in 2025. There are two reasons for this. The first is the company is doing well by itself – it’s growing strongly and it has a strong balance sheet, meaning there’s nearly no pressure to sell. The second is the stock isn’t exactly cheap, at a of 27. I’m not buying it at today’s levels and I can’t see anyone paying significantly over this to acquire the firm outright. The next year will be an interesting one for Rightmove, with the possibility of increased competition from OnTheMarket a potential threat. But as far as the chance of a takeover goes, I don’t think so. “Interest rates return to Covid-19 levels” Interest rates going back to 0.1% would almost certainly cause a huge rally in stock prices. But unless there’s another emergency on the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic, I just don’t see it. Even in that situation, I think the Bank of England might be more cautious than it was last time. The resulting is proving resilient and the last measurement of 2024 revealed CPI rising to 2.6%. Rising costs are unwelcome, but higher interest rates might be no bad thing for investors. These should weigh on share prices, creating opportunities to earn higher returns over the long term. Of course, that depends on which stocks investors choose to buy. But companies that can pass on higher costs to customers could make for very attractive investments. I could be wrong... With investing, uncertainty is inevitable. Dividends are never guaranteed, strange takeovers happen, and exogenous shocks can cause all kinds of macroeconomic instability. I could be wrong, but I don’t see Diageo cutting its dividend, Rightmove being acquired, or interest rates going to zero. I think this is about as likely as Warren Buffett taking over a disruptive innovation fund.
Too early to celebrate – Arne Slot keeps leaders Liverpool focusedACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Ghana’s former leader John Dramani Mahama was declared the winner of the presidential election on Monday and pledged a “a life of limitless opportunity” for citizens after voters vented their anger over the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Previously president of the West African nation between 2012 and 2017, the 65-year-old Mahama received 56.5% of votes cast, or 6.3 million votes, the electoral commission said. His main opponent from the current governing party, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat on Sunday and got 41%, or 4.6 million votes. Electoral commissioner Jean Mensa said vote-counting continued in nine constituencies but would not change the final result. Turnout was just over 60%. Mahama had promised to “reset” the country on various fronts. His campaign prioritized the economy and largely appealed to young Ghanaians who saw the vote as a way out of the economic crisis . In his victory speech on Monday, Mahama said Ghana must be able to meet the basic needs of its people including affordable housing, health care, food, clean water, safe work and fair wages. “We want a Ghana that considers the well-being of all her citizens and affords them each the ability to live a life of dignity, a life of limitless opportunity,” he said. “This country, this land, is not for one person or for one family or for one tribe or ethnic group.” He said the last eight years under outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo have "left a scar on our national psyche, which may take some time to erase.” Mahama’s win is viewed as following the trend of elections around the world, favoring opposition parties against incumbents. Mahama’s National Democratic Congress also won the majority in parliament. After Bawumia conceded defeat, celebrations broke out among opposition supporters in the capital, Accra, and elsewhere. Women and young people danced to music and trumpet blasts. The election for both the president and members of parliament was seen as a litmus test for democracy in a region shaken by extremist violence and coups . West Africa’s regional bloc, ECOWAS, called the election generally peaceful, not unusual for Ghana. The governing New Patriotic Party has struggled to resolve the economic crisis under outgoing Akufo-Addo. The former president is “the only person” who can fix the ailing economy in Ghana, one of West Africa’s economic powerhouses, said Jude Agbemava, a policy analyst who voted for him. The people made their disaffection known against a government that has lost goodwill, said Seidu Alidu, head of the department of political science at Ghana’s University of Legon. The economy is “largely a bread and butter issue for every Ghanaian,” Alidu said. “When the people elect you, they require you to do certain things for them. But it was also about the style of governance (because) even in other countries facing economic challenges, governments were being honest with the people, telling them what the reality is, and the steps they have taken to manage it.”