Daily Post Nigeria Naira weakens against dollar to end week on negative note Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Business Naira weakens against dollar to end week on negative note Published on December 13, 2024 By Ogaga Ariemu The naira weakened against the dollar on Friday at the foreign exchange market, closing the week on a negative note. Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s FX rate showed that the naira fell to N1,540.00 per dollar on Friday, compared to N1,532.00 on Thursday. This represents a slight depreciation of N8 against the dollar at the official market. Similarly, the naira closed at N1,660.00 per dollar on Friday in the black market, up from N1,640.00 recorded on Thursday. On a week-on-week basis, the naira recorded losses in both FX markets. DAILY POST recalls that the naira closed at N1,535.00 and N1,600.00 per dollar at the official and parallel FX markets, respectively, last Friday. This development comes as the nation’s FX markets continue to adapt to the recently introduced Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System, EFEMS, designed to promote transparency in FX transactions. Related Topics: dollar naira Don't Miss FAAC shares N1.827trn revenue with federal, state, local governments in November You may like Naira appreciates against dollar on official, black markets Naira depreciates against dollar on official, black markets CBN denies selling FX to BDCs at N1,300 per dollar Naira appreciates against dollar 24-hours after fall Naira appreciation may force price reduction, inflation decline – Economists Naira depreciates against dollar after days of gains Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- The Board of Trustees of Barings Participation Investors (NYSE: MPV) (the “Trust”) today announced that it has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share payable on January 17, 2025, to shareholders of record on December 30, 2024. The Trust also announced a special distribution of $0.10 per share payable on January 17, 2025, to shareholders of record on December 30, 2024. Based on current projections through the end of 2024, the Trust expects both dividends will be compromised of net investment income. The final determination of the source and tax characteristics of these distributions will depend upon the Trust’s investment experience during its fiscal year and will be made after the Trust’s year end and will be reported on IRS Form 1099-Div. Cliff Noreen, Chairman, stated, “We are pleased to announce a special distribution of $0.10 per share in addition to the Trust’s quarterly cash dividend of $0.37 per share. The special distribution, which was made possible by non-recurring dividend income received in the fourth quarter, highlights the benefits of the Trust’s equity co-investments to our shareholders.” The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on February 27, 2025. Barings Participation Investors is a closed-end management investment company advised by Barings LLC. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol (“MPV”). Per share amounts are rounded to the nearest cent. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS Cautionary Notice: Certain statements contained in this press release may be “forward-looking” statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made and which reflect management’s current estimates, projections, expectations or beliefs, and which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are subject to change at any time based upon economic, market or other conditions and may not be relied upon as investment advice or an indication of the fund's trading intent. References to specific securities are not recommendations of such securities, and may not be representative of the fund's current or future investments. We undertake no obligation to publicly update forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. About Barings Barings is a $431+ billion* global asset management firm that partners with institutional, insurance, and intermediary clients, and supports leading businesses with flexible financing solutions. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, seeks to deliver excess returns by leveraging its global scale and capabilities across public and private markets in fixed income, real assets and capital solutions. *Assets under management as of September 30, 2024 View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212085549/en/ MediaRelations@barings.com KEYWORD: NORTH CAROLINA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING ASSET MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FINANCE SOURCE: Barings Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 04:15 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 04:17 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212085549/en

Tech review: Earbuds and phones for those on your holiday list

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo scored 26 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the San Antonio Spurs 112-110 on Sunday night. Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves, won won their third straight. Julius Randle had 16 points, while Jaden McDaniels added 12 points and 10 boards for Minnesota. Anthony Edwards, who earlier in the day was fined $100,000 for continued use of profanity in postgame media comments, was held to 14 points, 11 below his season average. After DiVincenzo made one of two free throws with 12.1 seconds left, the Spurs had one more possession down 112-110. San Antonio found a wide-open Jeremy Sochan for 3, but he came up short. Wembanyama led San Antonio with 34 points and eight rebounds. Harrison Barnes had 24 points, Devin Vassell had 22 and Chris Paul dished out 14 assists. Takeaways Spurs: Trailing by 13 early in the third quarter, Wembanyama keyed a 16-4 run by showcasing his diverse offensive skills. He scored in the low post, hit a 3, made a pair of free throws and drained two midrange jumpers. Timberwolves: Minnesota survived a brutal shooting night from 3-point range, making just 11 of 44 attempts from beyond the arc. DiVincenzo was 5 for 10, but Edwards and Randle combined to go 1 for 16. Key moment With 4:44 to play and the game tied at 101, Randle made a driving layup against Wembanyama that was initially whistled for an offensive foul. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch challenged the call, and the basket was allowed to stand. Minnesota didn't trail the rest of the way. Key stat In the first quarter, the Timberwolves made just 1 of 11 3-point attempts but went 9 for 9 inside the arc. Up next The Spurs host the Clippers, and the Timberwolves visit Oklahoma City on Tuesday. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba Patrick Donnelly, The Associated PressDecember 30 - Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn each had a goal and two assists to lead six players with multi-point nights and Jake Oettinger made 24 saves to lift the visiting Dallas Stars to a 5-1 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Dallas scored the final five goals of the game to keep Chicago reeling. The Blackhawks have lost four straight and six of nine. Arvid Soderblom stopped 29 shots for Chicago. Dallas improved to 16-1-1 when leading after two periods. The Stars trailed for just 4:58. Chicago grabbed a 1-0 lead at 12:20 of the first period as Connor Bedard scored a power-play goal on a wrist shot from the high slot. Benn scored the equalizer at 17:12, scoring on a rebound of a breakaway that resulted from a poor Chicago line change. Jason Robertson, Evgenii Dadonov and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and assist for Dallas, while Miro Heiskanen earned two assists. Special teams helped turn the tide in the second period. Officials whistled Chicago's Tyler Bertuzzi for a five-minute major and game misconduct for elbowing Colin Blackwell of Dallas at 8:11. The Stars needed only 12 seconds to capitalize as Robertson scored on a wrist shot from the inside of the right circle through a Roope Hintz screen. The goal snapped the Stars' 0-for-21 drought on the man advantage. Soderblom turned aside numerous other Dallas chances during the extended power play to keep Chicago's deficit at one goal. The Stars, who were 1-for-7 on the man advantage during the game, made it 3-1 with an even-strength goal. Dadonov finished a cross-ice feed from Duchene in transition for his second goal in as many games. Johnston scored on a deflection off his skate 10 seconds into the third period. Duchene accounted for the final margin with a goal 2:45 later. Dallas claimed the season series from Chicago 3-1, outscoring the Blackhawks 14-10. Chicago fell to an NHL-worst 12-23-2. The Blackhawks have allowed 21 goals during their four-game losing streak. --Field Level Media Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Many investors are looking for the best artificial intelligence (AI) stocks right now, and Canadian investors are no exception. The problem is that unlike our neighbours to the south, where many major AI ventures are taking place, Canada only has a modest collection of AI stocks. But there are still many promising prospects here, and right now, ( ) appears to be one of the in this category. A promising technology One thing you need to understand about POET Technologies is that it’s not a software-oriented AI company like OpenAI but rather a hardware company. It’s difficult to draw parallels between POET and a semiconductor giant like , which is currently thriving in the AI boom because it makes computing hardware (graphics processing unit, or GPU) necessary to train and sustain AI models. POET does something different but also similar. It’s not a semiconductor company, but it makes optical interposers that allow data communication in the form of light. This has significant implications in AI because data travelling in the form of light doesn’t have the same limitations as data travelling through conventional means. If applied correctly, this can revolutionize the underlying hardware needs of AI, making them more efficient and less energy-intensive. It’s working with another major startup to develop this technology further for AI. It is already recognized (via multiple awards) as a leader in the overlapping field of photonics and AI. A powerful investment Just as the company is being recognized in its own domain, it’s also getting on the radar of investors seeking cutting-edge AI technologies. As a result, the stock climbed a massive 460% this year alone. The growth wasn’t linear, but it was nevertheless substantial. A single breakthrough can push the stock to impressive heights. Despite its decisive climb, the stock is trading at a modest price of $7.1 per share. It recently graduated from being a penny stock, which is one of the reasons it’s one of the best stocks to stash $500. Considering the stock maintains its current pace, you can expect 10X growth in the next three years. This would be enough to convert your $500 capital to $5,000 or even more if the stock outperforms these expectations. Foolish takeaway One slightly worrying fact about the stock is that it might be trading a little ahead of its target price, as per some analysts. The price-to-book ratio is also quite high, even by ‘ standards. But on the plus side, its financials look pretty healthy. There is virtually no debt and a sizable amount of cash at its disposal. This financial moat significantly reduces the risk of the company experiencing significant financial trouble, at least in the next few years.

LONDON (AP) — When voters around the globe had their say in 2024, their message was often: “You’re fired.” Some 70 countries that are home to half the world’s population held elections this year, and in many incumbents were punished . From India and the United States to Japan , France and Britain , voters tired of economic disruption and global instability rejected sitting governments — and sometimes turned to disruptive outsiders. The rocky democratic landscape just seemed to get bumpier as a dramatic year careened toward its end, with mass protests in Mozambique and Georgia , an election annulled in Romania and an attempt to impose martial law in South Korea. Cas Mudde, a professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia who studies extremism and democracy, summed up 2024 in Prospect magazine as “a great year for the far right, a terrible year for incumbents and a troublesome year for democracy around the world.” One message sent by voters in 2024: They’re fed up. University of Manchester political scientist Rob Ford has attributed the anti-incumbent mood to “electoral long COVID” -– lingering pandemic-related health, education, social and economic disruptions that have made millions of people unhappier and worse off. High inflation, fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and mass displacement from that war and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa have added to the global unease. In South Africa, high unemployment and inequality helped drive a dramatic loss of support for the African National Congress, which had governed for three decades since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule . The party once led by Nelson Mandela lost its political dominance in May’s election and was forced to go into coalition with opposition parties. Incumbents also were defeated in Senegal, Ghana and Botswana , where voters ousted the party that had been in power for 58 years since independence from Britain. Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party extended its 34 years in power in December -– but only by a whisker. Uruguay’s leftist opposition candidate, Yamandú Orsi , became the country’s new president in a November runoff that delivered another rebuke to incumbents. In India, the world’s largest democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party lost its parliamentary majority in a shock election result in June after a decade of dominance. It was forced to govern in coalition as the opposition doubled its strength in Parliament. Japanese politics entered a new era of uncertainty after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled almost without interruption since 1955, suffered a major loss in October amid voter anger at party financial scandals. It now leads a minority government. The U.K.’s July election saw the right-of-center Conservatives ousted after 14 years in office as the center-left Labour Party swept to power in a landslide. But the results also revealed growing fragmentation: Support for the two big parties that have dominated British politics for a century shrank as voters turned to smaller parties, including the hard-right party Reform U.K. led by Nigel Farage. Britain is not alone in seeing a rise for the right. Elections in June for the parliament of the 27-nation European Union saw conservative populists and the far right rock ruling parties in France and Germany, the EU’s biggest and most powerful members. The anti-immigration National Rally party won the first round of France’s parliamentary election in June, but alliances and tactical voting by the center and left knocked it down to third place in the second round, producing a divided legislature and a fragile government that collapsed in a Dec. 4 no-confidence vote. In Austria, the conservative governing People’s Party was beaten by the far-right, pro-Russia Freedom Party in September, though other parties allied to keep it out of a coalition government. Nepotism and political dynasties continued to exert influence -– and to be challenged. After messy elections in February, Pakistan elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, younger brother of three-time leader Nawaz Sharif. Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest democracy, elected President Prabowo Subianto , son-in-law of the late dictator Suharto . Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the world’s longest-serving female leader, won a fourth successive term in a January election that opposition parties boycotted . Months later, her 15-year rule came to a tumultuous end: After mass student-led protests in which hundreds were killed, Hasina was ousted in August and fled to India. In Sri Lanka, voters also rejected a discredited old guard. Voters elected the Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake as president in September, two years after an island-wide public movement by an engaged middle class removed the long-ruling Rajapaksa clan. Covert meddling and online disinformation were growing concerns in 2024. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said that this year it took down 20 election-related “covert influence operations around the world, including in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the U.S.” It said Russia was the top source of such meddling, followed by Iran and China. In Romania, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu came from nowhere to win the first round of the presidential election in November, aided in part by a flood of TikTok videos promoting his campaign. Amid allegations of Russian meddling, Romania’s Constitutional Court canceled the presidential election runoff two days before it was due to take place after a trove of declassified intelligence alleged Russia organized a sprawling campaign across social media to promote Georgescu. No date has yet been set for a rerun. Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu won a November runoff against her Moscow-friendly rival in an election seen as pivotal to the future of one of Europe’s poorest nations. Georgia has seen huge protests since an election in October was won by the pro-Moscow Georgian Dream party, which suspended negotiations on joining the European Union. The opposition and the pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with Russia’s help. Possibly the year’s most seismic result, Donald Trump’s victory in November’s U.S. presidential election, has America’s allies and opponents bracing for what the unpredictable “America-first” leader will do with his second term. And instability already reigns on several continents as the year ends. Venezuela has been in political crisis since a July election marred by serious fraud allegations which both President Nicolás Maduro and the opposition claim to have won. Amid opposition protests and a harsh crackdown, opposition candidate Edmundo González went into exile in Spain. In Mozambique, the Frelimo party that has ruled for half a century was declared the winner of an October election that the opposition called rigged. Weeks of ongoing street protests across the country have left more than 100 dead. South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol — weakened after the liberal opposition retained control in an April election -– astonished the country by declaring martial law in a late-night announcement on Dec. 3. Parliament voted to overturn the decision six hours later, and within days voted to impeach Yoon. The crisis in the deeply divided country is far from over. Democracy’s bumpy ride looks likely to continue in 2025, with embattled incumbents facing challenge in countries including Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote on Dec. 16, triggering an early election likely in February. Canada will also vote in 2025, with the governing Liberals widely unpopular and increasingly divided after almost a decade in power. Seema Shah, head of democracy assessment at the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, said global surveys suggest support for the concept of democracy remains strong, but the numbers plummet “when you ask people how satisfied they are with their own democracy.” “People want democracy. They like the theory of it," she said. “But when they see it actually play out, it’s not living up to their expectations.” Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this story.No. 25 Illinois rebounds in big way, blasts UMES 87-40Doctors are stumped about what is plaguing Brandi Glanville. In a Tuesday interview with ET, the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum said the face-altering condition she has been investigating for the past year feels like something “s–ing or having babies in my face.” Glanville said the mystery ailment has left her with recurring facial swelling, speech problems, missing teeth and a reluctance to go out in public. “I’ve been on meds this whole year. I don’t socialize. I don’t go out,” Glanville told ET, estimating that her total medical costs — including medications, doctor visits, MRIs, X-rays, and CT scans — have surpassed $70,000. She said that at one point, she was on IV antibiotics that helped her facial swelling but were too expensive to maintain. The “Brandi Glanville Unfiltered” host added that she’s consulted “every doctor under the sun,” from immunologists to rheumatologists to infectious disease doctors. While none have supplied a definitive explanation, some have suggested her issues could stem from a “new parasite.” Glanville told ET she could have contracted the parasite while filming in Morocco for “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” in January 2023. On set, she said, “We had food sitting out for hours on end, and some of it was meat.” Glanville’s face swelling and speech struggles began six months later, she said, “and we’re still here, trying to figure it out.” Bravo did not reply immediately Thursday to The Times’ request for comment. The “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” in question, which would have been the spinoff series’ fourth, never aired. While Bravo did not confirm why they axed the season, People reported at the time of filming that cast members Glanville and Caroline Manzo left the set early after an alleged incident. Manzo later filed a lawsuit accusing Glanville of harassment during last year’s filming, according to court documents reviewed by The Times. Glanville said that her medical issues, combined with the lawsuit from Manzo, have prevented her from taking on new work in recent years. “Generally, I’m the first call [for Bravo gigs],” she said. “But now I have, like, a scarlet letter and the medical stuff so even if I could go to work, my face would be doing gymnastics.” Medical interventions have been noninvasive so far, Glanville said, but surgery could be next. The reality star joked that contrary to popular belief, she has not yet had plastic surgery on her face. “I can’t afford it if I wanted it,” she said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Having waited 63 years for an Ivy League football title, Columbia had to stand by for another 40 minutes. The Lions had beaten Cornell 17-9 but needed a Harvard loss against Yale to secure a share of first place on the season's final day. So Columbia players retreated to their locker room on a hill a few hundred feet from Wien Stadium to watch the game in Boston on TV as a few hundred fans remained and gazed at the gold-and-orange foliage of Inwood Hill Park glowing in Saturday's afternoon sun. When Yale recovered onside kick with seconds left to ensure a 34-29 Harvard defeat, players let out a scream and streamed back onto the field to celebrate, smoke cigars, lift a trophy and sing “Roar, Lion, Roar” with family and friends. Who would have thunk it? “You had the realization of, oh, I’m a champion, which is something that hasn’t been said here in a while,” co-captain CJ Brown said. Harvard dropped into a tie with Columbia and Dartmouth at 5-2, the first time three teams shared the title since 1982 — the conference doesn't use tiebreakers. “It was nerve-wracking, for sure, but definitely exciting because that's something that not a lot of people have experienced, especially here," running back Joey Giorgi said. There have been several top players at Columbia — Sid Luckman, Marty Domres, Marcellus Wiley among them — but the school is perhaps better known for owners such as the New England Patriots' Robert Kraft and former Cleveland Browns head Al Lerner. Columbia's only previous championship in 1961 also was shared with Harvard. That Lions team was coached by Buff Donelli, a former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Rams coach who scored for the Americans in soccer's 1934 World Cup. Columbia set a then Division I-AA record with 44 consecutive losses from 1983-88, a mark broken by Prairie View’s 80 in a row from 1989-98. Since 1971, the Lions’ only seasons with winning records until now were 1994, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022. Al Bagnoli, who won nine Ivy titles in 23 years at Penn, couldn't manage one at Columbia from 2015-22. He quit six weeks before the 2023 opener, citing health, and was replaced on an interim basis by Mark Fabish, his offensive coordinator. Jon Poppe, now 39, was hired last December after working as a Bagnoli assistant at Columbia from 2015-17 between stints at Harvard from 2011-14 and 2017-22, plus one season as a head coach at Division III Union College. He led the Lions to a 7-3 record overall, their most wins in a coach's first season since George F. Sanford's team went 9-3 in 1899. Poppe had wife Anna and 7-year-old daughter with him in the locker room watching the countdown to the title. “Sixty-three years of whatever into now,” he said. “Just seeing a lot of that history myself, personally. This is a hugely — a feeling of elation, seeing my dad on the field, a lot of emotional things with that.” Before a crowd of 4,224, quarterback Caleb Sanchez's 1-yard touchdown run put Columbia ahead in the second quarter. Giorgi's 1-yard TD run opened a 14-3 lead in the third and Hugo Merry added a 25-yard field goal in the fourth, overcoming three field goals by Alan Zhao. Giorgi rushed for 165 yards and finished his career with 2,112, second in school history. He and Brown missed what would have been their freshman season in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Given Columbia's athletic history — the most successful sport is fencing — it is not an obvious football destination. “I saw the dedication, whether it resulted in wins or losses,” Brown said. “I saw their dedication to the product that they put out on the field and also the athletic department, the facilities that we had here, the busses on schedule and stuff, I was like, OK, they care about their athletes. People here want to win and it doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past, it matters what we’re going to do now.” Poppe cited a mindset. “You get 10 opportunities, unlike other sports, it is a grind to play this sport and prepare the way we do just for 10,” he said. As the final whistle sounded in Boston, Brown noted an unusual initial reaction in the locker room. “It was like kind of awe when they recovered the kick,” he said. “It was a lot quieter than you would think it would be, but you could feel the joy and the elation.” They accomplished what more than six decades of their predecessors had failed to. As the players headed out, Poppe had a final word. “Day off tomorrow,” he said. 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-footballNebraska plans not to get caught sleeping vs. South Dakota*Asserts an elder statesman shouldn’t always be a trader, sycophant *Says he didn’t invite Obasanjo to commission projects in Rivers in order not to embarrass Odili Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, yesterday, went head-to-head with a former governor of Rivers State, and his estranged benefactor, Dr. Peter Odili, saying he brought Odili back to life, after his retirement into oblivion. Wike, the immediate past governor of the state, warned that as an elder statesman, Odili should not be a trader and sycophant all the time. He said he had shown immense respect to Odili all along, including refusing to invite former President Olusegun Obasanjo to commission projects in the state when he was governor, just to avoid embarrassing Odili. A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said Wike dropped the firestorm yesterday at a Special Thanksgiving Service organised by Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Oro-Igwe/Eliogbolo Archdeaconry Church of the Holy Spirit, Eliozu Parish, Port Harcourt. The no-holds-barred riposte on Odili was in response to the latter’s praises for Governor Siminalayi Fubara for stopping Wike from converting Rivers State to his private fiefdom. The FCT minister said it was unfortunate for Odili, who was supposed to be seen as an elder statesman and called a father, to reduce himself to a sycophant and trader. He stated, “Must you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for? You know, I didn’t want to say anything. But somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. “I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers what our former governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili, said. What did he say? He said the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate. “Between him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a Chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a commissioner, his other daughter is a judge and he is the general overseer. “Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor. “It was his nephew, his late senior brother’s son, that was recommended for commissioner. He took the slot and gave it to his own daughter. Someone who didn’t remember to stand for the son of his late elder brother, is that an elder statesman?” The FCT minister said it was painful that Odili, out of political sycophancy, forgot all that he had said in the past. He stated that when he was governor, the same Odili had praised him to high heaven, and said all past governors in Rivers State combined did not do better than him (Wike). According to Wike, “In 2007 after he left office, he couldn’t come near power in the state because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone! “Like somebody said that God will use someone to lift up someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won’t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life. “All of us know about PAMO University. But for us, there wouldn’t have been anything called PAMO University. Rivers State was sponsoring 100 students per session and for every semester, each of the students was paying nothing less than N5 million. Then, Rivers people were attacking me up and down. “I personally called Julius Berger to build a mansion for him to live. He was calling everyone to the house then, telling them, ‘come and see what Wike has done for me. Wike has shown me love.’ He was taking them round the house. “Now, because you have organised a Christmas Carol for the governor, I didn’t say you should not do your Christmas Carol. But why reduce yourself to such a laughing stock? People will still see it on television how he was telling the whole world then how God used me to bring him back to life politically. “Why not do your Christmas Carol, collect what you can collect and leave me alone? The governor that all of us made has not spent one year in office and the same Odili was already saying that the governor has beaten the records of all the past governors of Rivers State. “When I was there, he said I had surpassed the records of all the past governors, including himself. What can he even show that he did in his eight years as governor? But a governor has not spent one year, you are saying he has done more than all the past governors. “You spent eight years as governor and someone who hasn’t spent one year has surpassed your records, what manner of elder talks like that? Is that what an elder statesman should be known for? “When I was governor, my pictures were everywhere in his house. Sitting room, bedroom, kitchen, even in the toilet, my picture was everywhere. But today, all the pictures have been removed.” Wike asked what could be learned from such a sycophantic elder statesman. “What can I learn from this kind of elder? What kind of advice can one get from him? This moment you are saying something; the next moment you are saying something else,” he stated. “You see, if your children begin to ask you, is this not the same man you were praising before? What would you tell them?” The minister also weighed in on the River State governorship issue, saying, “When I was plotting who will be governor after me, was he (Odili) there? “Then, he was complaining about this governor, saying that he couldn’t stand before the public to talk. But today, he is organising Christmas Carol for the same governor he was against then. “He has forgotten all that he said in the past. I named this after you, I named that after your wife. What have I not done? You said we should not be part of the government, we have left. “We are managing, you have taken assembly money, they are not dying of hunger and they will not die of hunger. We are okay. I’m focusing on my job in Abuja and all these sycophancy won’t take him to the level I have attained. “This is a man who wanted to run for president then, he didn’t have the balls, he chickened out. Simply because Obasanjo said no, he will not contest, he ran away. Because of him, I never invited Obasanjo to Rivers State to commission projects. I felt it will humiliate him.”Sports on TV for Sunday, Nov. 24

2025 Budget: FG Earmarks N55.5bn For Presidential Air FleetProlapse nightmare left Olympian fearing the life she had known was overIsrael approves proposed ceasefire with Lebanon’s HezbollahA Ballarat mother has appeared in court accused of stabbing her partner to death at their family home in the days after Christmas, in the second suspected family violence murder in Victoria within a week. Cheryl Lucas, 38, allegedly stabbed Heath Speedie, 47, in the chest as he sat on the couch of their home in Park Lane, in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Helen, on Saturday. A young child was inside the home at the time of the alleged attack. Cheryl Lucas has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of her partner. Credit: Facebook Speedie, who suffered critical injuries, managed to stagger outside before collapsing on the front lawn of the property. Emergency services performed CPR, but he could not be saved. Police arrested Lucas at the home shortly before 8am and later charged her with one count of murder . She appeared in Ballarat Magistrates’ Court for a brief filing hearing on Monday, after spending the weekend in police custody. Dressed in a light pink shirt and with her brown hair tied in a ponytail, Lucas was not required to speak during the proceedings and slumped in a half-shrug with her shoulders up. The court heard it was Lucas’ first time in custody and arrangements should be made for her to see a medical professional in prison for an assessment for “health concerns”. Speedie’s family members, who attended the hearing in person, refused to speak to the media outside court. Neighbour Doug Mills said most residents in the street kept to themselves, and Speedie and Lucas were no exception. He said Speedie had knocked on his door to introduce himself when the family first moved to the neighbourhood from the Ballarat suburb of Winter Valley, but he’d had limited interactions with him since. Cheryl Lucas and partner Heath Speedie. Credit: Facebook “We would see each other, we would wave or acknowledge them, and that was about the extent of it really,” Mills told The Age . “Their house, diagonally, is about 40-odd metres away from our place. And from what I could determine, they kept pretty much to themselves, like most of us in this particular street.” Mills said Speedie was a keen fisherman and would often drive to Portland to fish. Speedie, 47, shared images of his Revival-brand boat and Portland’s harbour on social media and invited friends and acquaintances to join him on the water. “When you’re in town next drop me a line, we go out blue water again,” he told a friend inquiring about the boat in the comments on one social media post. The Mount Helen incident follows the death on Boxing Day of 59-year-old Yvonne Beres, who was allegedly murdered by husband John Beres , 63, in their home in Langwarrin, in Melbourne’s south-east. The Beres had spent the previous day celebrating Christmas with their family. Lucas, who did not apply for bail, was remanded in custody to appear in Ballarat Magistrates’ Court again on April 15. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .

FORT FRANCES — A number of local projects will potentially see funding in 2025 as administrations presents town council with next year’s capital budget. Council of the Town of Fort Frances held a special meeting on Monday, November 18, 2024, as part of its 2025 budget process. This particular meeting focused on the proposed Draft Capital Budget for 2025, the document that lays out the needs and wants of the various departments within the municipality and brings forward the projects, items and goals each has in order to get council’s approval. The Draft Capital Budget 2025 amounts to $29,310,695, with $4,094,050 coming from the town’s capital reserve funds and a further $10,531,421 coming from the town’s Water and Sewer Reserve Funds. The remaining funds come from various levels of government, such as contributions, donations, or other sources. The Draft Capital Budget document, prepared by town treasurer Dawn Galusha, notes that it intends to align with the Town of Fort Frances strategic plan by advancing its goals in several priority areas. “The top strategic priority areas which are covered through this capital budget are: 1) Quality of Life through the Memorial Sports Centre, Parks, Museums and Sunny Cove Projects,” the report reads. “2) Municipal Services and Infrastructure, including Fire gear, information technology upgrades, new equipment, various road reconstruction projects and building upgrades. 3) Economic growth will be achieved as we progress through the Woodyard development project as well as the Microgrid study. 4) Partnerships are a key in the success of the Town.” The report notes that the Draft Capital Budget 2025 document contains partnerships with both the Rainy River District School Board (RRDDSB) and Fort Frances Power Corporation (FFPC) through several joint projects. At Monday night’s meeting, Galusha read through the list of capital budget items on a category-by-category basis, stopping after each category to allow councillors to ask questions about or discuss particular line items. The first category in the budget document was a holdover category for unfinished or not-yet-started capital items that were approved and budgeted for 2024. Galusha noted the capital carried over from 2024 amounts to $12,247,165. Included in the capital carried-over items are the birthing for the Hallett and Owandem project, which Town of Fort Frances operations and facilities manager Travis Rob said is struggling to attract contractors to bid on the RFPs, the 52’s Arena brine pump controller upgrade, replacement of the HVAC system at the Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre, along with reconstruction of both Scott Street from Reid Avenue to Mosher Avenue and Third Street West from Central Avenue to York Avenue. Also carried over from 2023 is $695,000 in funding for the rehabilitation of Sunny Cove Camp. Rob noted that both road construction projects from 2024 have been tendered and awarded and that the town is working to have a “very early spring start” in order to see the road projects done within the 2025 calendar year. He also noted that administration is finalizing drawings and specifications for the Sunny Cove Camp project, and Rob said he is hopeful they can begin the tender process over the winter and be in place to begin work in spring 2025. Rob said most of the other outstanding items should be “very much achievable” in 2025, though some will be weather-dependent to see completion. The budget also features a section of items that Galusha said are dependent on receiving funding to move ahead, the most significant of which would be a $600,000 project to rehabilitate the McIrvine Rink and Park in the town’s west end, which the draft budget notes would focus on a covered pad, lighting, shack insulation and roof, park timbers and protective surface, and would potentially receive funding through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOFHC). Another similar line item is a planned rehabilitation of the East End Hall, which would focus on dampproofing the basement, replacing the roof and HVAC system, and would also be dependant on NOHFC funding. Coun. John McTaggart questioned the proposed expenditures at these two locations, and Rob noted the McIrvine rink is “by far” the town’s most heavily used outdoor rink, and is also in the worst condition, while the East end Hall work would be interior work that would allow the town to “fully utilize it for what it could potentially be.” Another significant line item in the draft budget is a $2,739,841 reconstruction of Scott Street from Mosher Avenue to Armit Avenue, which the Budget notes would receive funding from the provincial government’s Connecting Links program, which covers 90 percent of eligible costs, and would thus provide $2,250,776 towards the project, with the town covering the remaining $489,065 through the Federal Gas Tax Reserve. That portion of Scott Street also has an additional $985,760 allocated for the sanitary sewer replacement and $876,910 for the water distribution system replacement, both aspects of the project not eligible under Connecting Links, but which will be partially funded through provincial grants. The town is also planning to do reconstruction work on a number of road surfaces within town limits in 2025, with $985,760 being budgeted for work on Lillie Avenue North, York Avenue North, Cornwall Avenue North and Pit Road 1. The town is also seeking to replace two aging pieces of equipment in one of its tandem dump trucks and one of the accessibility vehicles, or “Handi-Vans.” Rob noted both vehicles are nearing the end of their usability due to wear and tear, with the dump truck having reached 15 years of operation, undergoing a fire and rebuild, and facing a $15,000 exhaust system replacement and potentially a motor replacement within the next two years, and the town’s Handi-Vans being “severely rusted out” according to Rob. The operations and facilities manager noted he has been trying to keep the budget requests to one large ticket item per year, recognizing that many of the town’s vehicles are in need of replacement but wanting to spread the financial impact out as much as possible. “What I’ve been trying to do over the last probably five years is to space out the replacement of our large equipment,” Rob said. “Over the last five years, I’ve tried to do one big thing a year, because we have a backlog. So we’ve done a sand truck one year, a tandem one year. We still have an old grader that needs to be replaced. We have a street sweeper that’s coming up on due for replacement. "We have other things in the future that we’re trying to stay cognizant of as well, so that we’re not stuck having a multiple large equipment purchases in any given one year.” Monday night’s meeting was the first of the official budget deliberation meetings, though it did accept input from the public at a previous meeting. According to the town’s schedule of budget deliberations, the next meeting will be part of council’s regular meeting on Monday, November 25, 2024, where council will discuss user fees and water rates. All council meetings are open to the public and can be joined online by viewing the meeting agenda on the town’s website at www.fortfrances.ca. The draft capital budget 2025 can be viewed in full by accessing Monday night’s council meeting agenda. Fort Frances Times / Local Journalism Initiative

Provides 2000 A15 Hydro Bitcoin mining machines in initial order Continues global expansion with addition of new customer SINGAPORE , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN) ("Canaan" or the "Company"), a leading high-performance computing solutions provider, today announced that Canaan Creative Global Pte. Ltd. ("CCG"), a wholly owned Singapore subsidiary of the Company, has entered into a purchase agreement with AGM Group Holdings Inc. ("AGMH"), an integrated technology company specializing in fintech software services and production of high-performance hardware and computing equipment, for its Avalon A15 HydU 370T ("A15 Hydro") mining machines. As part of the agreement, Canaan will initially provide 2,000 Bitcoin mining machines to AGMH. The Company has also agreed to provide its customer with an option to acquire approximately 30,000 additional BTC mining units, potentially providing AGMH with a combined power capacity not exceeding 300 megawatts. The Avalon Miner A15 Hydro enhances the miner's performance and lifespan while reducing energy consumption and noise pollution, aligning with Canaan's ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy. About Canaan Inc. Established in 2013, Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN), is a technology company focusing on ASIC high-performance computing chip design, chip research and development, computing equipment production, and software services. Canaan has extensive experience in chip design and streamlined production in the ASIC field. In 2013, Canaan's founding team shipped to its customers the world's first batch of mining machines incorporating ASIC technology in bitcoin 's history under the brand name Avalon. In 2019, Canaan completed its initial public offering on the Nasdaq Global Market. To learn more about Canaan, please visit https://www.canaan.io/ . Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward−looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward−looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Canaan Inc.'s strategic and operational plans, contain forward−looking statements. Canaan Inc. may also make written or oral forward−looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on Forms 20−F and 6−K, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Canaan Inc.'s beliefs and expectations, are forward−looking statements. Forward−looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward−looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the bitcoin industry and the price of bitcoin ; the Company's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products, especially its bitcoin mining machines; the Company's expectations regarding maintaining and strengthening its relationships with production partners and customers; the Company's investment plans and strategies, fluctuations in the Company's quarterly operating results; competition in its industry; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the Company and cryptocurrency . Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Canaan Inc. does not undertake any obligation to update any forward−looking statement, except as required under applicable law. Investor Relations Contacts Canaan Inc. Xi Zhang Email: IR@canaan-creative.com ICR, LLC. Robin Yang Tel: +1 (347) 396-3281 Email: canaan.ir@icrinc.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canaan-inc-signs-agreement-with-agm-group-holdings-inc-302330362.html SOURCE Canaan Inc.NEW YORK (AP) — Having waited 63 years for an Ivy League football title, Columbia had to stand by for another 40 minutes. The Lions had beaten Cornell 17-9 but needed a Harvard loss against Yale to secure a share of first place on the season's final day. So Columbia players retreated to their locker room on a hill a few hundred feet from Wien Stadium to watch the game in Boston on TV as a few hundred fans remained and gazed at the gold-and-orange foliage of Inwood Hill Park glowing in Saturday's afternoon sun. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100A voter-approved Maine limit on PAC contributions sets the stage for a legal challengeNo. 25 Illinois rebounds in big way, blasts UMES 87-40

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Manchester City are hurting. These are strange times, on the back of an unprecedented run of defeats for Pep Guardiola and the heaviest home defeat the Etihad has seen. Feyenoord would have been seen as cannon fodder a few weeks ago yet they became the latest opposition to come to the Premier League champions and show that any aura of invincibility has disappeared. The intent is still there from City , and it was another bright start with Erling Haaland unfortunate to see his header come back off the post after 10 minutes and Jack Grealish - starting for the first time since early October - even more unlucky when his goalbound volley was deflected wide by teammate Phil Foden . But a fragility exists underneath, and the longer City went without scoring the more the Dutch side grew into the game. READ MORE: Objects thrown as Man City and Feyenoord fans clash during Champions League tie READ MORE: Man City player ratings as defence self-destructs in Feyenoord draw Feyenoord fans had enjoyed their march to the game from the city centre and were happy to pour salt in City wounds off the pitch as they chanted for Arne Slot and sang You'll Never Walk Alone. That roused anger from the home ends and felt like another way in which the once almighty conquerors had been bumped back down to ordinary. The signs were unmistakably there on the pitch again, with Ilkay Gundogan creative in building attacks but again dispossessed and bypassed too easily when he tried to prevent them. After half an hour, Ederson had to boot the ball aimlessly high up the pitch under pressure in a sight that can't be seen more than a few times a season but shows the struggle the team are battling through. The next time the ball would be booted with that ferocity it came from Erling Haaland just after he had put City ahead in the game. The first half was tapering out when a soft penalty was given following a scramble at a City corner, and the Norwegian duly dispatched the spot-kick - becoming the youngest to ever score 45 Champions League goals in the process. Haaland had hit the penalty with power, but he absolutely lashed the ball back into the net as it came out in what marked an unusual celebration for him and felt like a release. He would not have had such a burden on him this season if more teammates had been capable of finding the net. The fortune from the penalty was followed by a stroke of luck at the beginning of the second half and a goal that did not come from City's No.9. Gundogan's effort from a corner would surely have tested goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther but the way the ball deflected off David Hancko made it a certain goal. After so many games recently where they have been poor in the second half - in their last Champions League game at Sporting in particular - here was another welcome release for City and they jumped at it with both hands. Within minutes, Gundogan had set Matheus Nunes free to run clear and cross for Haaland to finish a move that the Blues would be proud of in their pomp. Here they were, not just winning but winning comfortably. Up to fifth in the Champions League table (albeit having played a game more than half of the 36 teams), things looked a lot more rosy. So of course it didn't end that way. Anis Hadj Moussa capitalised on an awful Gvardiol pass to round Ederson in the 75th minutes and after putting the home team on the ropes Feyenoord made things more interesting with Santiago Gimenez taking advantage of more sloppy defending. Everything was tight again, and the tension returned to the stands. Even from a position of such comfort, City had shown yet again how brittle they are. Guardiola sensed this, clapping above his head as the second Feyenoord goal went in to try and bolster a side that had seen all of the confidence drain from them. It didn't work. Again. The ball was chipped over the top, Ederson came out rashly and Hancko was there to head in Paixao's cross ahead of Lewis for a remarkable comeback and another sorry display for City; a team photo on the pitch after the game from Feyenoord felt like a proper humbling. Avoiding a sixth consecutive defeat is little consolation for another defeat that has left them numb. Guardiola may be worried about player fatigue but right now City look like they are heading for the nightmare scenario of at least two extra games in the form of a play-off to reach the Champions League last-16. Before that, they have to stop more pain coming domestically - starting at Anfield on Sunday. Wounded like they have never known, City have never more needed a release.