Daily Post Nigeria PDP will overcome challenges soon – Governors’ Forum Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Politics PDP will overcome challenges soon – Governors’ Forum Published on November 23, 2024 By Matthew Atungwu Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have declared that the party remains a formidable force in Nigeria. Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, made the assertion at the end of a meeting on Saturday in Jos. Mohammed said the party will overcome all its challenges, adding that the ‘minor setbacks’ would soon be over. He called on lovers of the PDP and Nigerians in general not to lose hope in the party. “The Forum notes the concerns of Nigerians, the founding fathers, elders and members of our great party about the seeming divisions within its rank and file. “The Forum, however, wishes to state categorically that it remains resolute in its determination to ensure unity and cohesion within the party. “This is a party that Nigerians have come to trust as the best platform to provide democratic governance to all; it is still the party to beat,” he said. The chairman also called on the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, to convey a meeting of the National Executive Council, NEC, as part of measures to address internal wranglings. He commended members of the National Assembly elected under the platform of the party for their contributions toward the growth of democracy. Mohammed, however, called on the leadership of the National Assembly to critically interrogate all bills to ensure fairness, equity, national balance and even development. The governor, who noted with deep concern the current economic crisis in the country, called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently review his administration’s macro-economic and fiscal policies to address the welfare and well-being of Nigerians. While commending Governor Caleb Mutfwang for hosting his colleagues in Plateau, Mohammed, equally commiserated with the government and people of the state over the recent fire outbreak at a wood market. Related Topics: PDP Don't Miss Ignore NNPP’s rumoured alliance with Aiyedatiwa – Edema tells Ondo people You may like Stop the illegalities in Kogi – Aggrieved aspirant urges PDP NWC Off-cycle elections: PDP faces uphill battle ahead 2027 polls Destabilising PDP part of our duty – APC chieftain Wike, G5 governors want to destroy PDP – Rep member ugochinyere Irredeemable doom awaits PDP – Ugochinyere warns Again, PDP postpones NEC meeting Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd
Healthy corals are colorful and full of life. And under normal conditions, corals and algae depend on one another. The corals offer the algae protection and the photosynthesizing algae provide the coral with the components they need to make proteins and sugars. As waters warm, though, corals often bleach, which means they eject their algae. "The corals look white or sometimes black cause they've died," says Dakota McCoy , a biologist at the University of Chicago. "There's no fish around. It's way less biodiverse." However, "if you snorkel over a reef after a heat wave, other animals still look healthy," says McCoy. "They've still got their algae unlike the coral. It seems to take more to get them to bleach. So that's kind of a weird biological mystery." These seemingly healthy creatures include a clam-like mollusc called a heart cockle — the name coming from the shape of its shell. "These strange little clams are a little bit tougher than corals," says McCoy, "even though they host the same type of algae inside their cells that corals do." McCoy wanted to know why that might be. In a paper published in Nature Communications , she and her colleagues conclude that the structure of the heart cockle's shell operates as its own kind of fiber optic cables to channel light to the algae living inside it. It's a finding that may have both engineering and conservation implications. Stained glass in miniature McCoy and her colleagues began their investigation by shining LED lights through the heart cockles. "In a lot of shells, there [are] tiny little triangles where the light passes through. In some of the shells, it looks more like big zebra stripes. Some of the shells, they look like stained glass windows. So there's material there but light gets through." She wanted to know how the heart cockles render their shells transparent to get the light to their algal residents that depend on it. "Are they doing something more interesting than just letting light pass through?," she wondered. So she gathered some cockles from the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History and an online collector for a closer look. An instrument called a spectrophotometer, "can measure what color light passes through a little fragment of shell suspended in seawater by scanning over every wavelength of light from ultraviolet to infrared," McCoy explains. She and her colleagues found that the little windows in the heart cockle shells stream more than twice as much useful sunlight into their interiors for their algal tenants than harmful UV radiation. In addition, some individuals have mineral lenses beneath their little windows. "What they seem to do is condense light into a beam so that it's illuminating more deeply into the algae-rich tissue that's doing all the photosynthesis," says McCoy. The lens may also spread the light out "so you're not going to actually burn your [algae] or have too much light intensity," says Stanford University physicist Jennifer Dionne , who collaborated with McCoy. Natural fiber optics McCoy and Dionne then looked more closely at the shell's architecture. They knew it was made out of a kind of calcium carbonate, aragonite, a mineral that's usually opaque in coral skeletons or other clam shells. When those structures are examined under a microscope, McCoy says, "you see lots of big plates that are jumbled together and often arranged in a very sturdy brick-like manner." But when she used an electron microscope to study the mineral structure of the heart cockle shell, the calcium carbonate crystals were organized into long, super narrow fibers that were "all oriented the same direction as the direction that sunlight needs to travel to get into the shell," she says. Dionne instantly saw something familiar. "Here's a natural organism that is guiding light essentially via its own fiber optic bundles to basically help its symbionts harness sunlight," she says. "I think it might be one of the first examples in nature." The researchers say that structure could inspire tiny cameras with miniscule lenses or even improve fiber optic cable technology. "I think there's a lot we can learn about how biology handles light," says Dionne. University of Georgia cell biologist Mark Farmer wasn't involved in the research and was impressed with the paper. "It's difficult to balance the needs of a strong structural shell — which is of course the reason that clams make shells in the first place — with light transmission," he says. "So I think the fact that the cockles have solved effectively both problems with these fiber optics is the most significant finding." Farmer says the results may help explain why corals tend to bleach more readily than heart cockles, a phenomenon triggered by stress. While both organisms may be exposed to the stress of warming ocean temperatures, "by eliminating that additional stress of ultraviolet light, which can damage DNA, the cockles are perhaps less subject to the kind of stress that would lead to a bleaching event," says Farmer. McCoy agrees and believes that this difference could provide insights into how to help corals. "Can we think a little bit more about how heart cockles manage the light environment for their algae and maybe take inspiration from that to engineer new algae or new corals — a little bit more resilient, a little bit more robust?" she asks. McCoy sees in these shells more than a billion years of evolution — what she calls "product design honed by natural selection." "The heart cockle is a very cool story of how a living creature can manipulate light as well as many human engineers can," she says. "It's a beautiful example of a sustainable creature using solar energy in a very efficient way, thanks to an amazing natural evolved technology."Villar wants legal trade in uranium probed
The World Health Organization’s director-general said airstrikes on Yemen’s main airport occurred as he was about to board a flight in the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport as well as power stations and ports. One of the U.N. plane’s crew was wounded, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a post on X, but he and his WHO colleagues were safe. He said the strikes hit the airport's air traffic control tower, departure lounge and runway. Israel's strikes on Thursday follow several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel, and last week, Israeli jets bombed Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people. The Houthis have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's bombardment and ground invasion in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its count. The Hamas-led militant attack on Israel in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people. Around 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza , although only two-thirds are believed to still be alive. Here’s the latest: UNITED NATIONS — The head of the U.N. health agency says he and his team were about to board a flight in Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa when the airport came under aerial bombardment. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport as well as power stations and ports in Houthi-controlled areas. “The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters (yards) from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. He said one of the U.N. plane’s crew was injured but he and his WHO colleagues were safe. “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave.” Tedros said the U.N. team was in Yemen to negotiate the release of U.N. staff detained by the Houthis and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in the country, which faces one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. JERUSALEM — Houthi rebels in Yemen said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday targeted the rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, following several days of Houthi launches that set off air-raid sirens in Israel. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports at Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib along with power stations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech on Wednesday that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned.” The Iran-backed Houthis’ media outlet reported the strikes in a Telegram post, but gave no immediate details. The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. The United Nations has noted that the ports are important entryways for humanitarian aid. Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in Tel Aviv . Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. QAMISHLI, Syria — Thousands of people in northeastern Syria attended a funeral Thursday for six fighters from a Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed force who were killed in ongoing clashes with Turkish-backed militias. The Turkish-backed groups are launching attacks to take the Arab cities west of the Euphrates River that are under the control of the Kurdish group . The Turkish-supported groups helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s rule of Syria, and have since kept pushing eastward against the Kurdish groups. “We thought that Syria today has entered a new stage after the fall and escape of Assad. We thought that we got rid of all of this, but this attack on us changed everything and those who came in are taking orders from Turkey,” said Nihayet Hassan, the uncle of a killed fighter. The fighters were killed during attacks on Tishreen Dam near the strategic city of Manbij in recent days. The bodies were returned to the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria where the U.S.-backed group, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, has a strong presence. Ankara sees the SDF as an affiliate of its sworn enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey classifies as a terrorist organization. Turkish-backed armed groups backed by Turkish jets have for years attacked positions where the SDF are present across northern Syria, in a bid to create a buffer zone free from the group along the Turkish border. “It is obvious that Turkey’s issue is with the Kurds. It is not about an organization, or the PKK, no, their target are the Kurds,” said Ahmad Ammo, a Qamishli resident who attended the funeral. The U.S. has about 2,000 soldiers in eastern Syria to help fight the Islamic State group and protect critical oil fields there. BEIRUT — The Lebanese military said Thursday that Israeli troops encroached on areas of southern Lebanon, violating a ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Israel and the Hezbollah group. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire that went into effect a month ago called for Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops to leave southern Lebanon over a 60-day period as Lebanese army soldiers gradually deploy in the country south of the Litani River. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reported incident. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli bulldozers are setting up dirt barricades that would close off the road between Wadi Slouqi and Wadi Hujeir. Lebanon’s military said it brought reinforcements into the areas entered by Israeli troops. NNA said the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, sent a patrol unit to an area near the southern town of Qantara where Israeli forces are present. UNIFIL in a statement expressed its “concern at continuing destruction by the IDF (Israeli military) in residential areas, agricultural land, and road networks in south Lebanon.” Lebanese army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun traveled to Saudi Arabia earlier Thursday as part of ongoing efforts by the cash-strapped military to find financial support to deploy in larger numbers. The Lebanese military and government have complained about Israeli strikes and overflights in the country to a new monitoring committee headed by the U.S. that also includes France. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Health Ministry said Thursday. The Israeli army said it had targeted a group of militants. The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory. The journalists were working for the local news outlet Al-Quds Today, a television channel affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group. The military said it targeted a group of fighters from Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel ignited the war. Associated Press video showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings still visible on the back doors. The Committee to Protect Journalists says over 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds. This post has been corrected to show that the name of the local news outlet is Al-Quds Today, not the Quds News Network. BEIJING — China has pledged two more shipments of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in an indication of support for the Palestinian Authority, state media reported Thursday. The agreement was overseen in Cairo by Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang and Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh. “To ease the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, the Chinese government has continued to provide assistance to Palestine,” Liao was quoted as saying. The types and quantities of aid to be delivered via Egypt were not given, but China has previously shipped food and medicine to Gaza. China has longstanding ties with the Palestinian Authority but has also sought to strengthen economic and political relations with Israel. Al-Louh “voiced appreciation for China’s consistent and firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and for raising this issue on international occasions," state media said. UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday at Israel’s request to discuss recent attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Israel’s U.N. Mission said Wednesday the meeting will take place at 10 a.m. Monday. Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said he expects the council will condemn the Houthi attacks. He urged the council “to enforce international law and hold Iran, the Houthis’ patron, accountable.” Alluding to Israeli retaliation for the attacks, Danon said ”It seems that the Houthis have not yet understood what happens to those who try to harm the state of Israel.”India News | NDA Debacle in Jharkhand: No CM Face, Focus Only on Infiltration Cost BJP Dear
On their third and final game of the Maui Invitational, the Cyclones had the cushion to hang loose for the final few minutes. Iowa State blew Colorado out 99-71 after splitting its first two games by narrow margins. Iowa State’s defense flummoxed the Buffaloes, who turned the ball over 18 times. The Cyclones converted those mistakes into points, dominating fastbreak points 22-4. Here are three takeaways from th e game: On Iowa State’s first possession out of halftime, the Cyclones dialed up a screen to get Milan Momcilovic open in the corner. The sweet-shooting sophomore from Pewaukee, Wisconsin swished the shot to reach 21 points, a new career-high. He ties his mark from last season's game against Virginia Tech. Momcilovoc scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half. He finished the game nine-of-13 from the field and six-of-9 from 3-point range. His shooting helped put the Cyclones up 45-34 at halftime. He scored back-to-back buckets in the first half to put ISU up 30-22, and the Cyclones led for the game's final 31:15. The top line of any opponent’s keys to beating Iowa State will read something like this: Hold onto the basketball. Live-ball turnovers killed Colorado on Wednesday and led to 37 Iowa State points (compared to 20 for Colorado). Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey, left, goes up for a basket against Colorado guard Javon Ruffin (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Maui Invitational Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. LINDSEY WASSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS Iowa State turned Colorado over 18 times. Point guard Tamin Lipsey made four steals while guard Nate Heise and forwards Brandt Chatfield and Dishon Jackson each went for two. Even though the Cyclones played their third game in less than 72 hours, they looked to push the ball down the floor each time they forced a turnover and created fastbreak looks. Iowa State forward Brandton Chatfield reacts after a basket by a teammate against Colorado during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Maui Invitational Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Iowa State won 99-71. LINDSEY WASSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS Don’t get discouraged by Iowa State’s fifth-place finish in the Maui Invitational. That’s a success. Iowa State head coach T. J. Otzelberger claps on the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State at the Maui Invitational Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. LINDSEY WASSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS Iowa State lost its opening game against Auburn and got sent to the loser’s bracket. Want to know who else got sent to the loser’s bracket? No. 2 UConn, the team defending back-to-back NCAA Championships. There’s a strong likelihood all eight teams in the field: UConn, Memphis, Colorado, Michigan State, Auburn, North Carolina, Dayton and Iowa State make the NCAA Tournament. So for Iowa State, this week was about seeing where it is at nationally after an easy first three games. The Cyclones looked fantastic in stretches against No. 4 Auburn and a Dayton team ranked No. 35 in the Kenpom rankings. Iowa State’s schedule continues to build in difficulty with a matchup at home against No. 10 Marquette on Dec. 4 (7 p.m. ESPN+).
Millions cast votes from new regions, others from behind barsPet passports for dogs, cats and ferrets to travel within UK ‘an outrage’NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin, gold and other investments also drove higher. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that defined the year. All are as of Dec. 20. 1998 Remember when President Bill Clinton got impeached or when baseball’s Mark McGwire hit his 70th home run against the Montreal Expos? That was the last time the U.S. stock market closed out a second straight year with a leap of at least 20%, something the S&P 500 is on track to do again this year. The index has climbed 24.3% so far this year, not including dividends, following last year’s spurt of 24.2%. 57 The number of all-time highs the S&P 500 has set so far this year. The first came early, on Jan. 19, when the index capped a two-year comeback from the swoon caused by high inflation and worries that high interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to combat it would create a recession. But the index was methodical through the rest of the year, setting a record in every month outside of April and August, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. The latest came on Dec. 6. The number of times the Federal Reserve has cut its main interest rate this year from a two-decade high, offering some relief to the economy. Expectations for those cuts, along with hopes for more in 2025, were a big reason the U.S. stock market has been so successful this year. The 1 percentage point of cuts, though, is still short of the 1.5 percentage points that many traders were forecasting for 2024 at the start of the year. The Fed disappointed investors in December when it said it may cut rates just two more times in 2025, fewer than it had earlier expected. 1,508 That’s how many points the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by the day after Election Day, as investors made bets on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and the world. The more widely followed S&P 500 soared 2.5% for its best day in nearly two years. Aside from bitcoin, stocks of banks and smaller winners were also perceived to be big winners. The bump has since diminished amid worries that Trump’s policies could also send inflation higher. $100,000 The level that bitcoin topped to set a record above $108,000 this past month. It’s been climbing as interest rates come down, and it got a particularly big boost following Trump’s election. He’s turned around and become a fan of crypto, and he’s named a former regulator who’s seen as friendly to digital currencies as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing someone who critics said was overly aggressive in his oversight. Bitcoin was below $17,000 just two years ago following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. 26.7% Gold’s rise for the year, as it also hit records and had as strong a run as U.S. stocks. Wars around the world have helped drive demand for investments seen as safe, such as gold. It’s also benefited from the Fed’s cut to interest rates. When bonds are paying less in interest, they pull away fewer potential buyers from gold, which pays investors nothing. $420 It’s a favorite number of Elon Musk, and it’s also a threshold that Tesla’s stock price passed in December as it set a record. The number has a long history among marijuana devotees, and Musk famously said in 2018 that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share. Tesla soared this year, up from less than $250 at the start, in part because of expectations that Musk’s close relationship with Trump could benefit the company. $91.2 billion That’s how much revenue Nvidia made in the nine months through Oct. 27, showing how the artificial-intelligence frenzy is creating mountains of cash. Nvidia’s chips are driving much of the move into AI, and its revenue through the last nine months catapulted from less than $39 billion the year before. Such growth has boosted Nvidia’s worth to more than $3 trillion in total. 74% GameStop’s gain on May 13 after Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” appeared online for the first time in three years to support the video game retailer’s stock, which he helped rocket to unimaginable heights during the “ meme stock craze “ in 2021. Several other meme stocks also jumped following his post in May on the social platform X, including AMC Entertainment. Gill later disclosed a sizeable stake in the online pet products retailer Chewy, but he sold all of his holdings by late October. 1.6%, 3.0% and 3.1% That’s how much the U.S. economy grew, at annualized seasonally adjusted rates, in each of the three first quarters of this year. Such growth blew past what many pessimists were expecting when inflation was topping 9% in the summer of 2022. The fear was that the medicine prescribed by the Fed to beat high inflation — high interest rates — would create a recession. Households at the lower end of the income spectrum in particular are feeling pain now, as they contend with still-high prices. But the overall economy has remained remarkably resilient. 20.1% This is the vacancy rate for U.S. office buildings — an all-time high — through the first three quarters of 2024, according to data from Moody’s. The fact the rate held steady for most of the year was something of a win for office building owners, given that it had marched up steadily from 16.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Demand for office space weakened as the pandemic led to the popularization of remote work. 3.73 million That’s the total number of previously occupied homes sold nationally through the first 11 months of 2024. Sales would have to surge 20% year-over-year in December for 2024’s home sales to match the 4.09 million existing homes sold in 2023, a nearly 30-year low. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. A shortage of homes for sale and elevated mortgage rates have discouraged many would-be homebuyers.
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NoneSAN FRANCISCO – The California Public Utilities Commission marked a historic achievement last week by surpassing $1 billion in grants dedicated to expanding broadband networks throughout California. This monumental funding will empower communities across the state, from rural areas to urban centers, by expanding access to high-speed internet—a crucial resource for education, healthcare, and economic development. This milestone was reached with the approval of $225 million in the 10th round of grants for last mile broadband projects as part of the $2 billion Last Mile Federal Funding Account grant program, which expands broadband internet access for underserved and unserved communities in California. This continues a rolling process of awards and recommendations, highlighting the state’s commitment to bridging the digital divide through Broadband For All. In Stanislaus County, $15.1 million was awarded on Thursday, Dec. 19. It is estimated to benefit about 10,070 people. The total project cost is expected to be just shy of $20.5 million, so the grant awarded will cover 74 percent of the funding. The grantee listed was AT&T. “As the fifth largest economy on the planet, we can’t afford to leave anyone behind from accessing the kinds of economic opportunities the internet provides us in the 21st Century. With more than $1 billion invested to help communities connect to broadband, California is working to connect more Californians than ever before to reliable, high-speed internet,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the news release. “As we close out this year, these critical investments in broadband infrastructure and digital literacy are a testament to our commitment to closing the digital divide and ensuring that all Californians, regardless of income or location, have access to the tools they need to thrive in the digital age,” said CPUC President Alice Reynolds. “The CPUC is proud to support these projects that will bring reliable internet access and empower communities across the state.” “I am pleased to support these grants for broadband infrastructure under the Public Housing and Federal Funding Account programs,” said Commissioner Darcie L. Houck. “Together, these grants will provide over $225 million to build-out broadband internet service to low-income households in rural and urban parts of our State. These grants fund projects that vary from fiber to wireless network infrastructure. In order to maximize our investments we have to use all the innovative technologies at our disposal. These awards will help address both the availability and affordability challenges to accessing broadband by supporting infrastructure grants that will bring essential broadband to some of California’s most vulnerable customers, furthering our goal to end the digital divide.” The Last Mile Federal Funding Account by the Numbers to Date $1 billion in grants awarded 47 counties awarded grants 97 projects to date 2 million Californians benefiting from these investments 8 Tribal broadband grants issued 48 public entity and partnership broadband grants issued 61 grants serving majority disadvantaged and low-income communities Continuing to invest where it matters most Many Last Mile Federal Funding Account grant awardees are creating new networks, connecting the next generation to education, improving access to healthcare, and empowering rural and urban communities for economic development and emergency connectivity. Combined, these proposed projects will serve predominantly disadvantaged and low-income communities across the state. * Additional awards coming for counties in gray Last Mile Federal Funding Account grants by the numbers: $225 million for 14 counties Yolo, Yuba Mariposa, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne Kern and Merced Butte and Glenn Colusa, San Joaquin, and Shasta Counties San Diego and Tehama Counties 163,000 Californians benefiting For a specific county information, visit the CPUC’s Federal Funding Account Recommendations and Awards webpage Awarding grants throughout California Last week’s approval is a milestone in the process of awarding last mile broadband grants to projects in every region in the state to established internet service providers, small providers, local governments, tribes, and special districts. As part of this process, the CPUC issues Draft Resolutions with award recommendations, each open for public comment. The recommendations are then considered and must be approved by vote at a public CPUC Voting Meeting . Awards will continue in January 2025. Future application windows will be announced as funds are appropriated. Fueling economic growth statewide Established under Senate Bill 156 (2021), the CPUC’s Last Mile Federal Funding Account is fueling economic growth across rural, tribal, and urban communities statewide. Since the initial round of applications closed in September 2023, the CPUC has received and reviewed 484 grant applications from every county in the state, totaling more than $4.6 billion in requests. This overwhelming response highlights the urgent need for and the opportunity to expand internet access across California. In addition to the Last Mile Federal Funding Account, the CPUC is investing in a suite of programs in the state’s efforts in connecting millions of Californians with reliable, affordable high-speed internet, including the California Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) . More Information • Full list of CPUC Federal Funding Account Recommendations and Awards • CPUC Broadband Federal Funding Account Awards Map California Advanced Services Fund Broadband Public Housing and Adoption Account In addition, the CPUC approved an additional $7.3 million in grants to improve broadband access, affordability and digital literacy across the state. Also approved today, the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) Broadband Public Housing Account funded $965,828 in grants for wireline and wireless infrastructure and provide free broadband service to 493 households in California, benefiting grantees such as the Housing Authority of the City of Fresno, Self-Help Enterprises, and Affordable Housing CDC, Inc. Additionally, the CPUC also approved $1.4 million for 30 projects across seven grantees to provide free broadband service to 2,546 households over the next five years. These initiatives will be spread throughout key areas, including San Francisco, Fresno, Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Los Banos. This brings the total awarded from the Public Housing Account in 2024 to $3.4 million, providing free broadband access to 3,830 households. In a separate action, the CPUC awarded $4.9 million in CASF Broadband Adoption Account funding to 48 projects that will deliver digital literacy training to 6,927 participants and broadband access to 12,051 individuals in low-income and disadvantaged communities, furthering the state’s commitment to bridging the digital divide. In 2024, the Adoption Account awarded $11.1 million, providing digital literacy training to up to 20,767 participants, broadband access to 23,241 individuals and broadband subscriptions to up to 490 individuals.Financial Highlights: Revenue for Q2-FY25 was $1.28 million , a 2% increase from $1.25 million in Q1-FY24, but a 16% decline from $1.53 million in Q2-FY24. Annual recurring revenue ("ARR"), at September 30, 2024 was $4.6 million is a non-IFRS measure, and the Company defines ARR as the recurring revenue expected based on annual license subscriptions and recurring services. Gross margin for Q2-FY25 was 88.6%, up slightly from Q1-FY25 level of 87.9% due to lower costs, but down slightly from 90.1% in Q2-FY24 due to lower revenue levels year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA for Q2-FY25 was a loss of $(0.37) million , a 10% improvement versus the $(0.41) million loss in Q1-FY25, and a 2% change versus $(0.36) million in Q2-FY24, as adjusted operating expenses of $0.6 million are lower year-to date versus the comparable period last year. As a result, despite lower revenue levels than last year, cash from operations was a positive $0.2 million in the recent quarter. Non-IFRS net loss for Q2-FY25 (as defined in the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section) totaled $(0.5) million , or a loss of $(0.01) per basic and diluted share, versus a $(0.5) million non-IFRS loss in Q1-FY25, or a loss of $(0.01) per basic and diluted share, and versus a $(0.4) million non-IFRS loss in Q2-FY24, or a loss of $(0.01) per basic and diluted share. Net loss for Q2-FY25 was $(0.7) million , or a loss of $(0.01) per basic and diluted share, a 10% improvement versus a $(0.8) million loss in Q1-FY25, or $(0.02) per basic and diluted share, and a 1% improvement versus $(0.7) million loss in Q2-FY24, or $(0.02) per basic and diluted share, despite the lower revenue levels. As of September 30, 2024 , Boardwalk had $0.2 million of cash plus $0.6 million of collectible receivables, $2.2 million of debt, and $0.1 million of working capital (excluding deferred revenue). As of the most recent month certification, the Company has $0.9 million of a credit facility available. "We continue to execute on our updated strategy and positioning established at the beginning of this year," said Andrew T. Duncan , Chief Executive Officer of Boardwalktech. "In the banking sector, the Velocity product continues to grow within our largest customer, a top 5 US bank. We now have over 70 trained and dedicated people from three different partners working on this deployment, which is now in use by over 1,000 professionals within the bank. Velocity is producing the expected ROI and compliance required and this customer is now accelerating the deployment which will be a multi-year engagement. We continue to sign contracts with new partners as we expand our channel sales strategy. We are in multiple later stage deals with several partners and are enthusiastic about the pipeline of opportunities through the partner channel. We continue to see growth and expansion from existing customers and will see both new direct sales and channel sales contracts based on interest in the Boardwalk's software solutions. The foundation has now been set for growth in 2025, including an anticipated increase in revenue and an overall improvement in the business." Earnings Conference Call Details Boardwalktech management will be hosting its earnings conference call today (Novembert 27, 2024) Time: at 4:30 PM Eastern Time / 1:30 PM Pacific Time . To join the call, please use the following dial-in information: US/ Canada : 1-888-510-2154 (toll free) or 437-900-0527 (Local – Toronto ) Audience URL: https://app.webinar.net/A2zRLJKnBDe (copy & paste to your browser) Replay : A replay of the call will be available until December 4, 2024 and can be accessed by dialing 1-888-660-6345 and entering access code 57639# About Boardwalktech Software Corp. Boardwalktech has developed a patented Digital Ledger Technology Platform currently used by Fortune 500 companies running mission-critical applications worldwide. Boardwalktech's digital ledger technology and its unique method of managing vast amounts of structured and unstructured data is the only platform on the market today where multiple parties can effectively work on the same data simultaneously while preserving the fidelity and provenance of the data. Boardwalktech can deliver collaborative, purpose-built enterprise information management applications on any device or user interface with full integration with enterprise systems of record in a fraction of the time it takes other non-digital ledger technology-based platforms. Boardwalktech is headquartered in Cupertino, California with offices in India and operations in North America . For more information on Boardwalktech, visit our website at www.boardwalktech.com . Forward-Looking Information and Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". By identifying such information and statements in this manner, the Company is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. An investment in securities of the Company is speculative and subject to several risks including, without limitation, the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's filing statement dated May 30, 2018 . Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. In connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boardwalktech-reports-second-quarter-fiscal-2025-financial-results-302317774.html SOURCE Boardwalktech Software Corp.
Nebius Group: Diamond In The AI Mania's Dust?
HUNTINGTON, W.V. (AP) — Marshall has withdrawn from the Independence Bowl after a coaching change resulted in much of its roster jumping into the transfer portal. The Thundering Herd were slated to play Army on Dec. 28 in Shreveport, Louisiana. But the Independence Bowl and Louisiana Tech announced on Saturday that the Bulldogs will take on the 19th-ranked Black Knights instead. Marshall said it pulled out “after falling below the roster minimum that was deemed medically safe.” The Herd (10-3) beat Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 last weekend to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the first time. The program has won seven games in a row in the same season for the first time since 2020. “We apologize for the nature and timing of this announcement and for the turmoil it has brought to bowl season preparations for Army, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the American Athletic Conference and ESPN,” Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said in a statement. Coach Charles Huff left Marshall for Southern Miss last Sunday, and Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator at North Carolina State, was announced as his replacement less than an hour later. By Thursday, at least 25 Marshall players had entered the transfer portal. Gibson held a meeting shortly after arriving on campus in Huntington to introduce himself to the team. He followed that up with phone calls, text messages and more meetings Friday and Saturday. “Any time coaches leave to take other jobs, it is emotional,” Gibson said at a news conference Thursday. “And kids that are 18-to-22 years old are going to make emotional decisions instead of just breathing for a day or two.” It's the first bowl for Louisiana Tech (5-7) since 2020. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three games, but they haven't played since a 33-0 victory over Kennesaw State on Nov. 30. “We are excited to accept the opportunity to play in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl against a fantastic and storied program as Army,” Louisiana Tech athletic director Ryan Ivey said in a release. “I believe our football program is moving toward positive structure and the opportunity to play in this bowl adds to that momentum. We are looking forward to being in Shreveport for this matchup.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
The condemnation came as the House of Lords debated regulations paving the way for a scheme which would require animal lovers on the British mainland to have documentation in order to visit Northern Ireland. Critics view the move as further evidence of Northern Ireland still having to follow EU rules post-Brexit and being treated differently from the rest of the UK – a major source of contention to the unionist community. The paperwork, which will be free to apply for, includes a declaration that the owner will not travel onwards to Ireland or another EU country with their pet or assistance dog. Animals will have to be microchipped and have their own individual pet travel document, which will be valid for its lifetime. Northern Ireland residents returning after a stay in Great Britain with their pet or assistance dog will not need a travel document. The scheme is being introduced under the Windsor Framework, a revised deal for Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements aimed at tackling issues caused by the protocol. Raising her concerns in Parliament, Baroness Hoey, a Northern Irish Brexit supporter and former Labour MP, said: “These regulations are in effect about a new aspect of the Irish Sea border that has not had expression until this point because of the grace periods.” She added: “The experience of visiting Northern Ireland with your pet dog or cat, or even a ferret, will be made to feel like a visit to a foreign country. Lady Hoey went on: “This could spell the end of holiday trips for pet owners from GB to NI and then on to the Republic, when they want to explore both Northern Ireland and the Republic. “If they have a pet passport, they will have renounced their right to go to the Republic. That makes the border more of an obstruction than having border control posts on it, because at least in that eventuality, you could still cross over it.” Rejecting claims it was a result of the UK leaving the EU, she said: “The reality is that this is happening precisely because Northern Ireland has not got Brexit. “As we say repeatedly, it is still subject to EU rules and the EU could change the rules overnight.” Former DUP deputy leader Lord Dodds of Duncairn said: “Every one of the statutory instruments that come forward under the Windsor Framework must be properly debated, because these laws are being brought forward to implement what a foreign jurisdiction has decided should be the law of the United Kingdom. “In the 21st century, we should not accept colonial rule. We abolished it elsewhere. We believe it should not be tolerated for one second. People should have the democratic right to decide their laws for themselves, in their interests.” He added: “The ridiculous part about this debate is that we are having to debate European laws regulating the movement of pet animals owned by British citizens between one part of the United Kingdom and another. That is an outrage.” Lord Dodds went on: “As I said, there will be hundreds, thousands more of these regulations, in all areas, affecting the daily lives of people in Northern Ireland. They all add up to a grievous assault on Northern Ireland’s constitutional position.” But former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick said: “I support the Windsor Framework because it is a necessary legal device to deal with the complexities that were presented to us in Ireland, north and south, on the issue of Brexit. “We need a pragmatic solution rather than choosing to have political contests and duels simply for the sake of them.” Introducing the regulations, environment minister Baroness Hayman of Ulloch said: “This scheme will simplify the requirements associated with moving pet dogs, cats and ferrets from Great Britain to Northern Ireland significantly. “It replaces single-use animal health certificates with a free-of-charge lifelong travel document and removes the need for costly pet health treatments. “Pet owners who travel frequently with their pets, or those who rely on the services of an assistance dog to travel independently, will benefit substantially from this change in approach.” However, she acknowledged the concerns raised by peers and promised to continue engagement with them.
NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTNP) (“Titan”) today reported that it received a notice (the “5250 Notice”) on November 22, 2024 from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) advising the Company that it was not in compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements under the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1) (“Rule 5250”) as a result of its failure to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 (the “Q3 Form 10-Q”) in a timely manner. Under Nasdaq rules, the Company has 60 calendar days from receipt of the 5250 Notice or until January 21, 2025, to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Listing Rule. If Nasdaq accepts the Company’s plan, then Nasdaq may grant an exception of up to 180 calendar days from the due date of the Q3 Form 10-Q, or until May 19, 2025, to regain compliance. In response to the Notice, the Company is working to file the Q3 Form 10-Q as soon as possible in order to regain compliance with the Listing Rule. However, if the Company does not submit the Q3 Form 10-Q by January 21, 2025, the Company will submit a plan by such date to Nasdaq that outlines, as definitively as possible, the steps the Company will take to promptly file the Q3 Form 10-Q. Additionally, on November 25, 2024, the Company received a notice (the “5605 Notice”) from Nasdaq advising the Company that, following the appointment of Brynner Chiam as Acting Principal Executive Officer and Acting Principal Financial Officer of the Company on November 6, 2024, the Company no longer complies with Nasdaq’s audit committee requirements as set forth in Listing Rule 5605 (“Rule 5605”). Nasdaq advised that consistent with Listing Rule 5605(c)(4), Nasdaq will provide the Company with a cure period in order to regain compliance with Rule 5605: (i) until the earlier of the Company’s next annual shareholders’ meeting or November 6, 2025; or (ii) if the next annual shareholders’ meeting is held before May 5, 2025, then the Company must evidence compliance no later than May 5, 2025. The Company intends to appoint an additional independent director to the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee prior to the end of the cure periods. About Titan Pharmaceuticals Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTNP), formerly based in South San Francisco, CA, is a development stage company previously focused on developing proprietary therapeutics utilizing ProNeura® long-term, continuous drug delivery technology. In December 2021, Titan commenced a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value. Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our product development programs and any other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's current expectations include those risks and uncertainties relating to our ability to raise capital, the regulatory approval process, the development, testing, production and marketing of our drug candidates, patent and intellectual property matters and strategic agreements and relationships. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. A complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties that may affect Schmitt's business, including the business of its subsidiary, is included in “Risk Factors” in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Media & Investor Contacts Brynner Chiam Acting Principal Executive Officer and Acting Principal Financial Officer (786) 769-7512LEE Mack's The 1% Club has returned for a festive special, with Christmas themed questions already catching out contestants. The ITV show sees contestants faced with questions designed to test how their brain works, rather than their intelligence level. They have to use their logic, reasoning and common sense as they are whittled down to one final question that only 1% of the country can answer correctly. This is all in an effort to try and take home the jackpot prize of up to £100,000. This year's Christmas special featured festive themed questions, but it wasn't long before those trying to win the money were stumped. With the second question focusing on a Christmas 'spot the difference', viewers at home were left stunned to find that 28 contestants had failed to get the answer right. The question pictured a festive scene where contestants had to spot what was differing between the two, with the answer being a missing pair of Santa's legs. Taking to X, one viewer wrote: " 28 people getting the second question wrong!" Another shared: "28 people. Wow". "What on earth were those 28 people looking at?" asked another baffled viewer. This wasn't the only question that viewers at home were shocked to see the contestants struggling with, as some questioned whether the Christmas special quiz had been made 'easier'. One viewer shared on social media: "these questions are exceptionally easy . how anyone’s getting them wrong i’ll never know." Another simply put: "Too easy." The festive special sees comedian Lee Mack back at the helm of the quiz show, which won Best Quiz Game Show for the third year in a row at the NTA Awards. The series has also been recommissioned for a fifth series , with ITV bringing back the show for this festive special and also a charity one for Soccer Aid . A source previously told us: "The show has well and truly proved its popularity with viewers, and so it’s only natural to bring it back for not one, but two more rounds. "This will also include two Christmas specials, which will air on ITV after the main series have run." Previous episodes of The 1% Club are available on ITVX.