This Sunday, Raymond James Stadium will welcome back the Bucs from a road trip as the team seeks its first win at home since Week 4 over the Philadelphia Eagles. After getting off to a 3-1 start this season, with two of those wins coming over the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles — the top two seeds in the NFC — Tampa suffered a slew of injuries to key playmakers and had to alter its identity offensively. Since returning from the bye week, though, the team is on a 2-0 winning streak and will have a chance to reclaim the top spot in the NFC South if they win versus the Las Vegas Raiders and the Atlanta Falcons lose. Which Bucs Are Injured? Yesterday, Bucs ’ star rookie Bucky Irving shared that he was feeling good despite sustaining a hip injury against the Carolina Panthers, which was good news for the team considering that he exited last week’s game earlier. Today, though, wide receiver Trey Palmer popped up on the injury report due to his own hip injury. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen said that although his offense has lacked many deep completions, he would welcome them despite adding the caveat that he won’t force them into the offense. Palmer has some of the best deep speed on the Bucs’ roster, so if he’s unable to go, that will likely lower the chances of a deep completion this week for an offense where they’ve already been few and far between. With that, here is the Bucs injury report after Thursday: WR Mike Evans — hamstring/calf — did not participate LB K.J. Britt — ankle — did not participate S Mike Edwards — hamstring — did not participate DL Greg Gaines — ankle — full participant DL William Gholston — knee — full participant CB Troy Hill — foot/knee — did not participate RB Bucky Irving — hip/back — did not participate QB Baker Mayfield — achilles/knee — full participant OLB Anthony Nelson — shoulder — limited participant S Tykee Smith — knee — limited participant OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka — ankle — limited participant OLB Markees Watts — knee — full participant LT Tristan Wirfs — foot/knee — did not participate WR Trey Palmer — hip — limited participant Raiders Injury Report Here is the Las Vegas Raiders injury report after Thursday: CB Nate Hobbs — ankle — did not participate RB Alexander Mattison — ankle — limited participant RB Zamir White — quadricep — did not participate G Jordan Meredith — shoulder — full participant TE Justin Shorter — back — did not participate WR Jakobi Meyers — ankle — did not participate QB Aidan O’Connell — illness — did not participate RB Ameer Abdullah — foot — did not participate This article first appeared on Pewter Report and was syndicated with permission.
Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record
What do many kids like most about the coming of a new year? The fireworks. Investors don't mind seeing some fireworks in their portfolios with a new year starting, either. Three Motley Fool contributors think they have found stocks that could provide a big bang for growth investors . Here's why they believe Novo Nordisk ( NVO -0.32% ) , Summit Therapeutics ( SMMT -5.55% ) , and Viking Therapeutics ( VKTX -3.56% ) could be monster winners for 2025. Novo Nordisk could be due for a big comeback in 2025 David Jagielski (Novo Nordisk): It's been a tough 2024 for drugmaker Novo Nordisk. Entering this week, its shares were down 14% as the company behind the popular diabetes drug Ozempic has been generating good growth, but that hasn't been enough to win over investors. To make things worse, the company recently unveiled results from a trial involving weight loss treatment CagriSema. In a late-stage trial, the drug helped participants lose an average of 22.7% of their weight, versus the 25% that was expected. The stock fell by around 20% on the news in what looked to be a gross overreaction about what may still be the top weight loss drug in the future. The company already has an approved weight loss treatment in Wegovy, which shares the same active ingredient (semaglutide) with Ozempic. CagriSema's trial results were by no means awful, but the market has already responded in a big (negative) way. The sell-off in the stock has pushed it near its 52-week low, and it's now trading at 22 times next year's estimated future earnings (based on analyst estimates). Given its low valuation and the seeming overreaction in the markets to the recent trial results, this is a stock that could generate monster gains next year as a rebound could be in the cards. Novo Nordisk has been investing in additional manufacturing capacity to help meet the surging demand for its weight loss and diabetes treatments, and its results have been great in recent quarters. The business has been growing its operating profit by 21% through the first nine months of this year. And with a lot more growth still ahead for the business, investors should be careful not to overlook Novo Nordisk -- the healthcare stock could have plenty of upside next year. A potential blockbuster on the way Keith Speights (Summit Therapeutics): 2024 has been a fantastic year for Summit Therapeutics, with its stock delivering an explosive 7x gain. I think the new year will bring more good fortune for this up-and-coming drugmaker. Summit expects to announce top-line results in mid-2025 from a phase 3 study evaluating ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy as a second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already granted Fast Track Designation to the therapy for this indication. This means the approval process could be expedited and guarantees the FDA will work closely with Summit on advancing ivonescimab. To be sure, there's a degree of risk associated with any clinical trial. However, Summit's chances of success with this late-stage study appear to be great. Why? The company's partner, Chinese pharmaceutical company Akeso , reported spectacular results from its phase 3 study of ivonescimab earlier this year as a first-line treatment for NSCLC. Patients receiving the drug experienced significantly increased progression-free survival rates than patients receiving Merck 's Keytruda immunotherapy. It's important to note that Keytruda ranked as the world's top-selling drug last year with sales of $25 billion. With ivonescimab outperforming Keytruda in Akeso's late-stage study, I predict Summit will have a blockbuster drug on its hands in the not-too-distant future. And Summit won't be content with the second-line NSCLC indication. The company is evaluating ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy in a late-stage study as a first-line NSCLC therapy. It also plans to initiate another phase 3 study of the drug as a monotherapy in the first-line NSCLC setting. Lightning can strike the same place twice Prosper Junior Bakiny (Viking Therapeutics): Can a stock deliver monster returns two years in a row? Under the right conditions, the answer is yes. Consider Viking Therapeutics, a mid-cap biotech that soared this year following excellent phase 2 results for its investigational weight loss medicine, VK2735. The company should make progress on this program next year, when it will probably start a phase 3 study. It is also working on an investigational medicine for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, which should also enter pivotal trials in 2025. Viking has more promising early-stage candidates, and progress from those could be what jolts the stock price. Its oral formulation of VK2735 is a good example. Billion-dollar weight loss medicines like Zepbound and Wegovy are administered via injection. An oral formulation would be a welcome sight for many patients. Although several drugmakers are working on this project , Viking has more upside potential than the large leading pharmaceutical companies, while smaller ones haven't shown the kinds of results it has so far. And the company is still working on promising anti-obesity programs. It recently reported encouraging pre-clinical results from a brand-new clinical compound. Viking is looking to establish itself as a leader in this therapeutic area, which happens to be the hottest and one of the fastest-growing in the industry. It has shown more promise in the field than most other companies, even those with far more resources than it has. So, Viking Therapeutics' shares could once again soar next year and deliver strong performance in the next half-decade.
Rapidly evolving are perhaps the two most apt words to describe cell phone technology. This tool didn't exist until the 1970s, and since then, it has transformed the entire concept of communication. The first cellular call celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023 , and the cell phone has since become so much more than a mobile calling tool. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the first phone of this kind, admitted that the cell phone initially entered the world as a workplace streamlining tool for real estate agents. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune ahead of that historic date in April of last year, "Real estate agents do two things – show homes, or answer the phone when somebody wants to buy a home." With a cell phone, agents could effectively double their productivity, leading to more business and significant pay increases. Today, this cellular tool is something that nearly all Americans own (98%, with 91% of owners using smartphones). Moreover, roughly 12% of consumers upgrade their phone every year, while about 55% replace their device every two to three years, according to a 2022 survey we conducted . Phone technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, integrating more seamlessly with a growing number of other gadgets in our lives. The future of phone usage not only aims to reengineer the way consumers interact with one another but also promises to revolutionize how we perform everyday tasks. These emerging technologies stand ready to propel us once again into uncharted territory, improving (or even unlocking) untold aspects of modern living. 5G is the newest iteration of the mobile coverage landscape that powers mobile phones. It's a global wireless communication standard that improves upon previous generations of mobile connectivity (3G, for instance). Qualcomm , a key player in the development of 5G technology , calls it "a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together, including machines, objects, and devices." While the shift to 5G is about speed — like downloading an HD video file in seconds — it also enables much more. Phones are more capable than ever, largely due to the communicative capabilities unlocked by these new coverage standards. Tools like video calling were once utterly incompatible with even state-of-the-art phones. Today, 5G speeds and capabilities make things like remote surgical procedures a real possibility. The same is true for ramped-up communication with cloud-based storage tools. With 5G speeds, users can work from resources saved on the cloud with upload and download speeds that make it seem like they're tapping into locally saved resources. With that said, industry players are already talking about another great leap forward with the advent of 6G capabilities . 5G is zippy and features lower latency than its predecessors, enabling increased functionality within the world of augmented reality tools. But 6G looks poised to improve on radio spectrum utilization, speed again (naturally), and the connective endpoint load that has already made 5G an upgrade supercharging the Internet of Things ( a framework that is already shaping smart cities across the globe). The utility of AI tools is only just beginning to come into focus. Text-based applications and image-generation features are making headlines, but AI can do so much more. One area where AI is already making inroads in the mobile phone landscape is within the camera settings. AI integrations help avid photographers organize their collection of images and perform seamless edits that magnify the subject or remove unwanted background fluff. AI integrations are also prominently displayed in the phones themselves. No need to download any apps to take advantage of AI's sophisticated capabilities — it's likely already on your smartphone if you've recently bought a new one! Samsung, for one, is already performing operations like generative edits and AI drawing. The newest Samsung phones also feature Enhance-X to massively improve the image quality of standard pictures snapped on your device and Life Effect to introduce animations and enhancements to photos. These tools will only continue to improve, bringing significant changes to the photography tasks that any cell phone performs on a regular basis. Graphene has been touted as a super-material of the future. It's light, flexible, and impossibly thin (condensed to a single atom in thickness). Graphene is also a versatile, conductive product — potentially the best heat and electricity conductor humanity has ever discovered — and can operate as both an outer build material and a basis for crafting microprocessors and other internal components. It's already being used in earphones, impact-resistant helmets, and even airplane parts. As a feature in future smartphones, graphene could play numerous roles. Its strength could lead to a significant improvement in drop protection. Rather than relying on plastic and aluminum components, devices made with graphene would rival or surpass the lightness of these materials while taking strength to a new level. Moreover, the material's thinness could enable the development of even smaller phones. Both internal components and outer shells might one day benefit from further form factor minimization. This carbon structure may also play a role in battery development, as early graphene-infused batteries showcase the potential for an energy density that dwarfs conventional lithium-ion technology. It has even been proposed as a tool to layer transparent solar collection sheets on top of a phone's screen, allowing the device to effectively recharge itself while in use out and about! The concept of a "phone" has always revolved around its original form factor. Initially resembling a huge walkie-talkie, subsequent designs from nearly every major manufacturer have followed this layout. The tools have a screen of some kind in the center (or covering the entire face, as is common today), along with buttons near the bottom, a speaker at the top, and a microphone near the bottom. This creates a rectangular shape that mimics the basic layout of a wired phone handset, with added components for making calls integrated into the midsection of the device. Flip phones and fad-crazed designs like the Sidekick brought new angles to the form factor, but no phone has really challenged the essential DNA of what it means to be a "phone." It's something you instantly recognize, no matter the unique specific design choices a manufacturer incorporates. But this won't likely remain the case heading into the future. With the ability to introduce increasingly smaller chips and hardware into these tools, tertiary devices like a smartwatch can take on a considerable amount of the communicative work a phone does for its user. Other form factors like lapel pins, clips, and broaches, and additional wearables like smart glasses are making inroads, too. Glasses are a particularly interesting development. While not entirely new (think: Google Glass, yikes! ), the most recent entrants significantly expand on what was once thought possible with the help of improved AR functionality and AI integrations. The improvements AI stands to bring to the smartphone landscape don't stop at fun additions to the device. AI has already made its way into the world of assistance by bringing users information they might be looking for, among other capabilities. This assistive capacity will become stronger with the help of AI language tools. Considering its prowess for compiling huge reserves of information and then spitting it back out on demand, it shouldn't come as a surprise that AI will eventually be a major factor in translation services. Its ability to process enormous volumes of data allows it to digest grammatical and vocabulary corpora, alongside all manner of dialect-specific media and slang usage. The end result will be a powerful AI system capable of bridging the language barrier between speakers of virtually any pair of languages, no matter how distant. AI is already making its mark in language-learning apps . When integrated into your phone, it will allow you to travel anywhere in the world with greater confidence in communicating with the people you meet. On a functional level, this means a wider network of business connections, more fulfilling global tourism, and a richer understanding of the people and cultures that exist just beyond the horizon. One glaring reality of today's smartphones is a lack of trust among users. A study by Tech Radar in 2015 revealed that 54% of consumers worried about the security of their mobile phones, and in 2017, Bitdefender reported that as many as 90% of European consumers were wary of security gaps in IoT technology. This trend has remained a long-running theme among mobile devices, with a common theme emerging: Users understand and generally take steps to secure their laptops or desktop computers but often fail to translate these lessons to their mobile devices. Although Samsung included upgraded ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in its flagship phones starting in 2019, the technology has remained niche within the mobile world. They also launched with some hiccups. However, improvements in the years since have radically improved the tool, and many more Android devices are expected to include ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in standard models starting in 2025. Replacing the standard optical sensor, which has handled much of a device's physical security, will make devices significantly more secure. Improving security and changing people's minds about how secure their devices actually are will go a long way toward broadening the utility of this technology. New security features will change the calculation on how a user interacts with their phone in virtually every way. Today, people are often worried about their data, banking apps, and precious pictures that can't be replaced if the phone were stolen. This leads many to operate with cloud backups and potentially forego using their phone as a universally adaptable communication tool. Many even install secure folders on their devices to add extra protection for their most sensitive information and files. But improved biometric security and a constant march toward greater digital protection mean the whole device can be thought of as a sort of black box. With your phone as a meticulously protected digital accessory that you carry everywhere, it could easily become a multi-functional Swiss Army Knife that houses your digital wallet, keys to your home, office, and car, and a controller for all kinds of tools that play a role in your lifestyle. Phones already allow for seamless connection to services like home alarm systems and smart heating and cooling settings. In the future, combined with 5G, 6G, or some connectivity network iteration yet to come, your phone may function as a data relay and control hub for sensitive tools like prosthetic limbs. Cloud technology is nothing new. It began taking shape in the 1960s with the advent of the early internet and reached a kind of adolescence a few decades later (with the term "cloud" coming into computing's lexicon in 1993). In the new millennium, cloud technology has grown to even more potent heights, underpinning some of the most important tasks we ask our computers and smartphones to perform. However, cloud-based technologies may still have a long way to go before they're fully leveraged. At the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona in 2022, a new proof of concept was unveiled that indicated another novel twist in the development of cloud computing and smartphone capability. Rather than leveraging local resources within a smartphone's physical infrastructure, this project proposed a smartphone design that drew processing power directly from the cloud. In theory, this could mean a phone capable of performing any task without needing to house most of the hardware required to achieve it. A phone could ultimately become a screen, battery, and a few networking tools, accessing the remainder of its hardware seamlessly through a cloud server. Combined with technologies like a graphene-infused battery, phones could become almost impossibly small while featuring nearly infinite computing power drawn from a physical location that's totally disconnected from the device itself. eSIM technology is also fairly well-established. The tools to achieve an embedded SIM profile have been around since 2010 and gained a mainstream place in the market by 2016. This makes them both well-tested and improved upon, while still remaining somewhat new. Not all phones in the consumer marketplace are compatible with the technology, but eSIM offers a great option for business and enterprise mobile customers as well as routine consumer users. Unlike a physical SIM card, an eSIM is integrated directly into the phone. On a practical level, this means that phone developers can eliminate another hardware feature, freeing up valuable space inside their devices. And for consumers, an eSIM means there's no need to head into a mobile network store to activate a new phone or get a replacement SIM card if a phone is lost or damaged. It's also highly convenient for travelers. Activating an eSIM when you land in a new country is far easier than carrying and swapping out cards to maintain connectivity. The push for increased eSIM adoption is also a crucial step forward for IoT applications and fleet management. With more devices supporting eSIM, a greater range of equipment and productivity tools can be managed through mobile and remote means. The promises of fully realized Augmented Reality (AR) technology have been seen in the visualizations of futuristic society on the silver screen for generations. The commonality of holographic communications in science fiction is so prevalent that it's perhaps somewhat surprising the technology hasn't made its way into the real world in any meaningful way yet. However, this may be set to change in the coming future. AR, alongside Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality tools, is coming on leaps and bounds. These technologies are already making an impact in entertainment and other spaces, from VR gaming headsets and productivity innovations like the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 2. But new innovations in the field may eventually eliminate the need for a bulky and expensive headset, ringing AR tools right into the room with you through the power of your smartphone. This could make meetings with people from all over the world feel more personal and direct, breaking free from the confines of screen windows to showcase participants. It may also produce immaculate renderings of presentation tools in 3D right in front of meeting attendees, replacing the traditional PowerPoint slides that have dominated for years. Your phone is already a consummate navigator. With a basic car mount, you can position your smartphone conveniently on or near the dashboard to access a variety of helpful tools. From controlling music playback to serving as a GPS assistant giving you directions, smartphones play a surprisingly significant role in standard driving tasks today. This role is likely to only become more pronounced in the future, with continuing advancements in AR tools available and computational power bringing even greater functionality. Driving mode may eventually include dashboard projections that allow the phone to display all kinds of information in a sort of HUD layout that gamers will be familiar with. Rather than glancing down at the screen to view the next turn, you might just have the directions projected up in front of you for easy access while keeping your eyes firmly on the road. Numerous car models already feature mirrored display tools that beam a few key pieces of information up on the windshield, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that enhancements in this region will eventually make their way into the driving experience. Moreover, with the importance that smartphones already command from the driver's seat, it's only fitting that they will play a key role in these improvements.
Hyderabad: Stating the state govt is firm on ushering in reforms in the education sector and improving its quality, chief minister A Revanth Reddy has said the govt has been taking steps to remove misconceptions that private school students are more talented than their counterparts in govt institutions. He claimed the previous BRS govt did not give priority to improving conditions in the residential schools, such as increasing diet and cosmetic charges and infrastructure facilities. "Both welfare and development are like two eyes for me. Spending on education is not an expenditure, but instead an investment for their future," Revanth Reddy said, after launching a uniform diet programme at a social welfare residential school at Chilkur in Rangareddy district on Saturday. The Telangana (then AP) Social Welfare Residential School, Chilkur, was the first residential school in united AP, after former PM PV Narasimha Rao launched the scheme during the Congress regime. Monitor food daily: CM Expressing concerns about the food poisoning incident in a residential school, where a girl died at NIMS, the CM, who also holds the education portfolio, said that the grieving parents must have undergone a lot of trouble. "Rich and poor show their affection towards their children equally. Parents reposed faith in us and send their children to hostels. We should be responsible. Such incidents increase our honour and reputation, or not? We need to take precautions and stop the recurrence of such incidents," the CM said. He directed the officials to constitute mess management committees with the students in every school, and they should monitor their food every day. Stating the unemployment problem was increasing due to lack of skills, the CM said the state govt has upgraded 75 ITIs as advanced technology centres in collaboration with Tata Group. He said the govt decided to provide skill development training to the unemployed through Young India Skills University , which would become a role model for the country. "The govt will set up Young India Integrated Residential Schools in every assembly constituency to compete with private institutions with the intention to provide quality education along with basic facilities," he said. Women self-help groups to stitch uniforms He said the state enhanced diet and cosmetics charges at one go. Diet charges increased by 40% and cosmetic charges by 200% in view of increased prices and the difficulties faced by the students. "For the first time in the history of the country, such a big increase in charges happened in Telangana only," Revanth said. The CM said the task of stitching school uniforms was given to women self-help groups, while increasing charges for uniform stitching from 25 to 75. Revanth directed the officials to provide funds through the green channel by the 10th of every month. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .'Never going to be a fast process': Watchdog defends time taken on probes
SMU had no problems handling the jump to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Now the No. 8 Mustangs (11-1, 8-0, No. 8 CFP) look to complete an unbeaten run through the ACC in their inaugural season when they face perennial conference power Clemson on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The 18th-ranked Tigers (9-3, 7-1, No. 17 CFP) will play in a record 10th ACC championship game in 16 seasons under coach Dabo Swinney. The Mustangs moved to the ACC after capturing the American Athletic Conference championship in 2023. They have won 17 straight regular-season conference games, going back to 2022. "We wanted to be at this level. We wanted to play on this stage," SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. "We want to be playing in the championship game. ... We have ultimate respect for Clemson, but this is a stage we want to be on." Clemson looked as if it might miss out on its second straight title game, but Syracuse stunned then-No. 6 Miami to give the Tigers a spot. They have been dominant once they get there, winning eight of their previous nine ACC title game appearances, the lone loss coming to Georgia Tech in 2009. "I'm proud of the consistency. Uncommon consistency," Swinney said. "I know we're supposedly a bad program now and we're doom and gloom. It's all downhill and everything's terrible. But I think we've been in this game two of the last three years." If the Mustangs win they'll likely wrap up a first-round bye in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Clemson, which comes in as a 2 1/2-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook, needs a win to qualify for the playoff and likely assure the ACC gets two teams in. The ACC will receive $4 million for each team that makes the CFP and each team that advances to the playoff quarterfinals and $6 million for each team that advances to the playoff semifinal and championship game. In addition, each conference will receive $3 million to cover expenses from each round for a team participating in the CFP. No Hurricanes Swinney said if the Tigers win the national title he'll invite Syracuse coach Fran Brown to Clemson to ride with him in the championship parade. "If that happens, like let's dream big, hey, why not? Fran Brown, he's going to be riding in the car with me, convertible, through downtown Clemson," Swinney said. Jennings' journey SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings will be playing in his second straight conference championship game. Jennings was pressed into his first career start last year in the AAC after Preston Stone broke his leg in the regular-season finale. He responded by leading the Mustangs to a 26-14 win, accounting for 266 yards from scrimmage along with a touchdown pass. Jennings began this season behind Stone on the depth chart, but took over as the starter in Week 4 and has gone 9-0 since with the Mustangs averaging 40.8 points per game. Jennings has thrown for 2,746 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions and is the team's second-leading rusher with 344 yards and four TDs. "I'm a lot more confident now for sure," Jennings said. Clemson stumbles in Clemson enters the title game coming off a 17-14 loss to rival South Carolina last week. Linebacker Wade Woodaz said players have put that behind them. "We've got another opportunity and we've got to be grateful for that," Woodaz said. "Sitting here and dwelling on the loss to South Carolina isn't going to help us Saturday. Yes, we have to learn from it, got to look at our mistakes and where we messed up. But in the end, we have another shot and we've got to take full advantage of it." SMU's adjustments Brashard Smith, SMU's featured running back, was a receiver before transferring to SMU this season. He has 1,157 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing, and also has 29 catches for 269 yards and three more scores. In the regular-season finale against California, he had 134 total yards (68 rushing and 66 receiving) with two touchdowns. "He's a matchup problem. He's a good player and defensively you've got to account for him," Lashlee said of Smith. "He's an all-purpose player." SMU lost two of its top receivers to season-ending injuries midway through its conference schedule: tight end RJ Maryland — the son of former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Russell Maryland — and receiver Jake Bailey. Michigan transfer Matthew Hibner took over as the starting tight end and has 15 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns the last five games after only two catches for 31 yards the first seven. When Bailey got hurt, the Mustangs moved Roderick Daniels Jr. back to receiver from running back, and he has caught 15 passes the last three games. Clemson's offense The Tigers were one of the country's most dynamic offenses for a six-game stretch — all victories — early September through October. Clemson averaged better than 48 points a game during that run. That average has dropped to less than 27 points a game in the last five contests.