Techmediabreaks Trump Media & Technology Group Corp.'S (NASDAQ: DJT) Stock Performance And Future ProspectsAmong the swirling masses of Pax Unplugged , frantically running through the convention’s labyrinthine passages, I desperately search for Room 103. I am late to meet Michaël Croitoriu, the head of Edge Studios, to discuss the new Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game Starter Set — a Lovecraftian pulp-horror game that’s meant to bridge the gap between role-players and board gamers . Earlier that week, a review copy had landed on my front door. While the box intrigued me, its wealth of components (which include character portfolios, an assortment of punchboards, handouts, maps, decks of cards, and 24 dice) were as intimidating to this RPG reporter as any eldritch horror . Ten minutes past the hour, weaving past a frenzy of con-goers holding their latest gains, I find Croitoriu waiting for me. As he explains the game, my anxieties slowly fade, replaced by a curiosity about this earnest effort to convert board game purists through the expansive world of Arkham . While at first it seems overwhelming, when broken down, each part of the game is relatively easy to understand. “So easy a 10-year-old could learn it,” was a phrase the Arkham team kept repeating when people walked up to the room for demo play, though they also stated the content of the game was more suitable for ages 14 and up. Leah Hawthorne, one of the game’s lead designers, said she “doesn’t like to use the word simple because then people think it doesn’t have strategic depth.” While the system is easy to learn, there’s an element of resource management built into it that adds the crunchy tactical elements board-gamers are used to. The base mechanic of the system uses a replenishing d6 dice pool, with stats that require a corresponding target number to be met, which are different for each character’s strengths and weaknesses. In combat, damage depletes your dice pool, limiting the number of actions you can take per round until they are replenished. There is no initiative during conflict-oriented scenes, which allows players to strategize with each other and lean into one another’s strengths, rather than place all the focus on a single overpowered character. The set up of the game is also intentionally designed to be game master friendly, adding in more narrative focused elements of the game that ask players to worldbuild alongside the GM in a “bubble of benevolence” a phrase Croitoriu repeated multiple times in our interview. This shared responsibility of play at the table is built into the games’ components, like a GM screen that lies flat on the table, rather than hiding secrets (and rolls) behind it. “The person I am now is the result of the games I played at the table,” Croitoriu said. While the Arkham franchise has previously been known for other tabletop iterations like the original 1987 board game by Richard Lanius, that personal relationship to TTRPGs is why the Arkham Horror RPG “tries to address different preconceptions of RPGs and onboard people into role-playing games.” Among those preconceptions are barriers to entry for people unfamiliar to tabletop gaming — which is why the starter set is broken down into one-hour sessions. Croitoriu believes a lot of pre-game prep is also a barrier, which is why the starter set includes a 48-page tutorial style booklet that teaches players as they go. The RPG core rulebook sits at a reasonable 256 pages, a “threshold [EDGE] will never cross,” Croitoriu said, referencing a line of connected materials that would follow the starter set release in 2025: an adventure collection in March, a free RPG day supplement, a box set at Gen Con, and another sourcebook at Halloween. Arkham Horror RPG Starter Set The box includes a campaign, 5 character portfolios, 24 dice, high quality tokens, 3 double-sided maps, and player handouts. Gaming News Tabletop GamesASML COURT UPDATE: The ASML Holding N.V. Class Action Deadline is January 13 –Investors with Losses are Urged to Contact BFA Law (NASDAQ:ASML)

Will Transgender Golfer Hailey Davidson No Longer Be Able To Play Golf? New Rules Bans Competitors Who Have Undergone Male PubertyAmong the swirling masses of Pax Unplugged , frantically running through the convention’s labyrinthine passages, I desperately search for Room 103. I am late to meet Michaël Croitoriu, the head of Edge Studios, to discuss the new Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game Starter Set — a Lovecraftian pulp-horror game that’s meant to bridge the gap between role-players and board gamers . Earlier that week, a review copy had landed on my front door. While the box intrigued me, its wealth of components (which include character portfolios, an assortment of punchboards, handouts, maps, decks of cards, and 24 dice) were as intimidating to this RPG reporter as any eldritch horror . Ten minutes past the hour, weaving past a frenzy of con-goers holding their latest gains, I find Croitoriu waiting for me. As he explains the game, my anxieties slowly fade, replaced by a curiosity about this earnest effort to convert board game purists through the expansive world of Arkham . While at first it seems overwhelming, when broken down, each part of the game is relatively easy to understand. “So easy a 10-year-old could learn it,” was a phrase the Arkham team kept repeating when people walked up to the room for demo play, though they also stated the content of the game was more suitable for ages 14 and up. Leah Hawthorne, one of the game’s lead designers, said she “doesn’t like to use the word simple because then people think it doesn’t have strategic depth.” While the system is easy to learn, there’s an element of resource management built into it that adds the crunchy tactical elements board-gamers are used to. The base mechanic of the system uses a replenishing d6 dice pool, with stats that require a corresponding target number to be met, which are different for each character’s strengths and weaknesses. In combat, damage depletes your dice pool, limiting the number of actions you can take per round until they are replenished. There is no initiative during conflict-oriented scenes, which allows players to strategize with each other and lean into one another’s strengths, rather than place all the focus on a single overpowered character. The set up of the game is also intentionally designed to be game master friendly, adding in more narrative focused elements of the game that ask players to worldbuild alongside the GM in a “bubble of benevolence” a phrase Croitoriu repeated multiple times in our interview. This shared responsibility of play at the table is built into the games’ components, like a GM screen that lies flat on the table, rather than hiding secrets (and rolls) behind it. “The person I am now is the result of the games I played at the table,” Croitoriu said. While the Arkham franchise has previously been known for other tabletop iterations like the original 1987 board game by Richard Lanius, that personal relationship to TTRPGs is why the Arkham Horror RPG “tries to address different preconceptions of RPGs and onboard people into role-playing games.” Among those preconceptions are barriers to entry for people unfamiliar to tabletop gaming — which is why the starter set is broken down into one-hour sessions. Croitoriu believes a lot of pre-game prep is also a barrier, which is why the starter set includes a 48-page tutorial style booklet that teaches players as they go. The RPG core rulebook sits at a reasonable 256 pages, a “threshold [EDGE] will never cross,” Croitoriu said, referencing a line of connected materials that would follow the starter set release in 2025: an adventure collection in March, a free RPG day supplement, a box set at Gen Con, and another sourcebook at Halloween. Arkham Horror RPG Starter Set The box includes a campaign, 5 character portfolios, 24 dice, high quality tokens, 3 double-sided maps, and player handouts. Gaming News Tabletop Games

When Ukrainian fighters began reporting back to family and friends that they could use more and better-quality drones to combat Russian forces, average Ukrainians swung into action. Today a civilian drone assembly operation – including in people’s homes – is helping many military units to stave off an encroaching enemy. In October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told foreign arms manufacturers that Ukraine is now capable of producing 4 million drones annually, with private companies, the military, and civilians all playing a role. Hennadii Mischevskyi, director of testing at Social Drone, a volunteer drone assembly group based in Kyiv, assembles drones at his dining room table, sometimes drawing on the help of his 7-year-old daughter. Social Drone started out a little over a year ago with three friends assembling five to 10 camera-carrying drones a week for one front-line army unit. Today Social Drones’ stable of 1,200 volunteers assembles about 700 drones a week. “If I want to live in an independent Ukraine, if I want my children to grow up in a free country, I feel I have to do something to help those who are fighting on the front lines,” Mr. Mischevskyi says. “I think the growth of our group indicates just how much Ukrainians feel the same.” Sometimes when Hennadii Mischevskyi is assembling military drones on his dining room table, his 7-year-old daughter leans on him and asks a very 7-year-old-child’s question: Why can’t you come play with me? “I tell her Daddy is busy helping our country; I’m helping the army do its job better so they can help us,” he says. “Sometimes she asks if she can help, so I let her sort the little screws that are part of the assembly,” he adds. “I can tell she is happy to join in.” Mr. Mischevskyi and his home drone assembly operation are a small piece of a nationwide civilian effort in Ukraine to supply the military with many of the thousands of drones it uses every month in the war with Russia. Reminiscent of American and British civilian involvement during World War II – which ranged from the collecting of used foil to women working in factories – Ukraine’s civilian drone assembly operation is a critical factor in many army units’ ability to stave off an encroaching enemy. Including the fundraising drives that finance the drone production, the nationwide operation offers insight into how much average Ukrainians remain involved in their country’s defense 1,000 days into the war. “If I want to live in an independent Ukraine, if I want my children to grow up in a free country, I feel I have to do something to help those who are fighting on the front lines,” says Mr. Mischevskyi, director of testing at Social Drone, a volunteer drone assembly group based in Kyiv. “I think the growth of our group indicates just how much Ukrainians feel the same and want to do something to help.” Indeed, Social Drone started out a little over a year ago with three friends assembling five to 10 camera-carrying drones a week for one front-line army unit. Today Social Drones’ stable of 1,200 volunteers assembles about 700 drones a week. In October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told foreign arms manufacturers that Ukraine is now capable of producing 4 million drones annually, with private companies, the military, and civilians all playing a role. The drone assembly campaign grew out of the surge in volunteering and civic involvement following Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Groups sprung up to help families displaced by the war and to furnish soldiers with everything from medical supplies to warm socks. When family members and friends in combat units began reporting back that they could use more and better-quality drones, average Ukrainians swung into action. One example is Klyn Drones in Kyiv. It started out as a volunteer group replacing homes’ war-damaged roofs, and then shifted to drone assembly this past spring when group members decided they wanted to do something to contribute to Ukraine’s defense. “We decided [drone assembly] would be a more effective means of being involved,” says Andrii Yukhno, an engineer who runs Klyn Drones out of a basement along with two friends and two adopted dogs. “To be honest,” he adds, “we thought it would allow us to be directly involved in the elimination of the enemy.” Six months later, Klyn – whose name means “wedge” or describes the V formation of migrating geese – delivers drones in batches of 150 to army units they have established a relationship with. In return, the soldiers send back drone footage that demonstrates their effectiveness. “We’ve received videos of our drones striking Russian armed vehicles and targeting Russian tanks,” Mr. Yukhno says. “That gives us the sense of direct involvement in defending our country that we were looking for.” Those videos are also an important piece of Klyn’s fundraising – the success of which determines the pace of the group’s drone production. “We’re finding that the initial high involvement of regular people has started to drop off as more people live their lives almost as if the war doesn’t exist,” Mr. Yukhno says. “So the videos with our drones in action remind people of the part we all have to play in defeating the enemy.” Donors who give enough are allowed to name a drone or inscribe one with a message. “People choose the name of the village they are from that Russia has destroyed, or the name of a loved one who was killed in the fighting,” he says. Such videos are also crucial for the fundraising organized by Oleksandra, a conference interpreter and mother in Odesa who, like some others interviewed, asked that her last name be withheld. The video that “really works” with donors, she says, has a kamikaze drone striking new units of Russian soldiers. “When the [operator] doing the voiceover shouts ‘Woo-hoo!’ that’s when [donors] really respond.” Oleksandra says she considered assembling drones but realized fundraising fit better with her skills and schedule. Recently, wanting to do more, she has started combing the internet to find quality drone parts at the best price. Most parts still come from China, but a growing share of drone kits and parts are produced in Ukraine. “I just feel that if we can’t be on the front line, we should all be involved somehow to win this war and preserve our independence,” Oleksandra says. Back at Klyn Drones, in a space the size of a small classroom, Mr. Yukhno and fellow assemblers Sasha and Stanislav do the painstaking work of drone-building. They wield small screw drivers, tweezers, and solder guns, with dogs Lilou and Leonia – both strays picked up in abandoned villages – at their feet. Ukraine’s defense ministry contracts with big companies to provide large orders of drones. But civilian assemblers say the military units they supply often express their preference for the models produced by the volunteer cottage industry. “We pay attention to the quality of our work and pride ourselves on delivering a product that will serve our soldiers well,” says Mr. Yukhno. To illustrate, Sasha points out the difference in soldering quality between a Klyn drone and a commercial model. At Social Drone, Mr. Mischevskyi says the army units they work with know by now they can trust the product to work right out of the box because every drone gets a test flight – not the case, he says, with more mass-produced drones. Units can alter specifications with small producers and expect faster turnaround if they suddenly need drones with, say, night vision or heavier weapons-delivery capacity. At Tricky Drones in Odesa, co-founder and drone engineer Andrii Iavorskyi shows off a stack of boxed drones ready for shipment. As he shows a visitor around Tricky’s two-room operation just off a leafy residential street, Hryhorii Rybalka, the outfit’s sole paid employee, works on a receiver chip that will help operate the drone at longer distances. Mr. Iavorskyi, a video producer by profession, was considering a job with a large drone manufacturer last year when he decided to start a drone assembly operation. A year later, Tricky Drones is building about 1,000 drones a month and is on a Defense Ministry list of drone suppliers military units can contact. Operating with about a dozen volunteers, Tricky produces a variety of drones of varying sizes and functions. Mr. Iavorskyi recalls getting a succinct request from an army volunteer unit seeking a large drone that could operate off of a car battery. “Just make it work” was the only instruction the unit sent. But of all the drones Tricky produces, he says, he’s proudest of the reconnaissance drones that fly up to 40 miles to monitor enemy positions and movement. “That’s a mission a soldier used to have to risk his life to accomplish,” Mr. Iavorskyi says. “To me it’s well worth the $600 that drone might cost to save a precious life.” Oleksandr Naselenko assisted in reporting this story.

El Salvador Congress votes to end ban on metal miningFormer Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football's blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by what could have been a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left. Then the Broncos used three trick plays that remain sensations to not only force overtime but win 43-42. And then there was the marriage proposal by Boise State running back Ian Johnson — shortly after scoring the winning two-point play — to cheerleader Chrissy Popadics that was accepted on national TV. That game put Broncos football on the national map for most fans, but looking back 18 years later, Petersen sees it differently. "Everybody wants to talk about that Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl game, which is great how it all worked out and all those things," Petersen said. "But we go back to play TCU (three years later) again on the big stage. It's not as flashy a game, but to me, that was an even better win." Going back to the Fiesta Bowl and winning, Petersen reasoned, showed the Broncos weren't a splash soon to fade away, that there was something longer lasting and more substantive happening on the famed blue turf. The winning has continued with few interruptions. No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for another trip to the Fiesta Bowl, this time in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year's Eve. That success has continued through a series of coaches, though with a lot more of a common thread than readily apparent. Dirk Koetter was hired from Oregon, where Petersen was the wide receivers coach. Not only did Koetter bring Petersen with him to Oregon, Petersen introduced him to Dan Hawkins, who also was hired for the staff. So the transition from Koetter to Hawkins to Petersen ensured at least some level of consistency. Koetter and Hawkins engineered double-digit victory seasons five times over a six-year span that led to power-conference jobs. Koetter went to Arizona State after three seasons and Hawkins to Colorado after five. Then when Petersen became the coach after the 2005 season, he led Boise State to double-digit wins his first seven seasons and made bowls all eight years. He resisted the temptation to leave for a power-conference program until Washington lured him away toward the end of the 2013 season. Then former Boise State quarterback and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin took over and posted five double-digit victory seasons over his first six years. After going 5-2 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he left for Auburn. "They just needed consistency of leadership," said Koetter, who is back as Boise State's offensive coordinator. "This program had always won at the junior-college level, the Division II level, the I-AA (now FCS) level." But Koetter referred to "an unfortunate chain of events" that made Boise State a reclamation project when he took over in 1998. Coach Pokey Allen led Boise State to the Division I-AA national championship game in 1994, but was diagnosed with cancer two days later. He died on Dec. 30, 1996, at 53. Allen coached the final two games that season, Boise State's first in Division I-A (now FBS). Houston Nutt became the coach in 1997, went 4-7 and headed to Arkansas. Then Koetter took over. "One coach dies and the other wasn't the right fit for this program," Koetter said. "Was a really good coach, did a lot of good things, but just wasn't a good fit for here." But because of Boise State's success at the lower levels, Koetter said the program was set up for success. "As Boise State has risen up the conference food chain, they've pretty much always been at the top from a player talent standpoint," Koetter said. "So it was fairly clear if we got things headed in the right direction and did a good job recruiting, we would be able to win within our conference for sure." Success didn't take long. He went 6-5 in 1998 and then won 10 games each of the following two seasons. Hawkins built on that winning and Petersen took it to another level. But there is one season, really one game, no really one half that still bugs Petersen. He thought his best team was in 2010, one that entered that late-November game at Nevada ranked No. 3 and had a legitimate chance to play for the national championship. The Colin Kaepernick-led Wolf Pack won 34-31. "I think the best team that I might've been a part of as the head coach was the team that lost one game to Nevada," Petersen said. "That team, to me, played one poor half of football on offense the entire season. We were winning by a bunch at half (24-7) and we came out and did nothing on offense in the second half and still had a chance to win. "That team would've done some damage." There aren't any what-ifs with this season's Boise State team. The Broncos are in the field of the first 12-team playoff, representing the Group of Five as its highest-ranked conference champion. That got Boise State a bye into the quarterfinals. Spencer Danielson has restored the championship-level play after taking over as the interim coach late last season during a rare downturn that led to Andy Avalos' dismissal. Danielson received the job full time after leading Boise State to the Mountain West championship. Now the Broncos are 12-1 with their only defeat to top-ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on a last-second field goal. Running back Ashton Jeanty also was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy. "Boise State has been built on the backs of years and years of success way before I got here," Danielson said. "So even this season is not because of me. It's because the group of young men wanted to leave a legacy, be different. We haven't been to the Fiesta Bowl in a decade. They said in January, 'We're going to get that done.' They went to work." As was the case with Danielson, Petersen and Koetter said attracting top talent is the primary reason Boise State has succeeded all these years. Winning, obviously, is the driving force, and with more entry points to the playoffs, the Broncos could make opportunities to keep returning to the postseason a selling point. But there's also something about the blue carpet. Petersen said he didn't get what it was about when he arrived as an assistant coach, and there was some talk about replacing it with more conventional green grass. A poll in the Idaho Statesman was completely against that idea, and Petersen has come to appreciate what that field means to the program. "It's a cumulative period of time where young kids see big-time games when they're in seventh and eighth and ninth and 10th grade and go, 'Oh, I know that blue turf. I want to go there,'" Petersen said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. Investors: Please contact the Portnoy Law Firm to recover your losses. February 7, 2025 Deadline to file Lead Plaintiff Motion.RIYADH: From heritage to long-standing traditions, the deep connections between Iraq and Saudi Arabia span thousands of years to the pre-Islamic era. The second Common Ground festival, an initiative by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, is an immersion in the bonds of the two nations through art, cuisine and performance. Alataf Ebrahim, the head of the festival department at the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, told Arab News: “Baghdad and all the Iraqi governorates are passionate about embracing Saudi culture. While the event is called Common Ground, with pride, we say that we are all one culture, one society and one message. “This is a big and very important event, and the project is bold for planning and drawing joint cultural events now, and in the future. As the Ministry of Culture, this venture has been initiated for two years and we plan on having Saudi cultural nights in Baghdad as well as in 2025.” One of the main festival attractions is Al-Mutanabbi Street, which is recreated based on the historical road in Baghdad along with its iconic main gate. The renowned hub for intellectual life hosts various bookstores, clothing stores, live painting and oud performances, and panel discussions around various cultural crossovers. In the heart of the bookshop district is one of Baghdad’s oldest coffee shops, Shabandar cafe, which opened its doors over a century ago and has since become a landmark in the city. The establishment has born witness to the twists and tragedies of Iraq’s tumultuous history. “Shabandar cafe is an open corner for poets and intellectuals, and visitors as well, as they read about the latest cultural news through physical newspapers that are always on each table. This area is where the most prominent cultural activities in the capital (take place),” Ebrahim explained. Al-Mutanabbi’s poems are also honored through 10, 3-meter-high scrolls. The works are written in a font that has the characteristics of the 4th century in the style of Ibn Al-Bawwab, the famous calligrapher who was born about a year after Al-Mutanabbi’s death. “We’re presenting a mini cultural week that encompasses many experiences, not just books and literature, but also extends to musical performances; and an absorption between the two cultures and deepening that relationship,” he added. Visitors can also indulge in local delicacies from both countries while enjoying the live folk music and dance performances that take place twice daily on the main stage. The festival’s concert series featured an iconic performance by Iraqi singer Kadim Alsahir on the opening day, and a joint oud performance by Saudi singer and songwriter Abadi Al-Johar and Iraqi artist Naseer Shamma on Dec. 21. The last show of the series will be on Dec. 25, featuring Aseel Hameem and Nawaf Al-Jabarti. Over 100 artworks are on display at the “Beneath the Gaze of the Palms” exhibition, which examines questions of identity and heritage in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The showcase includes Islamic, Mesopotamian and contemporary art. At the entrance of the exhibition is a large structure known as the Mudhif, which is a traditional reed house, particularly in the Al-Ahwar region of southern Iraq. It is a type of communal guesthouse or gathering space that plays a central role in the social and hospitality traditions of the region. A large part of the exhibition highlights Darb Zubaida, one of the historical pilgrimage routes from the city of Kufa to Makkah that not only facilitated the movement of people, goods, and ideas but also played a crucial role in the cultural and religious life of the Islamic world. “This road became a place for exchanging ideas with our communities in the Kingdom. Saudi poetry and handicrafts were transferred to Iraq while Iraqi literary and cultural heritage was transferred to Saudi Arabia. “This is an important aspect of the exhibition, alongside the many artworks that spotlight the traditional, modern, and contemporary art and the traditional tales that are embodied by the contributions of the participating artists.” The festival also features an exhibition dedicated to the history of traditional clothing, musical instruments, songs, and significant cultural figures of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The festival, which runs until Dec. 31, is being held at Mega Studio in Riyadh’s Boulevard City.Government departments are on a collision course with unions unsatisfied with proposals to raise pay for more than a million public sector workers by 2.8% next year. Inflation is predicted to average 2.5% this year and 2.6% next year, according to forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility. The British Medical Association said the Government showed a “poor grasp” of unresolved issues from two years of industrial action, and the Royal College of Nursing called the pay recommendation “deeply offensive”. The National Education Union’s chief said teachers were “putting the Government on notice” that the proposed increase “won’t do”. The pay recommendations came after Chancellor Rachel Reeves called for every Government department to cut costs by 5%, as she started work on a sweeping multi-year spending review to be published in 2025. Independent pay review bodies will consider the proposals for pay rises for teachers, NHS workers and senior civil servants. The Department of Health said it viewed 2.8% as a “reasonable amount” to set aside, in its recommendations to the NHS Pay Review Body and the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration Board remit groups. A 2.8% pay rise for teachers in 2025/26 would “maintain the competitiveness of teachers’ pay despite the challenging financial backdrop the Government is facing”, the Department for Education said. The Cabinet Office also suggested pay increases for senior civil servants should be kept to no more than 2.8%. Paul Johnson, director of the influential economics think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said it was “not a bad ballpark figure” and feels “just about affordable” given the Government’s public spending plans. The downside, he said, is that public sector workers have lost out since 2010 and unions will be upset that this is not making up the gap, he told Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge. “But given the constraints facing the Chancellor I think it’s pretty hard to argue for more for public sector pay when public sector services ... are under real strain,” he said. Unions expressed their disappointment in the recommendations, with some hinting they could be willing to launch industrial action. The Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive called for “open direct talks now” to avoid “further escalation to disputes and ballots”. Professor Nicola Ranger said: “The Government has today told nursing staff they are worth as little as £2 extra a day, less than the price of a coffee. “Nursing is in crisis – there are fewer joining and too many experienced professionals leaving. This is deeply offensive to nursing staff, detrimental to their patients and contradictory to hopes of rebuilding the NHS. “The public understands the value of nursing and they know that meaningful reform of the NHS requires addressing the crisis in nursing. “We pulled out of the Pay Review Body process, alongside other unions, because it is not the route to address the current crisis. “That has been demonstrated today. “Fair pay must be matched by structural reform. Let’s open direct talks now and avoid further escalation to disputes and ballots – I have said that directly to government today.” Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of the British Medical Association’s council, urged the sector’s pay review body to “show it is now truly independent”. “For this Government to give evidence to the doctors’ and dentists’ pay review body (DDRB) believing a 2.8% pay rise is enough, indicates a poor grasp of the unresolved issues from two years of industrial action,” he said. He said the proposal is far below the current rate of inflation and that the Government was “under no illusion” when doctors accepted pay offers in the summer that there was a “very real risk of further industrial action” if “pay erosion” was not addressed in future pay rounds. “This sub-inflationary suggestion from the current Government serves as a test to the DDRB. “The BMA expects it to take this opportunity to show it is now truly independent, to take an objective view of the evidence it receives from all parties, not just the Government, and to make an offer that reflects the value of doctors’ skills and expertise in a global market, and that moves them visibly further along the path to full pay restoration.” The NEU’s general secretary, Daniel Kebede, said teachers’ pay had been cut by more than one-fifth in real terms since 2010. “Along with sky-high workload, the pay cuts have resulted in a devastating recruitment and retention crisis. Teacher shortages across the school system hit pupils and parents too. “A 2.8% increase is likely to be below inflation and behind wage increases in the wider economy. This will only deepen the crisis in education.” In a hint that there could be a return to industrial action he added: “NEU members fought to win the pay increases of 2023 and 2024. “We are putting the Government on notice. Our members care deeply about education and feel the depth of the crisis. This won’t do.” The offer for teachers is the “exact opposite of fixing the foundations” and will result in bigger class sizes and more cuts to the curriculum, Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The inadequacy of the proposed pay award is compounded by the Government’s intention that schools should foot the bill out of their existing allocations. “Given that per-pupil funding will increase on average by less than 1% next year, and the Government’s proposal is for an unfunded 2.8% pay award, it is obvious that this is in fact an announcement of further school cuts.” Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: This recommendation falls far short of what is needed to restore the competitiveness of the teaching profession, to enable it to retain experienced professionals and attract new talent. Unison head of health Helga Pile said: “The Government has inherited a financial mess from its predecessors, but this is not what NHS workers wanted to hear. “Staff are crucial in turning around the fortunes of the NHS. Improving performance is a key Government pledge, but the pay rise proposed is barely above the cost of living.”

Price Harry, Duke Of Sussex, said his upcoming court battle with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers will be a money loser for him but provide “accountability’ if he wins the court fight set for January. Harry has been suing UK tabloids for years with a recent victory over the Mirror Group Newspapers late last year. He’s one of only two plaintiffs still pushing ahead out of well over a thousand claims and 40 that joined his suit against News Group, publisher of The Sun and, formerly, the long defunct News of the World , over allegations of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering. The publisher denies the allegations. A settlement would have been more lucrative “a hundred times over,” Harry told the New York Times DealBook Conference in New York. He said he couldn’t talk too much about the pending case. “The hacking [claim] is almost 15 years old, the cover-up of the hacking ... is relatively new, and I think that will be the piece that really shocks the world ... The goal is accountability. That means that, unfortunately, the scale of the cover-up is so large that people need to see it for themselves.” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated to California in 2020 in a rift with the British royal family, founding Archewell, a nonprofit and production company. Both have been targets of social media hate speech and both are outspoken against it. Harry recently said he would fear for the safety of his wife Meghan Markle if they returned to the U.K. He said he worried that the couple’s negative press puts her at risk for an acid attack or a knife attack. He said the couple and their children have been the targets of retaliation during the last five years of the News lawsuit. Of the U.S., he said, “I very much enjoy living here and brining my kids up here. It’s a part of my life that I never thought I’d be able to live. It’s the life I think my mom would have wanted for me ... It’s huge. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I am truly grateful for that.”

SUNNYVALE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2024 / TechStar Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company listed in Hong Kong, announced that it entered a Business Combination Agreement with Seyond, a solution provider of high fidelity, high-performance LiDAR and intelligent sensing systems. Upon completion of the merger, Seyond is expected to be successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The agreed valuation for this De-SPAC transaction is 11.7 billion Hong Kong dollars. Additionally, Seyond has introduced three PIPE investors with a cumulative investment of approximately 553.1 million Hong Kong dollars. Previously, Seyond has garnered investments from a host of prestigious institutions, including NIO Capital, Temasek, ERVC, Gaorong Ventures, Joy Capital, BAI Capital, Shunwei Capital, and Guotai Junan Venture Capital, among others. Established in 2016, Seyond specializes in providing automotive-grade LiDAR solutions for autonomous driving and a variety of automotive and non-automotive applications. As the first company to achieve mass production of automotive-grade high-performance LiDAR, Seyond ranked first globally in sales revenue of passenger car LiDAR solutions in 2022 and 2023. Rigorously tested with proven automotive-grade reliability and lifetime, Falcon, the flagship 1550nm LiDAR sensor for high-level autonomous driving, is mass-produced, with over 400,000 units delivered globally. Additionally, Seyond achieved a design win for its 905nm wavelength LiDAR products with a leading new energy automotive OEM, becoming the only company in the LiDAR industry with mass production experience in both 1550nm and 905nm products. In addition to the automotive market, Seyond is strategically expanding into the robotic and intelligent transportation markets with combined revenue opportunities of over USD 260 billion globally by 2031, aiming to create a more substantial revenue scale. Seyond is looking forward to embarking on this exciting new journey with its investors, partners, and customers. On January 7-10, the company will exhibit its latest technology at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Attendees visiting Booth #5060 will learn how Seyond's LiDAR solutions power intelligent systems worldwide. About Seyond SeyondTM is a global leader in high fidelity LiDAR solutions, powering a safer, smarter and more mobile world across the automotive, intelligent transportation, robotics and infrastructure industries. Seyond delivers a dynamic portfolio of robust, high resolution LiDAR sensors, perception software, and the Seyond ITS Management Platform (SIMPL). Founded in Silicon Valley with a global footprint, Seyond is dedicated to the highest quality engineering and manufacturing, and unwavering commitment to our customers. About TechStar TechStar is a special purpose acquisition company incorporated for the purpose of effecting a business combination with one or more businesses, with efforts concentrated on companies in new economy sectors, including but not limited to innovative technology, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences, culture and entertainment, consumer and e-commerce, green energy and climate actions industries. TechStar completed an offering comprising 100,100,000 TechStar Class A Shares at an offer price of HK$10.00 per TechStar Class A Share and 50,050,000 TechStar Listed Warrants on December 23, 2022. CONTACT: Name: Sally Frykman Email: sally.frykman@seyond.com SOURCE: Seyond View the original on accesswire.comCongressional bicameral team pushes for insurance, pharmaceutical reform

Here's Jason: Kelce will host late-night show on ESPN beginning final week of NFL season