South Koreans remain deeply disturbed by what President Yoon Suk Yeol did to the nation this week. His misguided and perplexing declaration of the short-lived martial law has caused a whirlwind of outrage, confusion and conflict. Why and how he managed to do something so erratic is not yet clear; what’s certain, however, is that he has touched off a sweeping firestorm of embarrassment across Korean society. The most immediate and widely expected consequence of the martial law decree is a political showdown over the opposition party-led impeachment motion against him. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea said it would push for a vote Saturday for an impeachment motion against Yoon over his aborted martial law declaration that shocked the entire nation and the world. The Democratic Party and Yoon's detractors are now trying to remove him from the presidency, but the outlook for impeachment remains uncertain as Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party, said Thursday he will work hard with his party to block the motion's passage. Han said his decision was not to defend Yoon’s “unconstitutional martial law” but to prevent a chaotic situation that could hurt the public. Han’s stated position heralds a rocky path for the impeachment motion since it requires a two-thirds majority to pass parliament. Of the 300-member National Assembly, the opposition bloc needs at least eight votes from the ruling party to pass the bill. The contrasting stance of the rival parties over the need for impeachment is expected to further deepen the level of conflict in the country’s political circles. Adding to the political tension, the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed impeachment motions against Board of Audit and Inspection Chair Choe Jae-hae and three top prosecutors over their roles in the relocation of the presidential office and issues involving first lady Kim Keon Hee. Yoon’s martial law decree also put Korea’s financial and business sectors on edge. On Wednesday, foreign investors dumped stocks valued at 600 billion won ($423 million) and the Korean currency plunged to a two-year low against the US dollar at one point before regaining some of its value thanks to a pledge by the financial authorities to supply liquidity. Experts noted that markets are now in a better condition than expected, but if political turmoil continues and uncertainty about the government’s economic policy increases, the overall credit rating of the Korean economy could suffer a setback. International credit rating agencies like S&P have given high marks to Korea’s reliable and consistent policies. But Korea’s political risks, globally exposed by Yoon's abrupt martial law declaration, are feared to undermine the country's sovereign ratings among foreign investors. As for relations with the US and other neighboring countries, there is no doubt that Yoon’s martial law declaration has generated negative reactions. For instance, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the US was watching the development with “grave concern.” Diplomatic events involving the US, Japan and other countries are being delayed or canceled, reflecting heightened political and social tensions in Korea. It is deeply regrettable that Yoon has complicated Korea’s political situation and dragged down its international stature overnight. More worrisome is that the negative impact could last longer than expected, spilling into other sectors -- a sorry development that the government must prevent with all resources and measures available.Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Professional boxer Paul Bamba unexpectedly died just days after being crowned WBA Gold Cruiserweight champion, his manager and family announced on social media. He was 35. R&B singer and songwriter Ne-Yo issued a joint statement with Bamba’s family on social media Friday confirming the news of his passing. A cause of death was not revealed. Bamba had a 19-3 record with 18 knockouts, 14 of which came in 2024. (Adobe Stock) "It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of beloved son, brother, friend and boxing champion Paul Bamba, whose light and love touched countless lives," the statement posted on Instagram read. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM "He was a fierce yet confident competitor with an unrelenting ambition to achieve greatness. But more than anything, he was a tremendous individual that inspired many with his exceptional drive and determination. We are heartbroken by his passing and kindly ask for privacy and understanding during this difficult time as we collectively navigate our grief." Bamba signed with Ne-Yo’s management company this year. He broke Mike Tyson’s record just six days prior to his death when he won the WBA Gold Cruiserweight championship to win 14 fights – all knockouts – in a single year. "This year I set out with a goal. I did just that," Bamba said in a post on Instagram after the fight. MIKE TYSON FACES $1.5 MILLION LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGED CONTRACT VIOLATION IN ORDER TO FIGHT JAKE PAUL "Wasn’t easy, there were many obstacles that I adapted to, overcame and kept on the path we set regardless of extenuating circumstances. 14 fights. 14 knockouts ending with the WBA GOLD cruiserweight world title," he continued. "Blessed to have my family, my team and all my supporters along the way. That being said if you got what some might call an ‘outlandish goal’ GO chase it. Anyone who thinks that isn’t as brave as you, prove people wrong!" Boxing gloves laying on a mat inside a boxing ring. (Fernando Lavoz/NurPhoto via Getty Images) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP According to Reuters, Bamba had a 19-3 record with 18 knockouts, 14 of which came in 2024. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.The Medical Aesthetics Professionals (MAP) Meeting, a leader in medical aesthetic education and training, officially announced its brand evolution to MedSpa Pro - signaling strategic advancement designed to meet the dynamic demands of modern practitioners. This pivotal shift coincides with the conclusion of its 2024 Scottsdale conference, as the organization sets its sights on an ambitious vision for the future. Scottsdale, Arizona, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hosted at the prestigious Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, this year's MedSpa Pro Meeting brought together pacesetting voices in medical aesthetics under the guidance of industry pioneers and co-chairs Barry DiBernardo, MD, Jason Pozner, MD, and Joseph Russo, MD. Over three intensive days, participants immersed themselves in a wealth of cutting-edge, comprehensive content that spanned advanced injection techniques, emerging technologies, and business management strategies. Program highlights included an exclusive Head-to-Head Anatomy Masterclass led by preeminent anatomist Sebastian Cotofana, MD, PhD, and an innovative Weight Loss Track spearheaded by Johnny Franco, MD. Complementing these sessions, expertise-driven curricula featured a dedicated Aesthetician Track and Master Injector Live Injection Program. Beyond the core curriculum, expert-led panel discussions explored today's most pressing aesthetic medicine topics while market-leading brands showcased game-changing products and services in the exhibition space. Together, these experiences equipped participants with fresh perspectives, practical insights, valuable partnerships, and lasting connections, empowering them to elevate their clinical and personal success. MedSpa Pro's rebranding represents expanding pathways for advancing this booming specialty. "As we embrace the next chapter in aesthetic medicine, we are excited to unveil our new identity as MedSpa Pro," stated Doreen Brown , CEO of Informa Connect Medical Division. "This evolution reflects our commitment to keeping pace with our ever-evolving industry and serving our expanding community through gold-standard training and unmatched networking opportunities." MedSpa Pro's refined brand identity will roll out in the coming months as the company prepares for a breakthrough 2025. Among exciting new initiatives, next year introduces specialized training opportunities led by the distinguished Dr. Russo and fellow acclaimed experts, strengthening the organization's position as the foremost resource in medical aesthetics. Aesthetic medicine providers, medical spa professionals, and industry stakeholders can mark their calendars for the 3rd Annual MedSpa Pro Meeting, set to take place at the iconic Boca Raton resort in November 2025. Further details about upcoming programs will be announced soon; in the meantime, please visit MedSpa Pro's LinkedIn profile for updates. ### MedSpa Pro serves as the leading educational platform for medical aesthetics professionals, delivering targeted education, tailored training, and strategic networking opportunities across the industry. Through its premier conference and progressive initiatives, the organization connects enterprising practitioners with renowned experts to advance excellence in aesthetic medicine. MedSpa Pro is part of the Informa Connect Medical Division, a global force in medical education across the entire healthcare ecosystem. CONTACT: Aly Vazquez MedSpa Pro [email protected]
Sean Dyche insists he doesn't need a set-piece coach and his old-school methods are the way forward - claiming he's 'got the wrong staff' at Everton if they can't work things out for themselves
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 28, 2024-- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating whether the sale of Altair Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTR) to Siemens for $113.00 per share in cash is fair to Altair shareholders. Halper Sadeh encourages Altair shareholders to click here to learn more about their legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com . The investigation concerns whether Altair and its board of directors violated the federal securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders by failing to, among other things: (1) obtain the best possible consideration for Altair shareholders; (2) determine whether Siemens is underpaying for Altair; and (3) disclose all material information necessary for Altair shareholders to adequately assess and value the merger consideration. On behalf of Altair shareholders, Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits. We would handle the action on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses. Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241228354674/en/ CONTACT: Halper Sadeh LLC One World Trade Center 85th Floor New York, NY 10007 Daniel Sadeh, Esq. Zachary Halper, Esq. (212) 763-0060 sadeh@halpersadeh.com zhalper@halpersadeh.com https://www.halpersadeh.com KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEGAL SOURCE: Halper Sadeh LLC Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/28/2024 02:08 PM/DISC: 12/28/2024 02:08 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241228354674/enB.C. Premier David Eby said B.C. will slay its record-setting deficit of $9 billion through growth and sound fiscal planning, not "harsh austerity cuts" or "under-funding services" as he reached out to business leaders to make a case for investment in physical and social infrastructure. Eby made these comments while speaking in Vancouver Tuesday, (Dec. 10), at an event hosted by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, which has previously raised concerns about B.C.'s fiscal direction. That tension surfaced during the opening of the informal question-and-answer session between Eby and Fiona Famulak, chamber president and chief executive officer. "We don't always agree, but we can always have — and we always do have — candid and frank conversations, and I know you are always up for tough questions, because you always answer them," Famulak said. "What you have just said minutes ago, a lot of good things have been said." Eby acknowledged relations could be better. "So my commitment is that you will find a government that is hoping, with your support, to hit reset on this relationship, to move forward with the tariff threat that we are facing in a unified way, with the massive opportunity in this province to deliver it for British Columbians and that four years from now...we can look back and go, 'man, we did a lot of good work together.'" Eby's prepared remarks touched on a range of subjects, including tomorrow's meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as provincial and territorial leaders to discuss threatened tariffs of 25 per cent on all Canadian goods by incoming-president U.S. Donald Trump. But if a singular theme ran through Eby's speech, it was his promise to reform permitting for natural resource projects. He pointed to yesterday's announcement that his government would free nine new wind energy projects from the required environmental assessments. He then added that those projects would go through a singular rather multiple permitting windows. Eby said these changes will help get these projects off the ground three to five years faster than otherwise in framing them as the first of many changes to speed up permitting in various areas. One of the central sectors concerned about permitting is the mining sector. More to come...President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday vowed to name a new prime minister in the coming days to prevent France from sliding deeper into political turmoil, rejecting growing pressure from the opposition to resign. Macron adopted a defiant tone in an address to the nation, seeking to limit an escalating political crisis after Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote. Contemporary France's shortest-serving premier, Barnier resigned after Wednesday's parliamentary defeat in a standoff over the budget forced his government to step down, the first such toppling of a French administration in over 60 years. Macron now faces the task for the third time this year of selecting a new prime minister and did not come up with a name in his address. "I will appoint a prime minister in the coming days," he said, adding this person would be charged with forming a "government of general interest" with a priority of passing a budget. He also lashed out at the French far right and hard left for uniting in an "anti-republican front" to bring down the government. He said lawmakers had "knowingly" chosen "to topple the budget and the government just days before the Christmas holidays." The French presidency said earlier that Barnier and his ministers would remain "in charge of daily business until the appointment of a new government". Limiting any impression of political chaos is all the more important for Macron given that on Saturday he will host world leaders -- including US President-elect Donald Trump -- for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris after a devastating 2019 fire. Pointing to how the edifice was rebuilt within the five-year timeline he had set, Macron said: "It's the proof we're able to do great things, that we can do the impossible." In an unusual move, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, France's top diplomat for just two-and-a-half months, urged unity in a message on social media, saying "instability is vulnerability" at a time of international uncertainty. A majority of lawmakers on Wednesday supported the no-confidence vote proposed by the hard left and backed by the far right headed by Marine Le Pen. Barnier's ejection in record time came after snap parliamentary elections in June resulted in a hung parliament. No political force was able to form an overall majority and the far right held the key to the government's survival. The trigger for Barnier's ouster was his 2025 budget plan, including austerity measures unacceptable to a majority in parliament, but which he argued were necessary to stabilise France's finances. On Monday he forced through a social security financing bill without a vote, but the ousting of the government means France is still without a budget. New legislative elections cannot be called until a year after the previous ones in summer 2024. But while Macron has more than two years of his presidential term left, some opponents are calling on him to resign to break the deadlock. According to a poll by Odoxa-Backbone Consulting for Le Figaro daily, 59 percent of French want the president to step down, while a survey by Harris for RTL put the figure even higher, at 64 percent. Bur Macron said: "The mandate that you gave to me democratically (in 2022 elections) is a five-year mandate and I will exercise it fully, right up to the end." "The 30 months we have ahead of us must be 30 months of useful action for the country." But he admitted his decision to call snap parliamentary elections this summer that resulted in a hung parliament "was not understood". "Many have blamed me for it and I know, many continue to blame me. It's a fact and it's my responsibility," he said. Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said that Macron was the "cause of the problem" in France "and would go due to the force of events" before his term ends. Barnier is Macron's fifth prime minister since coming to power in 2017. Each successive premier has served for a shorter period and, given the composition of the National Assembly, there is no guarantee that Barnier's successor would last any longer. Loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron's centrist ally Francois Bayrou have been touted as possible contenders, as has former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve. Bayrou, who leads the MoDem party, had lunch with the president at the Elysee, a source close to him told AFP. sjw/ah/gv
Saputo Inc. stock rises Tuesday, outperforms market
ST. PAUL — Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic died Friday following a battle with cancer. She was 62. Her family said she died surrounded by loved ones. “She had a heart of gold, willing to go to any measure to help those she loved,” they said in a statement. ADVERTISEMENT Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin the Minneapolis Democrat was committed to working for Minnesotans. She served in the Minnesota Senate for more than a decade. “It is impossible to overstate the positive impact that Senator Dziedzic’s leadership has had on our state,” Martin said in a statement. “She devoted her life to making her fellow Minnesotans’ lives better, and she refused to allow cancer to get in her way. Minnesota has lost a giant, but her extraordinary legacy will outlast us all.” Dziedzic was instrumental in holding together the Senate DFL caucus in 2023 as they passed, with a one-vote majority, a variety of Democratic priorities like funding universal school meals for students, approving a paid family and medical leave program, cementing legal protections for abortion and gender-affirming care and legalizing cannabis for recreational use. She was respected on both sides of the political aisle and her demeanor was always steady, even amid tense times in the Senate. Dziedzic’s laid-back style made her a surprising pick for majority leader after the 2022 election. Leaders from both major political parties said they were heartbroken by her death. “Senator Kari Dziedzic was a passionate legislator, a respected leader, and a trusted colleague and friend. She will be remembered for her integrity and her compassion for Minnesotans, something that we all saw as she continued to serve even as she battled cancer,” said Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, an East Grand Forks Republican. “I’m deeply saddened at her passing and am praying for her family and friends as we all mourn this loss.” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she was “one of the most skilled diplomats ever to serve in elected office.” ADVERTISEMENT “Her legacy includes significant achievements in policy and investment in Minnesota, but more importantly she will be remembered for treating people with dignity and respect and never giving up on finding workable compromises,” Hortman said. “She had an incredible ability to work diligently through the most arcane and difficult policy issues to find resolution.” Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, agreed, saying she was “an uncommon leader.” “Her talents as a consequential and thoughtful leader made us all better legislators, and her examples of kindness humor, and selflessness made us all better people,” Murphy said. Former Senate DFL Leader Melisa López Franzen praised Dziedzic as a hard worker. “The last time I spoke to Kari a few weeks ago she was still serving her constituents,” she wrote on social media. “That’s Senator Dziedzic, the hardest working legislator I have ever had the honor to serve with. Rest in peace my friend.” Dziedzic was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023 and underwent emergency surgery to limit its spread. She stepped down from her leadership position in February after her cancer recurred. The Senate will now stand in a 33-33 tie between Democrats and Republicans heading into the 2025 legislative session. Gov. Tim Walz has not yet said when he might call for a special election in the Minneapolis district. ADVERTISEMENT Dziedzic had a degree in engineering but couldn’t resist the family pull into public service. Her father, Walt, was a colorful Minneapolis city council member who later served on the park board. Dziedzic told MPR News that she felt drawn into politics after watching her father’s example. “I knew the long hours. I knew the phone calls at home. I knew what I was walking into,” she said. “But I also knew the opportunity that you have to help other people. And it’s about helping people and making your community better.” Dziedzic began a career in public service as a campaign volunteer and later moved on to become a scheduling aide for former U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone. After a stint working for a Hennepin County commissioner, she was nudged to run for a state Senate seat when longtime lawmaker Larry Pogemiller stepped down to take another government job. Gov. Tim Walz called Dziedzic a “one-of-a-kind leader.” He added, “Her legacy should inspire all of us in elected office to be better public servants.” Details for a memorial service have not yet been announced. ______________________________________________________ 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 .Chasing a dream: Despite elite talent, Petaia isn’t the one who got away
France's Macron vows to stay on, promises PM in 'coming days'
San Francisco, California – While companies building consumer apps and prosumer tools are investing heavily in personalizing user experiences through product usage data, teams are still manually creating the workflows that deliver those personalized moments. Today, Aampe announced that it has deployed more than 100 million intelligent agents in consumer applications across four continents. Companies that have deployed Aampe agents include some of the leading food delivery and on-demand apps in South and Southeast Asia, top sports and fitness apps in Europe, and major fintech and entertainment apps in the U.S. The agents manage 15-200 billion decisions each week that determine interactions with product interfaces. The company announced $18 million in Series A funding led by Theory Ventures, bringing Aampe's total funding to $27.3 million to accelerate the adoption of its agent infrastructure. Z47 also participated in the round. Conventional approaches to personalizing digital products have relied on humans manually creating rules and segments to determine what users see and when. This approach — unchanged for over a decade — requires teams to manually orchestrate the message or product surface that will best serve the end user’s interests, whether they’re making a purchase, evaluating content options, or trying new features. With consumer preferences rapidly and continually changing, the conventional approach creates a massive human bottleneck and non-scalable operational workload. Aampe's infrastructure takes a fundamentally different approach: deploying a unique AI agent for each user that continuously learns from interactions and intelligently decides what to show, when to show it, and, most importantly, whether to show anything at all. Designed to continuously monitor usage and engagement data, each agent skillfully observes and learns the user's changing preferences. Agents are then responsible for translating inferences into optimal management of the user’s interactions with the product — enabling genuine 1:1 personalization even for products that serve tens of millions or more users daily. "Consumer applications today almost universally look the same to everyone who opens them, with personalization limited to narrow recommendation feeds," said Paul Meinshausen, CEO and co-founder of Aampe. "We’ve designed and developed infrastructure that continuously enables every aspect of an application to adapt to each user's context and preferences. Our mission is to improve the way users experience digital products fundamentally." Founded in 2020 by a trio of scientists, Aampe emerged from a unique combination of expertise. Meinshausen, who previously co-founded PaySense (acquired by Prosus/PayU for $185M), met co-founder Schaun Wheeler in a U.S. Army Intelligence Analysis unit in 2009. Along with Sami Abboud, a former semiconductor engineer and neuroscience PhD, the founding team combines backgrounds in cognitive and behavioral science, engineering, and experimentation. They’ve harnessed their specialized backgrounds to design a new AI architecture for user interaction. Rather than using traditional machine learning or generative AI alone, Aampe's infrastructure leverages a subset of AI called reinforcement learning to enable continuous, parallelized experimentation. Each agent learns and adapts in real-time, helping users manage their attention and make complex choices in a world of material and content abundance. The agents operationalize their decisions by intelligently managing a range of existing product and marketing tools - including data platforms and warehouses, marketing delivery platforms, and product analytics tools, allowing companies to extract more value from their current technology investments. Alexander Beresford, CGO/CMO at Taxfix, says “Customers now expect brands to know what they want and respond instantly - standards have gone up. The future of engagement in owned media lies in AI systems that learn from each customer’s behavior and adapt automatically to deliver personalized experiences. Unlike older systems that follow rigid rules, these AI agents evolve with the customer, keeping every interaction relevant without extra effort from the business. This isn’t just a new trend - it’s where everything is headed. For brands looking to stay competitive, adopting this approach isn’t optional; it’s the difference between sounding irrelevant and sounding like you understand them. Aampe is, for me, a leap in that direction which brings a novel approach to individual customer needs.” “AI agents can make decisions at a scale that is impossible for any human,” said Andy Triedman, Partner at Theory Ventures. “Aampe allows customer engagement teams to craft experiences for their diverse user base versus just one or two flows targeted at the typical person. This new type of infrastructure will be transformational for companies looking to provide personalization driven by data.” Aakash Kumar, Managing Director at Z47, added: “The world of app engagement has not delivered on the promise of deep learning-led personalization. Agentic AI provides the opportunity to break through. Paul and the team at Aampe are shaping the future of agentic infrastructure for user journey personalization, with excellent feedback and adoption from their early customers.” The company's privacy-centric approach, using zero-PII storage practices and anonymized behavioral patterns, has already attracted major consumer businesses across Southeast Asia and North America. The company has already deployed over one hundred million (100,000,000) agents for enterprise customers across 4 continents. As Aampe scales, it plans to double its team by the end of 2025, focusing on helping enterprise customers successfully migrate their workflows and adopt agentic infrastructure into their organizations. Looking ahead, Aampe aims to power the next generation of consumer applications through its easy-to-deploy agentic infrastructure. While their earliest applications focused on on marketing and messaging channels, Aampe has been rapidly extending their agents capabilities to manage the entire user experience—from interface layouts to feature discovery—enabling every interaction to adapt continuously to every user and their preferences at any given point in time.Why financial independence mattersNetflix continues to express confidence that its streaming platform is prepared to handle the massive audiences expected for a pair of Christmas Day NFL games along with the start of its live coverage of the World Wrestling Entertainment's "Raw" next month. Concerns were raised after users experienced issues with buffering and low quality feeds during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match last month. Netflix has exclusive rights to stream NFL games on Christmas Day between the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. Beyonce is scheduled to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game, which could create more server traffic Netflix must take into account. It's a major test after the company reported an average global live audience of 108 million viewers for Paul's victory over Tyson in Arlington, Texas. Downdetector.com , which tracks service outages, announced that there were 90,000 issues reported at one point. "It was a big number, but you don't know, and you can't learn these things until you do them, so you take a big swing," Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria told Front Office Sports. "Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from these things. "We've all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyonce, and so we're totally ready and excited for WWE." WWE president Nick Khan told FOS that Raw's tone and content will not change as it moves to the streaming service, with its first event of 2025 scheduled for Jan. 6. "There's some online chatter about, ‘oh, it's going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.' That's definitely not happening," Khan said. "It's family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It's going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop." --Field Level Media
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This is Armchair Economics with Hamish McRae, a subscriber-only newsletter from i . If you’d like to get this direct to your inbox, every single week, you can sign up here. So Luton is to stop all vehicle production after the owner of Vauxhall announced the closure of its van factory. Why? It is easy to throw around the blame. The owner of Vauxhall is now Stellantis, which was formed by Chrysler, Fiat and Peugeot-Citroen getting together in 2019. So the company could be accused of wanting to shut plants in Britain rather than in France, Italy or the US. Or you could blame this Government’s drive to stop companies selling petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK in five years’ time. That was “a significant part” of the reason behind the decision, the company said. It has certainly had a reaction. The Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, told the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ dinner on Tuesday that the Government was launching a consultation about reforming the rules about the pace at which manufacturers will be forced to switch to electric vehicles . Wider retreat from manufacturing Or you could simply say this is part of the much wider retreat from manufacturing that the UK has experienced over the past half-century – though it is worth noting that the same pattern is being repeated across the rest of the developed world. But rather than trying apportion to blame, it is surely more helpful – and actually more hopeful – to set what is happening into its longer-term context. So let’s step back a bit, starting with a sad note, for this ends 120 years of tradition. It was in March 1905 that the Vauxhall company moved to Luton, making beautifully-engineered luxury cars that vied with Rolls-Royce, Mercedes and Hispano-Suiza at the top end of the pre-First World War market. The success didn’t last. The cars were too expensive, profits turned to losses and in 1925 Vauxhall was taken over by General Motors, anxious to match Ford’s incursion into the UK market. American flash Purists may disagree – GM’s Vauxhalls were mass-market products, not “real” ones for the wealthy – but American expertise in mass production turned Luton into a manufacturing powerhouse. Bedford lorries and vans were a huge success, with a reputation for reliability around the world. The factory built the Churchill tank in the Second World War, and from the 1950s onwards brought a bit of American flash into the drab British car market. Read Next The election petition is the worst of Brexit all over again Along with most of the rest of the UK’s car manufacturers , GM was plagued by quality and labour problems, and eventually stopped making cars at Luton in 2002, though it carried on building vans in association with Renault. Car production was switched to the newer plant at Ellesmere Port – where apparently Stellantis will now focus all its UK business. The company has promised an extra £50m of investment there. We will see. But looking back at the history, it isn’t fair to blame foreign ownership as such for the demise of Luton. After all, it was GM that rescued Vauxhall, and turned a small specialist car firm into a global business. More broadly, Nissan in Sunderland has been a huge success and it was the foreign ownership of Tata at Jaguar Land-Rover that turned round the fortunes there. Push customers towards China So what about the Government’s policy on pushing the industry towards a faster switch towards electric cars? There are two points here. One is that elected governments will have environmental and social policies that carry economic costs, and the important thing is that those costs should be made clear. But they make mistakes. If it is true, as Stellantis says, that the Government’s electric vehicle mandate was an important reason behind the closure, then this is a cost. Jonathan Reynolds should be commended for his candour in acknowledging that the mandate “isn’t working as intended”. Nissan says that EV rules are undermining the case for making cars in Britain, and given its importance it should certainly be listened to. The other point is that, Tesla apart, electric car production is dominated by China . Last year it made 58 per cent of the world’s pure electric and plug-in electric cars. It will probably be higher still this year. So forcing people in Britain to buy electric is, in effect, to push them towards China. Golden years The question then, aside from whether this is really a wise policy, is how to persuade Chinese manufacturers to develop more of their business here. More design work? An assembly plant for MGs and other Chinese-owned companies? This isn’t just about the loss of jobs in Luton. It is about the wider strategic implications of our policy towards the motor industry. All this is dispiriting. The UK does have an excellent high-tech manufacturing sector, though it is proportionately slightly smaller than that of most developed countries, at around 9 per cent of GDP. But it has a much wider impact on the economy as a whole, and a recent paper by Oxford Analytics argued that if you take into account its UK-based supply chains it accounted for nearly a quarter of GDP. It also invests heavily in new technologies, with nearly half of the country’s research and development. There is lots of anecdotal evidence that craft manufacturing is booming too. So de-industrialisation may be coming to an end, and the challenge is to exploit the UK’s top-end competitive advantage – just as Vauxhall did in its golden years before the First World War. Where is there growth for Luton ? Getting out of motor production has been a long and painful process, because the growth of Vauxhall in effect crowded out other potential businesses. It has also suffered from the decline of the hat business , the problem there being that people don’t seem now to wear hats as they did even half a century ago – or at least not crafted ones. However on one simple measure, Luton is still a success story: population growth. Its physical location near London has proved a huge magnet, and Luton’s population climbed over the decade to 2021, rising by 11 per cent to 225,000; it is currently estimated at 230,000. That is faster growth than that of England as a whole. One of the principal drivers has been the airport, now planning to increase passenger numbers to 19 million a year . There is a plan to push numbers up much further , to 32 million by the 2040s. That would make it UK’s number three airport after Heathrow and Gatwick, passing Stansted and Manchester. The rationale is that it is better located than Stansted, with a much larger catchment area both for workers and passengers. But there is, as always, opposition, so we will see. The really interesting question is whether Luton is already in the early stages of a wider renaissance. Population growth is one measure, because people go to places where there are jobs. But being an affordable commuter town for Londoners seeking a bit more space is probably a bigger driver. The challenge there is to use its commuter town status to benefit the local economy too. Luton is in the southern flank of the Oxford/Cambridge arc that the previous government described in a consultation document. There are various elements to the plan, including at last a direct rail link between the two university cities. But from Luton’s point of view, the exciting prospect is sharing a role in the creative, technical and educational opportunities in this region – to be an integral part of an area of extraordinary prosperity, rather than a former industrial town trying to replace the lost jobs. The point is this. Towns cannot change their location – but they can play to their strengths, and in the case of any town near the M25, location is a positive. Luton has a large and vigorous immigrant population. For them, stitching in to the arc of prosperity between Oxford and Cambridge is a huge opportunity. This is Armchair Economics with Hamish McRae, a subscriber-only newsletter from i . If you’d like to get this direct to your inbox, every single week, you can sign up here.Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Arizona is honored to announce its recognition as the 2024 Management Company of the Year by the Community Associations Institute (CAI) Arizona Chapter. This distinguished award was presented during the Annual Meeting & Awards Breakfast on November 19, 2024, at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. The award celebrates Associa Arizona's unwavering commitment to excellence in community management, its active support of CAI Arizona Chapter initiatives, and its leadership in advancing the industry. To be selected for this prestigious recognition, Associa Arizona met rigorous standards of participation and engagement while providing thoughtful insights into the community association management profession. As part of the selection process, Associa Arizona reflected on its role in the industry, highlighting its mission to foster thriving communities through expert management services and board member education. When discussing the challenges faced in the industry, Associa Arizona noted its proactive approach to embracing innovative technologies, prioritizing professional development, and maintaining strong communication with homeowners to navigate and overcome obstacles. "This award represents the collective passion and dedication of our entire Associa Arizona team,” said Claudia Oberthier, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Tucson Branch President of Associa Arizona. "CAI Arizona plays a crucial role in advancing our profession, and this recognition inspires us to continue delivering the highest level of service excellence to the communities we manage. I am incredibly proud to be part of a team that is shaping the future of community management in Arizona.” Associa Arizona extends its heartfelt gratitude to CAI Arizona for this honor and looks forward to continuing its partnership in fostering vibrant, well-managed communities across the state. About Associa Arizona Associa Arizona is a leading provider of community management services throughout the greater Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tucson areas, offering tailored solutions for homeowners' associations, condominiums, and co-ops. With a focus on personalized service and innovative strategies, Associa Arizona is dedicated to helping communities achieve their goals and thrive. To learn more please visit www.associaarizona.com . CONTACT: Tiffany Mershae Associa 972-661-4429 [email protected]Democrats strike deal to get more Biden judges confirmed before Congress adjourns