The Chinese communist regime has replaced its political commissar for its ground forces amid a purge in the country’s defense sector that has raised questions about the military’s modernization efforts. Gen. Chen Hui has been appointed as the political commissar of the Army of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to a statement released by China’s defense ministry on Dec. 23. In the hierarchical structure of the PLA, an army force controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the political commissar is responsible for ensuring political loyalty among service members and overseeing personnel issue. Chen succeeds Gen. Qin Shutong, who had held this position since at least January 2022. As of the time of publication, no official explanation has been provided regarding Qin’s removal, leaving his current role and whereabouts shrouded in mystery. Qin, 61, was absent from the Dec. 23 ceremony where Chen was promoted to the rank of general, according to footage aired by China Central Television (CCTV). Defying customary practice, also missing from the event was the commander of the PLA’s ground forces, Gen. Li Qiaoming, fueling speculation among outside observers amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign. For example, as the authorities look into corruption in a particular sector in the defense industry, it “can have the effect of slowing them down as they try to conduct thorough investigations and try to understand the depth and the extent of corruption in a particular case,” the official said. Nonetheless, Beijing is unlikely to scale back its anti-graft campaign, the officials said, as Xi has made such a drive a “hallmark of his tenure.” Ely Ratner, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, has cautioned that the anti-corruption campaign could lead to “paralysis” within lower levels of the military who may fear attracting scrutiny.
The woman, a young mother trying to make ends meet, had been enticed by the prospect of earning extra money while taking care of her child. The scam started innocently enough - she was asked to purchase products from a certain online platform and then write glowing reviews in exchange for substantial cashback rewards. Over time, the scammers gradually increased the amount of money she needed to invest in order to receive the promised rebates.For central banks, reintroducing "moderate easing" could involve a combination of rate cuts, asset purchases, and forward guidance to signal a dovish stance. The goal would be to provide additional support to the economy without resorting to extreme measures. By keeping interest rates low and providing liquidity to the financial system, central banks can help sustain economic activity and prevent deflationary pressures from taking hold.
In conclusion, the symposium for non-party individuals on economic work was a valuable opportunity for sharing ideas, fostering cooperation, and strengthening consensus. It exemplified the Party's commitment to listening to the voices of all sectors of society and working together towards a brighter future for China's economy.
Italian Media: Napoli Can Spend €5 Million to Buy Out Inter Milan Forward Esposito in the Summer Transfer WindowSMART HOMES – Festive Cheer
Xuanzuo Xiang and Xiaohua Zhao's cooking skills were on full display as they effortlessly chopped, sautéed, and plated their dishes with precision and finesse. Their synchronized movements and seamless coordination highlighted their deep connection and shared passion for food, delighting viewers with each step of the cooking process.The new Michelin ratings totally miss the mark — and some of NYC’s best restaurants
Moving forward, the game developers have vowed to continue monitoring for cheating behavior and implementing additional measures to prevent and deter such activities. Players are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior they encounter in the game and to play with integrity and sportsmanship.As Xiang Zuo drove off into the bustling streets of Beijing, the memory of his visit to Xiao Hua Hair Salon lingered in the air, leaving a lasting impression on all who were lucky enough to witness the scene. The salon buzzed with excitement long after the actor's departure, with clients and staff alike sharing stories of the day Xiang Zuo graced their establishment with his presence.
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain retained a six-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 after a labored 3-0 home win over Toulouse on Friday. The defending champion dominated the first half but it took until the 35th minute to open the scoring. Young Portuguese midfielder João Neves spun to meet a cross from the right and struck a superb half volley from just outside the box. Lucas Beraldo got a second with six minutes remaining when he pounced on loose ball and fired home. Vitinha made it 3-0 in stoppage time when he showed fine footwork inside the box to finish off a quick counterattack. The scoreline was harsh on Toulouse, which came into the game in a more even second half. Only Vitinha’s last-gasp tackle stopped Zakaria Aboukhlal from equalizing after 69 minutes and then Shavy Babicka blazed over from close range a minute later when he should have hit the target. The win was a confidence boost for Luis Enrique’s side ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League encounter at Bayern Munich. PSG lies in 25th place in the 36-team Champions League table with one win in four matches and outside the playoff spots. The win came immediately after second-placed Monaco beaten Brest 3-2 to briefly close the gap at the top to three points. Brest, which faces Barcelona next week in the Champions League, turned in another inconsistent French league performance and not the sparkling form it has shown in Europe. Brest has struggled in Ligue 1, where it remains 12th, but shone with three wins from four in its first ever Champions League campaign. It was behind after just five minutes on Friday when Maghnes Akliouche scored with a superb airborne volley, and 2-0 down after 24 minutes thanks to Aleksandr Golovin. The Russian striker seized on a poor pass just outside the Brest penalty area and his low shot was perfectly placed to sneak in off the post and give him his first goal in nine league appearances. On-loan Brighton striker Abdallah Sima used his 1.88-meter frame to outjump the Monaco defense four minutes into the second half and cut the deficit but Akliouche restored Monaco’s two-goal cushion when he brilliantly finished a quick counterattack in stoppage time. Ludovic Ajorque got a second for Brest in the sixth minute of added time but it was not enough in a second half most notable for the red card shown to Brest coach Éric Roy. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Over the holiday season, we're republishing some of the best articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors as part of our Best of 2024 series. Enjoy! While the Super Mario series can get quite weird with its lore, world design, and general concepts, nothing comes close to the sheer absurdity of the WarioWare franchise. How many games out there let you pick someone's nose, perform dental work, and have a back-scratching competition with Mario? While on paper these activities may sound like the last things you'd want to spend your coveted game time on, they're executed masterfully and delightful to play. For decades, we've been puzzled as to how the folks over at Intelligent Systems and Nintendo come up with the microgames that make up the WarioWare series. Where do these ideas come from? How many are left on the drawing board? Where does one even begin to develop so many different micro projects? To get some answers, we recently had the chance to chat with Goro Abe , who was not only the Chief Director on the latest game WarioWare: Move It! , but has been with the series almost exclusively as a programmer, designer, and director since the very beginning. Nintendo Life: WarioWare microgames are always so wild, wacky, and vastly different from the next. How does the team begin creating and conceptualizing these microgames? Goro Abe: We start by collecting ideas for microgames from employees across the company, all hailing from different roles and responsibilities. We had decided on the types of Forms (to a certain extent) at the beginning [of WarioWare: Move It!], but that was the only restriction we applied. Otherwise, we let people's imaginations run wild. I pick the best ideas, allowing for a variety of themes and play styles. WarioWare: Move It! has 223 types of microgames including the boss games, but at the initial idea stage, we collected over 1,000 ideas. Can you walk us through the process of a microgame from start to finish? We imagine the playtesting phase alone must be quite interesting! GA: Once we have the rough ideas for the games, the planner and director solidify the specifics. After that, an artist and programmer will be assigned to each microgame, and that pair create the gameplay. In general, we let the artist decide on the aesthetics of their game. Once the game is complete, we monitor people as they play it for the first time. If the rules are confusing, or if their input couldn't be detected from how the game was played, we think about how those issues could be resolved and make adjustments, then repeat the improvement process. In total, a team of around 80 people is involved in microgame production, with a different combination of team members working on each microgame. That's how we end up with such a rich variety of microgames. To you and the team, what are the core principles of a WarioWare microgame? GA: First of all, microgame controls and rules must be intuitive, where any player can instantly grasp how they work. For example, the balance we aim for is for players to be able to beat a game on the second or third try, even if they didn't get it at first. We also strive to make the themes behind each microgame unique and relatable to as wide a range of ages and backgrounds possible. In WarioWare: Smooth Moves on the Wii and now in WarioWare: Move It!, we also placed great importance on making sure the motion controls feel intuitive to the actual movements and that they look fun to the audience. With the latest entry in the series being a sort of spiritual successor to Smooth Moves on the Wii, are there any microgames that were left on the drawing board back then, but were now made possible with Switch hardware? GA: For each game in the series, we think of all new ideas for microgames, so there aren't any ideas that came over from Smooth Moves. However, thinking back on it, the Wii Remote (the controller used for Smooth Moves) only had an accelerometer, but the Switch Joy-Con has a gyroscope built in, which lets us detect more subtle movements. You could say that the additional sensor has allowed us to create even more creative microgames, like ones where we detect the player's leg and butt movements in the Squat Form. Also, Smooth Moves was designed to only use a single Wii Remote, whereas in Move It!, we made it so that a pair of Joy-Con controllers can be used, which helped us discover a new way to play: two-player cooperative microgames.
As 2024 winds down, the drivers of telecoms sector have highlighted key issues and challenges that shaped the sector, while raising hopes for better service quality in 2025, writes Emma Okonji With a deep retrospect into the activities of the telecoms sector in 2024, telecoms operators came to a conclusion that the sector was fraught with challenges that slowed down development in the sector in 2024, a situation, which they said, compelled them to subsidise telecoms service offerings for data and voice calls below cost price that was not sustainable. Despite the challenges, telecoms operators contributed immensely to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, job creation, investments, connectivity, quality of service, broadband and internet penetration in 2024. GDP Growth Relying on the figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for GDP growth, telecoms operators are of the view that the sector contributed immensely to GDP growth in 2024. According to NBS figures, telecoms contribution to GDP in 2024 stood at 16 per cent, which is quite significant from the scheme of things. Pleased with the contribution of telecoms to Nigeria’s GDP, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), who doubles as the spokesperson for telecoms operators in Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the sector contributed immensely to GDP growth adding that there was increased growth of about three per cent in every quarter of 2024. According to Adebayo, “If you look at the statistics, the telecoms sector had the most-steady contribution to GDP as a sector. I think our contribution has been steady and has been consistent in the past years, in particular between 2023 and 2024. I think the contribution has been steady and that also in no small way, helped in stimulating the economy. Remember that we provide the infrastructure that drives other infrastructure. So in that regard, we can say that we have contributed immensely as a sector to Nigeria’s GDP, and the contribution of other sectors to the economy is powered by the telecoms sector.” Job Creation According to Adebayo, the telecoms industry has done more in terms of indirect employment because a lot of the non-core services in the telecoms sector, has gone into outsourcing, and so the impact of employment creation by outsourced companies supporting telecoms providers and by other sectors, depended on telecoms. He explained that the sector has helped small businesses to grow and that the small businesses have in turn, created employment for several Nigerians. “I would say we’ve had more jobs created outside of our sector, relying on the services provided by our sector. So the growth of Fintech, for example, is linked to the existence of the telecoms sector. So if Fintech employs X number of people in a year or in the intervening year, that wouldn’t have been possible if you don’t have the telecoms infrastructure behind it. Also, the eCommerce sector that has also employed several people, relied greatly on telecoms infrastructure in 2024,” Adebayo said. Telecoms Investment According to Adebayo, in the year 2024, there was not much investment in the telecoms sector, even though some telecoms operators had major investments that impacted the Nigerian economy in 2024. He said the Licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), did a lot, both in terms of the expansion of the fiber backbone, including Data Center operators. “InfraCos did a lot in investment and Data Centers did a lot in investment in 2024, and such investments will boost development in 2025,” Adebayo further said. Connectivity While reviewing telecoms activities in the area of connectivity, Adebayo said connectivity improved in the year 2024, even though there were pockets of challenges that affected quality of service, such as vandalisation of telecoms infrastructure, denial of access to maintain telecoms sites by social miscreants, among others. Regulation Adebayo said telecoms regulation in 2024 was quite commendable. “I must appreciate the leadership of the industry. I must thank those who led the sector in terms of regulation and policy implementation in 2024. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) did very well in regulating the telecoms sector in 2024 and the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, also did well in his business-friendly policies and implementation that helped the growth of the sector in 2024. The policy on SIM card linkage with the National Identification Number (NIN) of telecoms’ subscribers, was concluded this year, after several years of implementation. “As for the NCC, the interoperability between the various players is decided by the regulator. The rules of engagement are decided by the regulator, and the do’s and the don’ts are also decided by the regulator. Again, the fact that there was no significant infraction or significant penalty on any player, was because the regulator was transparent and the operators also complied with the laid down policies,” Adebayo said. Challenges According to Adebayo, the telecoms sector faced several challenges in 2024, that slowed down development in the sector. He said vandalisation of telecoms infrastructure led to significant revenue losses by operators, both in terms of connectivity and in terms of high cost of operations. “There were severe damages on telecoms’ infrastructure, caused by road contractors, which affected connectivity and quality of service in 2024, coupled with theft of diesel and power stations on sites. But I am glad about the passage of the Critical National Information and Infrastructure (CNII) Bill that seeks to protect telecoms infrastructure going forward,” Adebayo said. The biggest challenges we had in 2024 were more about vandalisation, denial of access to site by social miscreants, including site closure by government agencies, and of course, the issue of non-sustainability of telecoms tariff, Adebayo said, adding that telecoms tariff in 2024, was far below cost. “So I can say that 2024 was actually a year of subsidy where operators subsidised their services for everybody. We provided subsidised services and that is not commendable because it is not sustainable,” Adebayo said. Restoration of Damaged Subsea Cable This year, precisely March 14, 13 African countries faced internet disruptions, which led to operational downtime for all businesses connected to the internet, including banks, where bank customers could not carry out banking transactions for hours. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), as well as broadband connectivity providers were completely disconnected from the internet and from the broadband connections, as they could not provide connectivity access to their customers in banks, schools, churches, mosques, business centres, call centres as well as to organisations in different sectors of the economy. The disruption was caused by multiple cuts in the submarine cable around the coast line of Senegal and Cote d’ Ivoire. The affected 13 countries include: Cote d’ Ivoire, Liberia, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cameroon, Gabon, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Lesotho, and parts of South Africa. Speaking about the restoration process, the CEO, West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), Mr. Chris Wood, told THISDAY that 35 networks across West African countries, Nigeria inclusive, were restored to full capacity resilience, few after the cut. adding that it will take another four weeks to fully restore internet services to all network operators that are connected to the affected four submarine cables that came from Europe, with landing points along the West African coast. According to him, it cost a total of about $2 million to achieve full restoration to a single subsea cable, depending on the extent of the cut on the cable. This brings it to a total of about $8 million to fix the affected four submarine cables that were affected by the cut. Nigeria’s .ng Domain The total figure for the registration, renewal and restoration of Nigeria’s .ng domain name dropped slightly in July this year to 226,454, after a major leap in the months of May and June this year, which recorded 223,891 and 226,702 respectively. The statistics was released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD). According to the statistics, the total .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, reached 223,891 in May 2024, and further increased to 226,702 in June 2024, before sliding slightly 226,454 in July 2024. THISDAY had last month, reported an initial steady growth of Nigeria’s .ng domain name, which grew from 212,890 in December 2023 to reach 215,496 in January 2024, before increasing again to 217,527 in February 2024, with a further increase to 220,216 in March 2024, and another increase to 222,820 and 223,891 in April and May 2024 respectively, before reaching 226,702 in June 2024. Although the summation of .ng domain name includes registration, renewal and restoration, but the latest statistics on Nigeria’s .ng domain name as released by NiRA, showed that registration alone reached 8,066 in May 2024, and it increased 8,164 in June 2024, with a further increase to 8,607 in July 2024. The .ng domain name renewal alone was 5,545 in May 2024, and it decreased to 5,028 in June 2024, before increasing to 5,743 in July 2024, while the .ng domain name restoration alone was 140 in May 2024 and it increased further to 142 in June 2024, with a further increase to 209 in July 2024. The ccTLD .ng domain name is Nigeria’s identity in cyberspace, which has the .ng at the suffix of every official email address that originates from Nigeria. In the United Kingdom, official email addresses end with . co.uk . In United States of America, they end with .com, while in South Africa, the official email addresses end with . co.za . WATRA’s Regulatory Framework In response to the growing challenges posed by the introduction of Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbits (NGSO) services across West Africa, the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), which Nigeria belongs to, has developed a comprehensive framework aimed at regulating the advanced satellite systems. During the 21st Annual General Meeting, which held recently in Freetown, Sierra Leone, WATRA resolved to establish an Ad hoc Technical Working Group tasked with developing recommendations to address the regulatory gaps surrounding NGSO services. NGSO satellites, which offer significant advancements in connectivity and data transmission, have created both opportunities and challenges for WATRA Member States. While some countries have successfully licensed these services, others are dealing with unauthorised NGSO operations that pose security risks, threaten national investments, and destabilise local telecommunications markets. Recognising the concerns, the newly formed Ad hoc Technical Working Group has proposed a detailed framework designed to guide member states in effectively regulating NGSO services. The Executive Secretary of WATRA, Aliyu Aboki, highlighted the importance of the recommendations in ensuring a stable and secure telecommunications sector. “The introduction of NGSO services has brought new technological capabilities to the region, but it has also introduced complex regulatory issues that cannot be ignored. This framework is a necessary step to protect the investments of our Member States, ensure national security, and maintain a fair and competitive market,” Aboki said. Support for Indigenous Tech Companies The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, during the year, promised government support for indigenous technology companies, through collaboration. The minister said this in Lagos, during his visit to Imose Technologies smartphone/tablet factory and the Teesas Learning Centre, one of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Applied Learning Clusters (ALC). Pleased with his on-the-spot assessment of the factory and learning centre, Tijani said the assessment of Imose Technologies factory, would enable the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to understand how best it could support indigenous companies to scale. “We do need companies, businesses that can actually truly build solutions for our people. In the digital economy space, we can’t achieve our objectives without local companies. Even as we start to invest in fiber optic network to ensure we can reach all of our people, it’s going to be useless if people don’t have the devices, such as the phone, the tablets, the laptops to be able to access internet and use it for meaningful purposes. So that’s why we need indigenous companies like Imose Technologies and many more out there to understand their pain points and how we can support them so that they can start to truly fully manufacture devices in Nigeria. And that way it can become affordable and our people can have access,” Tijani said.However, legal experts have raised concerns over the blogger's claims, pointing out that impersonating a fictional character and creating false narratives could potentially infringe on intellectual property rights and mislead the public. In response to the growing controversy, a prominent lawyer has stated that such actions may constitute a violation of the law and could lead to legal consequences for the blogger.
Victory Capital Management Inc. Acquires 1,789 Shares of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ:MORN)
CleanSpark, Inc. Announces Proposed Private Offering of $550 Million of Convertible NotesFurthermore, the seamless integration of HarmonyOS with Huawei's extensive range of smart devices has further boosted the ecosystem's growth in Fujian. Users can now enjoy a seamless and intuitive user experience across their Huawei devices, thanks to the deep integration of HarmonyOS with features such as Huawei Share, Multi-Screen Collaboration, and HiLink smart home connectivity. This interoperability and synergy between devices have made HarmonyOS a preferred choice for tech-savvy consumers in Fujian and beyond.
Hope Adebayo, Tak Tateoka help St. Thomas-Minnesota end season with 32-9 victory over DaytonNone