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It’s looking more and more likely the Vikings will be without veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore for a second straight game. He hasn’t played since suffering a hamstring injury against the Arizona Cardinals a couple of weeks ago. ADVERTISEMENT Though he has an extra 24 hours to prepare this week with the Vikings set to host the Chicago Bears on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, the fact that Gilmore still hasn’t practiced in any capacity isn’t a good sign. After not participating in the walkthrough on Thursday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, Gilmore was listed as a non participant in practice on Friday afternoon. It would make sense for the Vikings to be cautious with Gilmore considering how important he’s been to the secondary this season. They want to make sure he’s back at 100 percent for the playoffs. In the absence of Gilmore, veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau has logged more playing time. There also has been more responsibility placed on fellow cornerbacks Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin, with safety Josh Metellus also mixing in at nickel. ADVERTISEMENT Jones at full strength It appears that edge rusher Pat Jones II is getting closer to making his return given that he was listed as a full participant in practice on Friday afternoon. He has been working through a knee injury and missed last Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Having Jones back would be a major boost for the Vikings on defense, as he has found a role as a situational pass rusher. He has a career high 7.0 sacks this season while showcasing the ability to apply pressure off the edge or up the middle. Bynum honored by NFLPA In response to his philanthropy near and far, safety Cam Bynum has been named the NFLPA Community MVP for Week 15. Not only has Bynum regularly used his platform in the NFL to help with natural disaster relief in the Philippines, he has continued to spread joy in and around the Twin Cities through charitable events hosted by his Bynum Faith Foundation. ADVERTISEMENT The NFLPA will donate $10,000 to his foundation or charity of choice. In turn, Bynum will take part in a special visit to a local school, children’s hospital, or community center. The recognition also makes Bynum eligible for the Alan Page Community Award, the NFLPA’s highest player honor, which includes an additional $100,000 donation to the winner’s charities. Briefly The rest of the injury report was good news for the Vikings as running back Aaron Jones (back), tight end Josh Oliver (wrist/ankle), and edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel (hip) were all listed as full participants. ADVERTISEMENT ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .IDT's income from operations +38% to $23.6 million; Adjusted EBITDA * +31% to a record $29.1 million GAAP EPS increased to $0.68 from $0.30; Non-GAAP EPS * increased to $0.71 from $0.32 NEWARK, NJ, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT), a global provider of fintech, cloud communications, and traditional communications solutions, today reported results for its first quarter fiscal year 2025, the three months ended October 31, 2024. FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS (Throughout this release, unless otherwise noted, results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 (1Q25) are compared to the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 (1Q24). All earnings per share (EPS) and other 'per share' results are per diluted share.) "Building on our momentum from fiscal 2024, IDT delivered strong financial results in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, including record levels of gross profit, gross profit margin and Adjusted EBITDA. Consolidated revenue has now increased sequentially for three consecutive quarters. NRS along with our Fintech segment powered by BOSS Money, and net2phone each achieved robust increases in revenue, gross profit, and Adjusted EBITDA. "At NRS, we are focused on providing solutions to address the needs of our independent retailer market while heavily investing to develop new products and services to broaden our addressable market. In Q1, we continued to achieve increased adoption rates on our payment processing offerings and SaaS feature plans. We look forward to continuing this momentum through the remainder of the fiscal year. "BOSS Money's Q1 results reflected our decision to enhance margins, particularly within our retail channel. As a result, BOSS Money's gross margin expanded significantly and transaction growth slowed somewhat. The enhanced margins boosted Fintech's Q1 income from operations by $4.6 million year-over-year, and in November, following the quarter close, transaction growth rebounded led by D2C. "net2phone increased seats served to over four hundred thousand, driving a 13% increase in subscription revenue, despite the negative FX impact to its Latin American operations from the strong US dollar. net2phone's financial discipline also contributed to healthy increases in income from operations and Adjusted EBITDA. "In the Traditional Communications segment, our ongoing efforts to streamline these business units and improve their economics continue to pay off. In Q1, the year over year revenue decrease was 4%, while income from operations increased by 2%." 1Q25 RESULTS BY SEGMENT National Retail Solutions (NRS) (Terminals and accounts at end of period. $ in millions, except for average revenue per terminal) NRS Take-Aways / Updates: (Transactions in millions. $ in millions except for average revenue per transaction) Fintech Take-Aways: (Seats in thousands at end of period. $ in millions) net2phone Take-Aways: ($ in millions )
Qatar’s duo of Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan delivered a stellar performance winning both their matches on the opening day of the Beach Pro Tour Finals 2024 at Aspire Zone on Wednesday. With two consecutive victories in Pool A, the former World No 1 pair now occupy the second spot in the Pool A, with two more matches remaining in the preliminary round. In their first match against the reigning world champions Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of Czech Republic, the Qatari duo fought back after dropping the first set 22-20 as they found their rhythm to claiming the next two sets 21-15 and 15-12. In their second match in front of the home fans, Younousse and Tijan overturning a first-set deficit to beat Italy’s four-time Olympian, Rio 2016 Games silver medallist Paolo Nicolai and his partner Samuele Cottafava 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 15-9). The Qatari pair will next take on Paris Olympic silver medallists Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler of Germany at 4pm on Thursday in their third pool match, before winding up the pool stage with another blockbuster clash against the world’s number four team and former chart leaders Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands at 8pm. The biggest Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour event of the year, the 2024 Doha finals sees a really stellar line up of 10 of the best teams in the world, and continues until Saturday, December 7. In the women’s Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft made a solid start to the Doha Finals, producing two straight-set victories on opening day and were the only women’s team to do so. Eighth-seeded Cannon and Kraft started their Pool A campaign with an emphatic 2-0 (21-16, 21-10) shutout of fourth-seeded Brazilians Agatha Bednarczuk and Rebecca Cavalcanti. Dominating both in attack and in serving, the two Americans contributed 18 points apiece to the victory. Cannon & Kraft were just as convincing in their second match, when they hammered out a 2-0 (21-18, 21-10) upset of top-seeded Latvians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova. Cannon added the block as one of the team’s big weapons in this match, raising five stuffs towards a 19-point match high. The other two Pool A matches were both pushed to tie-breaker resolutions. First, Tina and Anastasija opened their campaign with a 2-1 (19-21, 22-20, 15-11) comeback against 10th-seeded Italians Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth. Orsi Toth was on fire in attack with 21 points and from the serving line with five aces. Anastasija also spiked 21 points in offence while Tina produced six kill blocks towards their success, facilitated by abundant Italian errors. Agatha & Rebecca suffered a second defeat on Wednesday, this time at the hands of fifth-seeded Xue Chen & Xia Xinyi of China. Xue’s impenetrable block produced seven kill blocks and her serve delivered four aces, while Xia’s offensive effort achieved a match-high 25 points towards a 2-1 (18-21, 21-14, 15-12) comeback victory. Four different teams came up with one win each in Pool B on Wednesday, while young Spanish Olympians Daniela Alvarez & Tania Moreno conceded two defeats. After a 2-1 (21-16, 18-21, 15-9) battle, third-seeded Katja Stam & Raisa Schoon of the Netherlands got back at the Spaniards for the Paris Olympic eighth final defeat. Stam was the best scorer of the match with 22 points. At the same time on centre court, Paris 2024 silver medallists Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson of Canada, seeded ninth, squeezed out a narrow 2-1 (16-21, 21-13, 17-15) comeback against second-seeded Germans Svenja Muller & Cinja Tillmann. Later in the day, the German duo bounced back with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) win over seventh-seeded Alvarez & Moreno. In each of the two games, Muller produced a 25-point match high, including four blocks and two aces. Related Story QU launches 4th World Congress on Engineering and Technology Al Kuwari reelected president of Qatar Rugby and Hockey committee
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NCDIT Celebrated for Tech Innovation and Cybersecurity Efforts at NC TECH Gala in RaleighSIGMA LITHIUM'S PRODUCTION AT FULL CAPACITY; RECORD SHIPMENT OF 27,500T OF QUINTUPLE ZERO GREEN LITHIUM TO ABU DHABI's IRH TRADING COMPANY
Microsoft: Windows 11 requirement for a TPM 2.0 chip is "non-negotiable"A poster near the entrance of the men’s restroom at Delphos-Jefferson High School reminds students to adhere to the school’s cell phone policy, which prohibits the use of phones throughout the school day. DELPHOS — The problem of cell phones in school has perplexed Chad Brinkman since he became principal of Delphos-Jefferson High School eight years ago. Brinkman surveyed students when he took over the high school in 2016, hoping to craft a new policy to limit distractions caused by cell phone use in class with input from his students. He drafted a policy permitting students to check their phones between classes and at lunch, as well as special circumstances in the classroom with permission from a teacher, so students would learn to use their phones responsibly. Brinkman came to regret his approach several years later. Students hardly talked to one another at lunch, choosing instead to scroll through social media on their phones or send each other messages, Brinkman recalled. “It was unreal,” he said. “It was like watching robots in a room and they’re all on their cell phones. The only communication was when kids would get messages from each other.” Then a fight broke out after students shared another student’s nude photos, Brinkman said. Brinkman decided to ban phones throughout the school day — no more exceptions for lunch or passing periods. “(Students) may have thought they were being responsible at lunch,” Brinkman said, “but what they were doing is bringing all that drama into the classroom. They may not have had their cell phones, but they already started the drama. So now kids are talking about the drama from lunch and not what is being lectured.” ‘We don’t go into our jobs and lock our phones in pouches’ K-12 schools across Ohio are adopting policies to limit cell phone use during the school day to comply with a new law signed by Gov. Mike DeWine this year. The law requires schools to formalize their cell phone rules in writing by July, though it stops short of requiring them to ban phones throughout the school day. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce drafted a model policy urging schools to ban phones throughout the school day, with exceptions for students who need access to a cell phone as part of the individualized education plan or to monitor a health issue like epilepsy. A recent ODEW survey found only 41% of districts with a policy in place or in progress took this approach, while 45% of districts opted for less restrictive policies. Lima schools took the second approach: Phones are prohibited throughout the school day for elementary and middle school students, while students at Lima Senior High School are allowed to check their phones during lunch. “We need to start teaching (our students) to be responsible,” Superintendent Jill Ackerman said. “We don’t go into our jobs and lock our phones up in pouches.” The policy, adopted by the school board Monday, formalizes an approach Lima schools has unofficially practiced for years, though teachers now need permission from a principal if they intend to use cell phones for a lesson. Schools test magnetic pouches to keep phones away Administrators at Wapakoneta schools wanted a zero-tolerance policy toward cell phones, so the district purchased pouches this past summer for students to store their phones in during the school day. Each student is assigned his or her own pouch, which is locked with a special magnet made available to students as they enter and leave the building each day. The result: Fewer cell phone violations, fewer disciplinary incidents because of students bullying each other on social media and more time spent paying attention in class or talking to classmates, Superintendent Aaron Rex said. To ensure students are following the rules, principals make random classroom visits and ask to see the pouches, Rex said. Some kids resorted to using decoy phones to trick their teachers, Rex said, but students will often report their classmates for violating the rules. “They don’t want certain students to be allowed to use their phones,” Rex said. The magnetic pouches are gaining in popularity as schools search for more effective means to keep students off their phones. Perry schools started using pouches in August after previously permitting students at the high school to check their phones at lunch. Superintendent Kelly Schooler said students are predominantly cooperative. Students are ‘fine without their phone’ Brinkman tried a similar approach at Delphos-Jefferson years earlier when he purchased pouches for teachers to hang from their doors, though the pouches did not lock. Students got around it by pretending to leave their phones at home or claiming their parents gave them permission to keep their phone during class, he said. Brinkman then tried calling parents on second and third violations, but found parents didn’t want to be called each time their child got caught using their cell phone. He now relies on progressive discipline to enforce the high school’s zero-tolerance policy, with discipline escalating from warnings and confiscation to detention, Saturday school and parent meetings, but Brinkman does not use pouches or other devices to keep students off their phones. “They have all kinds of ways to get through anything,” Brinkman said. “The kids are creative.” The magnetic pouches at Wapakoneta schools initially prompted complaints from parents who worried they wouldn’t be able to reach their child during an emergency or that students may forget to unlock their phones on their way to the bus. Rex assured parents they can still email their child or call the main office if they need to get ahold of their child during the school day, and that the school buildings remain open until 8 p.m. in case students need to unlock their phones, he said. Rex said he doesn’t want students on their phones in the event of a shooting or emergency. The district employs school resource officers in each of its buildings for emergencies, he said, so students and teachers can focus on staying safe. “You have to get past the pushback of, ‘Why are you doing this,’” Rex said. “(Students) are going to be fine without their phone. They’re actually going to be better off without having their phones.” Districts where phones are banned throughout the school day: Allen East Bath (policy in progress) Delphos Elida Heir Force Minster Ottawa-Glandorf Pandora-Gilboa Perry Wapakoneta Districts where cell phones are permitted during certain times: Apollo Auglaize Educational Academy Community School (prep work underway) Columbus Grove Fort Recovery (prep work underway) Jennings Kalida Leipsic Lima New Knoxville Spencerville (prep work underway) No policy started: Bluffton Shawnee Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce school district policy survey
SINGER Dua Lipa looked sensational as she stripped off to just stockings and a fur coat in a series of sultry new snaps. The Illusion hitmaker sipped on a cocktail as she struck a variety of poses for the hot new pictures. The star wowed in just her black underwear and stocking to flash some flesh. Dua, 29, opted to keep wrapped up warm in a big black fur coat but made sure to keep it unbuttoned to show some skin. Uploading the snaps to Instagram, the star went for a clever festive caption as she said: "Baby it's cold outside." In another of the snaps, Dua appeared to have ventured outside as she posed atop a balcony in the barely-there ensemble. Recently, the Brit Award winner opened up about the struggles she has faced being a woman in the tough music industry. The star – who is dating actor Calum Turner - “You’re always met with some kind of pushback as a female artist. "If you’re not, like, with a guitar or with a piano, just like, ‘Oh, she can’t sing; oh, it’s all processed; oh, it’s this; oh, it’s whatever. “I just think there’s just, like, a stigma around pop music.” The New Rules singer recently released her first ever live album. The record was recorded at her one-off Royal Albert Hall gig in London last month - which recently screened on ITV. The special show saw Dua belt out her biggest hits, flanked by the 53-piece Heritage Orchestra, a 14-strong choir and her own seven-piece band.
Shares of SoundHound AI, Inc. SOUN are trading higher Friday following a series of favorable announcements highlighting the company's advancements in conversational AI technology. Here’s what you need to know. What To Know: On Thursday, the company's Amelia Conversational AI Platform was recognized as a leader in Frost & Sullivan's 2024 Frost Radar: Enterprise Conversational AI in Healthcare. The report identified SoundHound AI among 14 market leaders out of more than 100 vendors analyzed, citing its innovation and growth in transforming healthcare operations. The platform leverages advanced natural language processing and large language models to improve patient engagement and streamline administrative workflows, including appointment scheduling and IT support. “SoundHound’s Conversational AI Platform stands out for its exceptional performance on both innovation and growth indices is driven by its strong innovation pipeline and an intelligent focus on administrative and operational processes for healthcare organizations, “ said Nitin Manocha , Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. The Frost & Sullivan report also projected that the enterprise conversational AI market in healthcare would reach $2.34 billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual rate of 17.2%. Analysts noted that SoundHound's acquisition of Amelia positions the company among the largest publicly traded conversational AI firms, with opportunities to expand use cases and deliver value in healthcare. “With SoundHound’s recent acquisition of Amelia, the company now ranks among the largest publicly traded conversational AI companies. By integrating SoundHound’s advanced voice AI capabilities with Amelia’s enterprise platform, the company has a tremendous opportunity to unlock more complex use cases and drive real value in the healthcare sector,” added Manocha. Additionally, SoundHound announced a partnership with Church's Texas Chicken to implement a voice AI-powered drive-thru ordering solution. The initiative aims to streamline operations, reduce wait times, and enhance staff efficiency. “Integrating our technology into Church’s Texas Chicken restaurants marks a significant milestone in drive-thru innovation,” said James Hom , Chief Product Officer at SoundHound AI. SOUN Price Action: SoundHound shares were up 24.8% at $17.05 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: Teamsters Authorize Strike At Amazon’s New York Warehouses: ‘Get Ready For A Fight’ Image Via Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
DELAND, Fla. (AP) — Jayden Brewer had 20 points in Florida International's 81-72 victory against Stetson on Saturday night. Brewer had five rebounds for the Panthers (4-6). Asim Jones scored 12 points while shooting 2 of 5 from the field and 8 for 10 from the line. Vianney Salatchoum shot 5 of 8 from the field and 1 for 3 from the line to finish with 11 points, while adding six rebounds. Jordan Wood led the Hatters (1-9) in scoring, finishing with 25 points and three blocks. Josh Massey added 13 points and six rebounds for Stetson. Mehki had 13 points and two steals. The loss is the ninth straight for the Hatters. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
We told how the LibDem leader said his party will vote against the Budget if it includes even a “penny” promoting Scottish independence . Speaking on the BBC Scotland’s Sunday Show, Cole-Hamilton (below), said: “I don’t see a circumstance where any Liberal Democrat could vote for a Budget that is clearly spending money on the constitution. “I think that would be a massive misuse of public funds no matter how small. We need every penny available spent on our schools, on our GP surgeries, on the mental health crisis.” He added: "The SNP will have to go a long way to persuade us, that whilst they might delete things like any independence spending from their budget that they won’t just go back to their old ways of spending any political oxygen on the constitution.” READ MORE: Labour’s plans to slash benefits will leave disabled Scots ‘financially worse off’ The SNP’s deputy leader, Keith Brown MSP, told The National that Cole-Hamilton's comments were “anti-democratic”. “People in Scotland voted for a majority pro-independence Parliament in 2021, and that vote must be respected by all parties,” Brown (below) said. “For Alex Cole-Hamilton to state that any spending on independence would be a misuse of public funds, when the public voted for a pro-independence Parliament in 2021, is anti-democratic.” He continued: “Regardless of what the other parties choose to do, the SNP will always make the case for Scotland to become an independent country.” READ MORE: Labour pledge to cut 'bulging benefits bill' to 'get Britain working' It comes as the SNP is in discussions with other parties in an attempt to gain support for the Budget, which will be delivered in Holyrood on December 3. Because the SNP is now a minority government following the end of the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government needs the support of at least one opposition party in order to successfully pass the Budget. While the LibDems have said they will not support a Budget that includes spending on independence, the Scottish Greens have said they will only support it if there are no cuts to independence spending. The Scottish Government has previously said they are engaging in negotiations with all parties.Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time