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Hopes for a Santa Claus rally on Wall Street fell Friday as tech stocks slid lower, while a weaker yen lifted Japanese equities New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Dec, 2024) Hopes for a Santa Claus rally on Wall Street fell Friday as tech stocks slid lower, while a weaker yen lifted Japanese equities. US indices slumped to end the holiday week, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite losing 1.5 percent. Shares in Tesla were closed around 5.0 percent lower, while those in AI chipmaker Nvidia shed around 2.0 percent. Wall Street stocks have historically performed well around the year-end holidays in what is popularly known as a Santa Claus rally. A Christmas Eve jump in equities got the Santa rally off to a flying start and indices barely budged in Thursday trading. Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare also pointed to an increase in 10-year US Treasury bond yields to around 4.6 percent, which he noted is a rise of nearly 0.9 percentage points since the US Federal Reserve made its first recent interest rate cut in September. "The Fed doesn't hold sway over longer-dated maturities like it does over shorter-dated securities, so the bump in rates at the back end of the curve is being watched with an anxious eye as a possible harbinger of a pickup in inflation and/or the budget deficit," O'Hare said. Wall Street stocks took a knock earlier this month when the Fed indicated it would likely cut interest rates less than it had previously expected to. That was in part because of uncertainty tied to President-elect Donald Trump's vow to raise import tariffs, which could boost inflation that is already proving sticky. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei index closed up nearly two percent, with the yen's recent weakness proving a boon for major exporters. The yen hit 158.08 per US dollar on Thursday evening -- its lowest in almost six months -- following comments made by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda that failed to give a clear signal on a possible interest rate increase next month. Recent data has showed Japan's inflation rose for a second month in December, while industrial production declined less than expected in November and retail sales came in higher than estimated last month. Japan's government also on Friday approved a record budget for the next fiscal year, ramping up spending on social welfare for its ageing population and on defense to tackle regional threats. In Seoul, the stock market closed down one percent after the won plunged to a nearly 16-year low of 1,487. 03 against the dollar on Friday morning. South Korea is struggling to emerge from political turbulence in the wake of President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration this month, which prompted his impeachment. Acting President Han Duck-soo was also impeached Friday in a vote that prompted governing party lawmakers to protest with angry chants and raised fists. South Korea's business outlook for January fell in the Bank of Korea's composite sentiment index, the biggest month-on-month slide since April 2020, according to data based on almost 3,300 firms released Friday. In Europe, Frankfurt's DAX index rose after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dissolved parliament on Friday and confirmed the expected date for the early general election, emphasizing the need for "political stability" in Europe's largest economy. - Key figures around 2115 GMT - New York - Dow: DOWN 0.8 percent at 42,992.21 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 1.1 percent at 5,970.84 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: DOWN 1.5 percent at 19,722.03 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,149.78 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 1.0 percent at 7,355.37 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 19,984.32 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 40,281.16 points (close) Seoul - Kospi: DOWN 1.0 percent at 2,404.77 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 20,116.93 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,400.14 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0429 from $1.0424 on Thursday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2579 from $1.2526 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.89 yen from 158.00 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.87 pence from 83.19 pence West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.4 percent at $70.60 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.2 percent at $74.17 per barrel burs-rl/rlp/bys/sms TOYOTA MOTOR INVESTOR AB S&P Global Ratings NETFLIX Tesla Amazon.com
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Hezbollah fires about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in heaviest barrage in weeks BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah has fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, wounding seven people in one of the militant group’s heaviest barrages in months. Sunday's attacks in northern and central Israel came in response to deadly Israeli strikes in central Beirut on Saturday. Israel struck southern Beirut on Sunday. Meanwhile, negotiators press on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war. And Lebanon's military says an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center in the southwest killed one soldier and wounded 18 others. Israel's military has expressed regret and said its operations are directed solely against the militants. Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (AP) — In the year since the war in Gaza broke out, Israel's government has been cracking down on dissent among its Palestinian citizens. Authorities have charged Palestinians with “supporting terrorism” because of posts online or for demonstrating against the war. Activists and rights watchdogs say Palestinians have also lost jobs, been suspended from schools and faced police interrogations. Palestinians make up about 20% of Israel's population. Many feel forced to self-censor out of fear of being jailed and further marginalized in society. Others still find ways to dissent, but carefully. Israel's National Security Ministry counters that, “Freedom of speech is not the freedom to incite.” Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed. The government arrests 3 TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found, citing Emirati authorities. The UAE’s Interior Ministry said authorities arrested three perpetrators involved in the killing of Zvi Kogan. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said Kogan was killed, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.” It said: “The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death." Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped. His disappearance comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October. Somalia says 24 people have died after 2 boats capsized in the Indian Ocean MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's government says 24 people died after two boats capsized off the Madagascar coast in the Indian Ocean. Somalia’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said 46 people were rescued. Most of the passengers were young Somalis, and their intended destination remains unclear. Many young Somalis embark every year on dangerous journeys in search of better opportunities abroad. A delegation led by the Somali ambassador to Ethiopia is scheduled to travel to Madagascar on Monday to investigate the incident and coordinate efforts to help survivors. The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump's promises on growth and inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has big plans for the economy. He also has big debt problem that'll be a hurdle to delivering on those plan. Trump has bold ambitions on tax cuts, tariffs and other programs. But high interest rates and the price of repaying the federal government’s existing debt could limit what he’s able to do. The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will easily exceed spending on national security. Moscow offers debt forgiveness to new recruits and AP sees wreckage of a new Russian missile KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law granting debt forgiveness to new army recruits who enlist to fight in Ukraine. The measure, whose final version appeared on a government website Saturday, underscores Russia’s needs for military personnel in the nearly 3-year-old war, even as it fired last week a new intermediate-range ballistic missile. Russia has ramped up military recruitment by offering increasing financial incentives to those willing to fight in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Security Service on Sunday showed The Associated Press wreckage of the new intermediate-range ballistic missile that struck a factory in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday. Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across US during Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters in the U.S. have warned of another round of winter weather that could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving. California is bracing for more snow and rain while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Thousands remained without power in the Seattle area on Sunday after a “bomb cyclone” storm system hit the West Coast last week, killing two people. After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizers ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump's victory has dismayed many politically engaged Black women, and they're reassessing their enthusiasm for politics and organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote, and they had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Kamala Harris. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. Pakistani police arrest thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of rally in the capital ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani security officer says police have arrested thousands of Imran Khan supporters ahead of a rally in Islamabad to demand the ex-premier’s release from prison. Khan has been behind bars for more than a year. But he remains popular and his party says the cases against him are politically motivated. Police Sunday arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters in eastern Punjab province, a Khan stronghold. They include five parliamentarians. Pakistan has sealed off the capital with shipping containers. It also suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns.” Uruguay's once-dull election has become a dead heat in the presidential runoff MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans are heading to the polls to choose their next president. In Sunday's election, the candidates of the conservative governing party and the left-leaning coalition are locked in a close runoff after failing to win an outright majority in last month’s vote. It's a hard-fought race between Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party’s candidate, and Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, a coalition of leftist and center-left parties that governed for 15 years until the 2019 victory of center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou — overseeing the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the sale of marijuana in the small South American nation.
US Supreme Court bails on NVIDIA case, allowing a shareholder lawsuit to proceed
AP News Summary at 4:11 p.m. ESTWhales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on CME Gr . Looking at options history for CME Gr CME we detected 21 trades. If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 33% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 19% with bearish. From the overall spotted trades, 11 are puts, for a total amount of $2,422,975 and 10, calls, for a total amount of $602,430. What's The Price Target? Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $85.0 to $300.0 for CME Gr over the last 3 months. Volume & Open Interest Development Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for CME Gr's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of CME Gr's whale activity within a strike price range from $85.0 to $300.0 in the last 30 days. CME Gr Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days Biggest Options Spotted: Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Ask Bid Price Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume CME PUT TRADE NEUTRAL 01/17/25 $68.4 $65.0 $66.5 $300.00 $1.9M 0 300 CME CALL TRADE BULLISH 01/17/25 $154.1 $152.5 $154.1 $85.00 $154.1K 5 30 CME PUT TRADE BULLISH 01/17/25 $16.8 $16.4 $16.55 $250.00 $87.7K 7 81 CME CALL TRADE BULLISH 01/17/25 $139.1 $137.7 $139.1 $100.00 $69.5K 3 30 CME CALL TRADE NEUTRAL 01/17/25 $140.3 $137.7 $139.1 $100.00 $69.5K 3 25 About CME Gr Based in Chicago, CME Group operates exchanges giving investors, suppliers, and businesses the ability to trade futures and derivatives based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, energy, metals, and commodities. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange was founded in 1898 and in 2002 completed its IPO. Since then, CME Group has consolidated parts of the industry by merging with crosstown rival CBOT Holdings in 2007 before acquiring Nymex Holdings in 2008 and NEX in 2018. In addition, the company has a 27% stake in S&P Dow Jones Indices, making the Chicago Mercantile Exchange the exclusive venue to trade and clear S&P futures contracts. Through CME's acquisition of NEX, it also expanded into cash foreign exchange, fixed-income trading, and collateral optimization. Having examined the options trading patterns of CME Gr, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance Where Is CME Gr Standing Right Now? With a volume of 514,277, the price of CME is down -0.14% at $239.13. RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought. Next earnings are expected to be released in 48 days. Professional Analyst Ratings for CME Gr A total of 2 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $258.5. Turn $1000 into $1270 in just 20 days? 20-year pro options trader reveals his one-line chart technique that shows when to buy and sell. Copy his trades, which have had averaged a 27% profit every 20 days. Click here for access .* An analyst from Barclays persists with their Equal-Weight rating on CME Gr, maintaining a target price of $257. * An analyst from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods persists with their Market Perform rating on CME Gr, maintaining a target price of $260. Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely. If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for CME Gr, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
NEW YORK, Dec. 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Zeta Global Holdings Corp. ZETA and certain of the Company's senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Zeta, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/zeta-global-holdings-corp . Investors have until January 21, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in Zeta securities. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and is captioned Davoodi v. Zeta Global Holdings Corp. , et al. , No. 24-cv-08961. What is the Lawsuit About? Zeta is a cloud-based technology company that provides a marketing platform to assist marketers in acquiring customers. The complaint alleges that Zeta represented that its marketing platform was powered by the industry's largest opted-in data set. On November 13, 2024, prominent investment research firm Culper Research published a report titled: "Zeta Global Holdings Corp (ZETA): Shams, Scams, and Spam." Based on Culper's investigation that included proprietary interviews with industry experts and former Zeta employees, the research firm found that Zeta's data set had been generated from a network of "consent farms" – i.e., sham websites designed to gather consumer data under false pretenses or awards that did not exist. Culper Research further wrote that these consent farms drove almost the entirety of Zeta's growth over the past 2+ years, representing 56% of its Adjusted EBITDA, and could result in devastating regulatory action. The news caused a significant decline in the price of Zeta stock. On November 13, 2024, the price of the company's stock fell 37%, from a closing price of $28.22 per share on November 12, 2024, to $17.76 per share on November 13, 2024. Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/zeta-global-holdings-corp . What Can You Do? If you invested in Zeta you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/zeta-global-holdings-corp Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@bfalaw.com 212-789-3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It was named among the Top 5 plaintiff law firms by ISS SCAS in 2023 and its attorneys have been named Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thompson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors (pending court approval), as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com . https://www.bfalaw.com/cases-investigations/zeta-global-holdings-corp Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers with a sore throwing shoulder. Purdy injured his right shoulder in last Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks . Purdy underwent an MRI that showed no structural damage but the shoulder didn't improve during the week and Purdy was ruled out for the game. Coach Kyle Shanahan said star defensive end Nick Bosa also will miss the game with injuries to his left hip and oblique. Left tackle Trent Williams is questionable with an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision. This will be the first time Purdy has missed a start because of an injury since taking over as the 49ers’ quarterback in December 2022. Brandon Allen will start in his place. The Niners (5-5) are currently in a three-way tie for second in the NFC West, a game behind first-place Arizona, and have little margin for error if they want to get back to the playoffs after making it to the Super Bowl last season. Purdy has completed 66% of his passes this season for 2,613 yards, 13 TDs, eight interceptions and a 95.9 passer rating that is down significantly from his league-leading mark of 113 in 2023. Allen has been mostly a backup since being drafted by Jacksonville in 2016. Allen last started a game in Week 18 of the 2021 season for Cincinnati and has thrown just three passes the last three seasons — including none since joining San Francisco in 2023. Joshua Dobbs will be the backup on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
CHANGSHA, China , Dec. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern China's rural revitalization strategy is crafting a remarkable narrative of transformation across the countryside, while progressive opening-up policies encourage foreign visitors to delve deeper into the nation's heartland. On December 26th , VOC.com.cn premiered the second season of its acclaimed series, I Am in Rural China. The show follows Teona Kvartskhava, an international guest, as she explores the villages of Hunan Province , offering viewers a firsthand look at the dynamic implementation of comprehensive rural revitalization. This captivating series invites a global audience to witness the dawn of a new era in China's rural landscapes, showcasing the country's evolving countryside to viewers worldwide. Rice field came as the first surprise. Hunan is the largest rice grower and producer in China . Hunan provides the high-quality and tasty rice. Teona Kvartskhava, a foreigner hardly feeding on rice, was tempted to have plenty of it. In Qunle Village, Lixian County, Changde, she also experienced "Double Rush", which is a time-honored agricultural event in China . An event that used to call for the joint efforts of all family members, has now become much easier thanks to technology. Departing from Lixian County for the moment, Teona Kvartskhava embarked on an exciting trip of tastes in Rucheng, Chenzhou , Southern Hunan . Hunan people are keen and expert on peppery food and spicy taste dominates the Hunan cuisine. Hunan is also rich in varieties of peppers. Jingpo town, a well-known town where spicy food prevails. It is a producer of red cluster pepper, officially one of the hottest peppers in China . From the crowded market, to the red and yellow pepper planting base, and then to the modern processing pepper workshop, the small cluster pepper strung up all corners of the town, so that the original ordinary mountain town has become extraordinarily lively and affluent. Of course, the "star" of the countryside here is not only agriculture, but also culture, which has also blossomed in this ancient land. As the birthplace of papermaking, China has preserved a unique handmade papermaking technique, which is used to make some "special" papers. In Shanghong Village, Liuyang, Teona Kvartskhava was lucky to meet two Chinese masters, who showed her hands-on experiences of "Gushan Tribute Paper" and "Floral Paper". As the process progresses, the paper took shape in her hands, as if history and culture were meeting in front of her eyes, and became the "first paper" in Teona Kvartskhava's life. So,What's rural China like? It's about hospitable peasants, about various agricultural produce, about profound history and culture, about colorful intangible cultural heritage. It's like a book telling numerous absorbing stories. Hopefully Teona Kvartskhava'll be luckier to visit more villages for their unique interest and charm. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/my-date-with-rural-chinavoccomcn-unveils-season-two-of-i-am-in-rural-china-302339884.html SOURCE voc.com.cn
With the 47th Parliament now in its final sitting week of 2024, the government is aiming to amend the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 - laws core to Australian democracy, as they regulate House and Senate elections and call for members of Parliament to be "directly chosen by the people". or signup to continue reading Following the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' inquiry into the 2022 election, the government chose to focus on some of the Committee's recommendations - including introducing gift caps, expedited disclosure of gifts and reducing the 'disclosure threshold' to $1000. While on their face these measures improve some aspects of our democracy, they also happen to further strengthen the major parties' advantage over the smaller parties and independents in running election campaigns. This is because of potential loopholes, including exemptions for what constitutes a gift, the $90 million major party expenditure limit, the $11 million expenditure cap for associated entities like the ACTU or Advance, and the $30,000 administration fund for each MP. ACT Senator David Pocock has queried these loopholes and the haste in which the government is attempting to rush them through Parliament without further scrutiny. Bolstering the major parties with initiatives of this sort is part of why many electors are cynical about the party system producing good policy. The need for electoral reform is clear but the government has prioritised maintaining structures that embed major party domination in Australia's Parliament rather than ensuring fair processes for all candidates. It is not that the major party system is inherently problematic - it's the way the major parties exercise power that is causing concern - and may indeed be one of the reasons why, as Bill Shorten noted in his valedictory speech last week, that young people currently feel that politics disenfranchises, disengages and dismisses them. It's not only young people. At a November 15 press conference, Don Farrell, Minister of State responsible for the Electoral Act amendments said: "What these changes will do is take big money out of Australian politics. It will strengthen our democracy. The Westminster system has served Australia federally very well for the last 125 years." But has the Westminster system served well over the last 125 years? If we look at the composition of the 47th Parliament, we still do not have equal numbers of women and there are many other spheres in which our Parliament is far from representative. Importantly, the demands of parliamentary life, its pressure-cooker existence and lengthy sittings in Canberra, mostly away from those near and dear, is not conducive to representatives leading healthy balanced lives or to a healthy democracy. There is little evidence that the culture of Parliament has improved. In the first Parliamentary Workplace Support Service there were 339 complaints between October 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 with 30 of them of serious wrongdoing, including rape, sexual assault and harassment. One way, and not the only way, to improve the quality of our democracy and the quality of Parliament as a workplace, is to embrace the initiative of Lucy Bradlow and Bronwen Bock who are running as a job-share Senate candidate for Victoria at the next federal election. A job-share candidature enables people who would not otherwise consider running for politics because of its full-time demands to share the role with another person of similar skills and capacity and with whom they share similar values and work style. In Lucy and Bronwen's case, two highly capable women, one a finance professional, governance expert and gender equality consultant and mother of three, the other a lawyer and communications specialist who has worked in Parliament House, propose to share the role by working one week on, one week off, but other job sharers could determine completely different arrangements. Their trail-blazing initiative has the potential to model a new form of representation and thus diversify the range of people present in Parliament and help to regenerate our democracy. It would help to take ego out of representation and would provide a working example of teaming together to provide the best outcome for those represented. For the job sharers, it would allow them to be both a representative and also to tend to their other commitments of family, health and wellbeing, and living a more rounded, balanced life. It would thus strengthen our democracy. While the Electoral Commission has publicly announced it does not see such a nomination as valid, the ACT Women's Legal Service and I will be acting on the job-sharing candidate's behalf, to argue that it is currently allowed under the Electoral Act and that it would be unconstitutional to not allow "the people" to choose to vote for them. Ultimately, the job-sharing candidate must convince the voters they are the best candidate as their single candidate, exercising only one vote, and sharing the power as a single representative in Parliament. Indeed, perhaps someone like Gavin Pearce, retiring Braddon Liberal MHR from Tasmania, may have considered not retiring at the end of this 47th Parliament if he had been able to find someone with whom he could job-share, and convince his voters that together, each of them part-time, could best represent the electorate. It could also have been an excellent way for Gavin to mentor a colleague in the process. For Gavin Pearce is . That is the reason he is quitting politics, so he can spend more time with his family. It's time now, to enable those who have initiatives to improve the quality of our democracy, to take job-sharing representation to the people - for their choice - and to ensure that the Westminster system benefits all the people, not just the present incumbents of major parties continuing to do things their way and only their way. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . 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A top US Navy admiral has warned this week that the recent move of Washington to give advanced long-range weapons to Ukraine is depleting US missile stocks. Adm. Sam Paparo, Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, told a Brookings Institution audience earlier this week that earlier in the war the US was shipping less valuable weaponry to Ukraine , which didn't deeply impact readiness for big global threats like China. More advanced defense tech is currently being shipped, and this presents a serious problem for the United States' long-term defense needs. "But now with some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it’s now eating into stocks," Paparo said . "And to say otherwise would be dishonest," the naval commander continued. Given he's in charge of the Pacific region, he underscored that this could weaken America's defense posture in the region for the long term, at a moment Beijing is vying for military primacy. Paparo emphasized that "none" of these weapons "are preserved for any particular theater, but none can move with alacrity to any theater." "Inherently, it imposes costs on the readiness of America to respond in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the most stressing theater for the quantity and quality of munitions because the [China] is the most capable potential adversary in the world," he continued, as cited in Washington Times report Friday. He called for the depleted weaponry to be restored "and then some" - and that this must be an urgent priority. Among the missile systems being given by the Biden administration to Kiev are Patriot air defense batteries, and the Army's ATACMS. European countries have also suffered the same problem of depleted domestic stockpiles. Ukraine's Western backers are at the same time trying to assist Kiev in jump-starting and expanding its own defense manufacturing sector.
Black Ops 6, the latest entry in the Call of Duty series, contains some really bizarre and wacky cosmetics . And while some players hate them, it doesn’t seem like the developers behind the game are going to stop making them any time soon. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is one of the best entries in the franchise in years, with an action-packed campaign, an awesome zombies mode, and a huge amount of multiplayer content. But the game, which launched in October, also contains a lot of wacky character skins, and these skins have become a controversial topic among players. Some love the wacky skins, like a shark man and assorted celebrities , while others despise these cosmetics and think they are ruining the Call of Duty experience. So why are all these wacky outfits in the game? (Well, besides money, that is.) In a new interview with Dexerto , Miles Leslie, the associate creative director at Black Ops 6 studio Treyarch, was asked about all the silly cosmetics and explained that ultimately, it comes down to letting people have fun. “Fun always comes first for us,” explained Leslie. “Of course, we want to stay grounded in the DNA that makes a Black Ops game unique when it comes to core gameplay, but we also like to break the rules if it’s going to maximize fun for players.” Leslie further suggested that the Black Ops series “naturally lends itself” to more outlandish items and skins, as the COD sub-series has always been more willing to do weird storylines and include more outlandish moments. Call of Duty ’s campaigns will stay grounded However, Leslie explained that when it comes to developing the campaign, the focus is always on realism and accuracy. “[ Black Ops 6' s] campaign has a tightly defined cast of characters with an era-specific look to them that fits the story that we and our friends at Raven Software are telling,” said Leslie. “The cool thing is, because the story then continues directly from the Campaign into our Multiplayer experience throughout our post-launch seasons, we now get to develop new looks and lore for those characters while simultaneously building out the cast for both the Rogue Black Ops and Crimson One factions.” Leslie says the studio takes this stuff “very seriously” and wants to continue telling post-launch stories with these characters, but admitted, “That doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with cosmetics along the way!” Nowhere in Leslie’s answer did the creative director also add the other reason Activision and Treyarch keep adding more silly skins that you have to buy to use. So, I’ll add it below: .