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The US State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation”, according to a statement. The designation of Mr Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the US has placed on Georgian politicians and others this year. Those sanctions include freezes on assets and properties those targeted may have in US jurisdictions or that might enter US jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s actions under Ivanishvili’s leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia.” Mr Ivanishvili is a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia’s longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted towards Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBT+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country’s prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia’s bid to join the European Union, fuelling further public outrage.
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey gambling regulators have handed out $40,000 in fines to two sportsbooks and a tech company for violations that included taking bets on unauthorized events, and on games that had already ended. In information made public Monday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined DraftKings $20,000. It also levied $10,000 fines on Rush Street Interactive NJ and the sports betting technology company Kambi. According to documents released by the state, Rush Street accepted 16 bets worth $1,523 in Nov. 2021 on a college basketball game between the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Tennessee Tech University after the game had already concluded with a UNC victory. Kambi told the enforcement division that a trader had failed to manually remove that game from its betting markets, saying it had stopped receiving messages from its own sports data provider due to a network connectivity error. Kambi said it has updated its guidelines and retrained its traders to prevent a recurrence. Kambi, which is based in Malta, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday. Rush Street declined comment, and DraftKings had no immediate comment Monday. DraftKings stopped using Kambi in 2021. In March 2022 Rush Street took seven bets totaling just under $2,900 on three Magic City Jai Alai games after the results were already known. Kambi told the division it experienced a connectivity issue that allowed the bets to be accepted after the games were over. An explanation of what Kambi did to address the situation was blacked out in documents released by the division. A month earlier Rush Street took 13 wagers worth $8,150 with pre-match odds on a Professional Golf Association match after the event had already begun. In this case, Kambi told the division a newly hired trader failed to enter the correct closing time time for bets on the event. The trader and a supervisor underwent retraining. DraftKings was fined for taking bets on unapproved events including Russian basketball for nine months in 2020 and 2021. It eventually voided over $61,000 in bets and returned the money to customers after being directed to do so by the state. In this case, Kambi told the division it misidentified this particular Russian basketball league as one that was approved for wagering in New Jersey. DraftKings told the state it did not catch the error, either. In 2020, DraftKings accepted 484 wagers on unapproved table tennis matches. Kambi incorrectly enabled the events for wagering without conditions required by the state, the division said. In Feb. 2022, the division said DraftKings took pre-season NFL bets involving specific players but did not give the state specific information on what information was to be included in the bets, drawing 182 wagers worth nearly $7,000 that were later voided and refunded to customers. Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryACWashington (CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Billy Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri, to head the Internal Revenue Service, signaling plans to oust current Commissioner Danny Werfel before his term expires in 2027. Replacing Werfel, who was picked by President Joe Biden, could mean a major shift at the agency, which has been undergoing a massive transformation that’s become a political football in Washington. Democrats have argued the agency, after facing years of budget cuts, needs more money to go after tax cheats and modernize its technology. And Republicans, many of whom – including Long – have supported shutting down the agency altogether , are skeptical that new enforcement actions won’t unfairly target middle-class Americans. Last year, Republican lawmakers successfully clawed back $20 billion of the $80 billion provided to the IRS by the Democrat-backed Inflation Reduction Act that passed in 2022. Further cuts to the IRS’ budget could be a priority for Trump, who has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of a new commission to cut federal spending . While the Inflation Reduction Act spells out how much money can be used for enforcement activities and taxpayer assistance, it’s largely up to the IRS, which is housed in the Department of Treasury, to decide how exactly the money is spent . One of the biggest projects under Werfel – the launch of a free tax filing program called Direct File – doesn’t have the backing of many GOP lawmakers, some of whom have criticized the program as “illegitimate and unnecessary.” There are Republicans who have also voiced concern about the effort to ramp up enforcement. Some, including Trump , have misleadingly suggested that the IRS is hiring 87,000 new auditors to target middle-class Americans and small business owners. But Democrats say the IRS needs the influx of money to successfully go after tax cheats. Prior to the Inflation Reduction Act, the agency did not have the staffing or resources to pursue high-income earners that the agency knew owed taxes, Werfel said earlier this year . So far, the IRS has collected nearly $1.3 billion in overdue taxes from wealthy households due to the new enforcement efforts. Less controversial efforts undertaken under Werfel’s leadership have been aimed at making it easier for Americans to file their federal taxes, like hiring thousands more customer service representatives and updating the agency’s archaic technology so that it can digitize paper forms . The independent Congressional Budget Office and other budget experts say that spending money on tax enforcement can reduce the deficit by bringing in more tax revenue. Long served 12 years in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023. He ran unsuccessfully for a Senate seat in 2022. During his time in Congress, Long served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Homeland Security Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – but not on the House’s main tax-writing committee. He co-sponsored, along with dozens of other Republicans, bills to abolish the IRS and replace the federal income tax system with a national sales tax. Long currently works as a certified tax and business adviser, according to his X bio . “DM me to save 40% on your taxes. We have a new traunch of tax credits just out!” it says. “Since leaving Congress, Billy has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday announcing his pick. In the private sector, Long has been helping people file for the employee retention tax credit, a pandemic-era benefit. The IRS temporarily paused processing of those claims in 2023 amid concerns of fraud . In a 2023 podcast interview , Long talked about how he only helps people who are eligible to claim the tax credit. “If they don’t qualify, we do not tell them they do. And we do not to get them through the process,” he said. “Taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm. He is the consummate ‘people person,’ well respected on both sides of the aisle,” Trump said in his statement. A former professional auctioneer, Long once used his skills to drown out a protester who was disrupting a committee hearing on Capitol Hill. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Lincoln businesses, shoppers feel pressure with shorter holiday buying season
All polling stations managed to open despite fierce weather in the sub-Arctic nation that left roads in many areas blocked by snow. Ballot counting began after polls closed at 10pm local time, with results expected early Sunday. This is Iceland’s sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggested the country could be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Mr Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. “My expectation is like, something new (is) going to happen, hopefully,” said Horour Guojonsson, voting in the capital, Reykjavik. “We always have had these old parties taking care of things. I hope we see the light now to come in with a younger people, new ideas.” Iceland, a nation of about 400,000 people, is proud of its democratic traditions, describing itself as arguably the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy. The island’s parliament, the Althingi, was founded in 930 by the Norsemen who settled the country.
Gamers, the wait is over and Black Friday is finally here. With it comes one of the few chances to find discounts on Nintendo Switch consoles, the best Nintendo Switch games and other great gaming deals (including PS5 and Xbox ). If you’ve been holding out for a price drop, now’s the time to dive in. One of the best deals on the Nintendo Switch OLED I’ve ever seen comes from Amazon . The Switch OLED deal includes a £20 discount on the console, as well as a free copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a 12-month subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. It’s not one I’d recommend you miss. With rumours swirling about a mid-2025 release for the Nintendo Switch 2 , it’s no surprise that there are so many great Black Friday savings around. Keep reading for my handpicked guide to the best Nintendo Switch Black Friday deals to shop now. Follow live: Black Friday deals and expert shopping tips I’ve been writing about all things tech for more than seven years. I’ve also been reviewing the latest games consoles and games for The Independent since joining it in 2021. This experience, and the know-how that comes with it, means I know how to seek out the best products at the best prices, finding you the Black Friday deals that are genuinely good value for money. Nintendo has just released a Nintendo Switch OLED bundle deal, which includes a free copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership. If you buy the bundle from Amazon, you’ll get an additional £20 sliced off the console’s asking price, plus the game and membership thrown in for free. Bargain. This really is the best deal I’ve ever seen on the Nintendo Switch OLED. If you don’t need the larger or more vibrant OLED display, then this bundle deal on the OG Nintendo Switch will serve you well. It comes with Nintendo Switch Sports , a leg-strap accessory and a 12-month Switch Online membership thrown in for free. If you buy the bundle from Amazon, the retailer knocks off a further £10 off the console, saving you a total of £76. The Turtle Beach Recon 50 is the entry-level option from this renowned gaming brand, which also happens to be behind the best gaming headset we’ve tested, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro (was £279.99, now £249.69, Amazon.co.uk ). “If you don’t want to spend too much on a gaming headset but don’t want any old cheap tat, pick up the Turtle Beach Recon 50,” I said in my review. The headset is great quality for the price, has a boom mic for multiplayer chat, and matches the Switch in its red and blue colourway. If the Nintendo Switch bundle above has caught your eye, Very is making the deal even better. Not only do you get the console, a copy of Nintendo Switch Sports, leg strap accessory and a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but the retailer is also throwing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – one of the console’s best games – for just £20 more. Altogether, that’s more than £100 of savings, compared with buying the products separately. The Switch Lite is the spiritual successor to the Nintendo DS. With a smaller screen, the Switch Lite can only be played in handheld mode. This bundle gets you a copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and a 12-month Switch Online membership thrown in for free, saving you a huge £85 on the game and the membership. It’s still available right now in its turquoise iteration, with a cutesy Animal Crossing theme. This Nintendo Switch bundle at Very gets you the console with a copy of Mario Party Jamboree , the latest entry in the friendship-ruining Mario Party series. Perfect for a bit of Christmas morning fun, the game features more than 100 competitive minigames. Two players can play with the included controllers, but you’ll need another pair for four (£54.99, Amazon.co.uk ). Featuring a smaller 5.5in display and up to seven hours of battery life, this is the console you should be eyeing up if you just want a gaming device that doubles up as a travel companion. You can’t dock this device or play it on the TV, but it is cheaper than the original Nintendo Switch and the OLED model. Something to note about this discount is that, technically, Amazon isn’t logging it as a deal – but it should be. Seriously, it’s RRP across the web is £200 on average, and I haven’t seen the lite this cheap since July 2023. Consider me swayed. Looking for a new title to add to your Switch collection? Bayonetta 3 is one of the best Nintendo Switch games and is currently on sale at Argos. “ Bayonetta fans will find plenty to adore and, while its absurdity may take newcomers some getting used to, it’s high-octane action at its near best,” our writer said in their review . Minecraft is a tried and true classic of the gaming world, and deservedly so. Now, you can enjoy the geometric world-building game on your Nintendo Switch, plus get 20 per cent off thanks to Very’s Black Friday sale. Let your creativity run wild, from building your own castle to battling mobs of zombies with your friends, the possibilities are endless. One of my favourite Nintendo Switch games is currently more than 20 per cent off at Very thanks to the retailer’s Black Friday sale. In my review of the best Nintendo Switch games , I named Super Mario Odyssey one of the best to sink your teeth into due to its stunning visuals and unique twists. “It just narrowly misses out on the top spot for best Nintendo Switch game but only marginally. This really is one of the best Mario games out there,” I said. Save 45 per cent on FC 25 for the Switch at Amazon, a game that boasts the biggest shake-up to the Fifa franchise in years. This isn’t just the same game with players donning new kits. There’s a new game mode, a new FC IQ system, new player roles, better tactical options and new game mechanics. If you haven’t yet laced up your virtual boots, now’s the perfect time. My favourite Nintendo Switch game has just received a price cut for the first time ever. “Familiar but new, Tears of the Kingdom is breathtaking in its scope, engaging in its narrative, and the limitless freedom to explore meant we never wanted to put down the controller,” I wrote in my review . “You can craft weapons out of anything, splice objects together to build planes, sear fruits to your shield to dazzle enemies and explore for hours and hours on end.” Independent games retailer The Game Collection has just discounted Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope by £7. “There’s enough meaningful changes to entice Super Mario fans that fall outside the tactical genre, while also staying true to its core appeal,” our writer said in their review of the game. It’s the game you know and love and, ahead of the New Year, it’s had a pop and rock upgrade. That’s right, the game’s 2025 edition will include recent hits like Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso and Jack Harlow’s Lovin’ on me and, thanks to Argos’ Black Friday sale, it’s currently reduced by 45 per cent just one month after its release. Though I haven’t managed to get my hands on the game’s latest edition just yet, gaming expert Jack did take a whack at its 2015 iteration, noting how everything it entails ensures that “it really is quite hard to not have a good time.” This licensed memory card is specially designed for the Nintendo console system and instantly adds up to an extra 128GB of additional space, while also boosting transfer rates up to 100MB, to help load games faster. It also has a neat little mushroom design, just so you know it’s a Nintendo SD card. Black Friday falls the day after Thanksgiving in the US, meaning this year the mammoth sale kicked off on Friday 29 November. Lasting a full four days, the deals will end on Cyber Monday (2 December 2024). Cyber Monday falls on Monday 2 December this year. The main difference between the two sales is that Cyber Monday – as the name suggests – historically only takes place online, while Black Friday sees deals both online and in-store. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, however, with plenty of brands continuing their in-store sales into the following week. Discounts don’t stay static during the sale weekend and it’s hard to predict if prices might change or deals will vanish. So, if you’re looking to get a deal on something you really want or that might sell out, it’s wise to snatch the offer up as soon as you can. Looking for more recommendations? Read our comprehensive guide to Black Friday 2024OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was taking part in a cabinet committee meeting on Canada-U.S. relations today, amid increasing calls for his resignation. A mid-day adjustment to Trudeau's itinerary was issued by the Prime Minister's Office and noted he was taking part in the meeting virtually, though a specific time wasn't listed. Neither Trudeau, nor Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc issued a public comment after the meeting. Last week was a chaotic one for the governing Liberals, starting with Chrystia Freeland's cabinet resignation just hours after she was set to table the fall economic statement. Freeland and LeBlanc have previously spoken with the media at the conclusion of these cabinet committee meetings on dealing with the incoming Trump administration. The committee was reformed following Donald Trump's re-election, and a chief topic of discussion at the meetings has been border security after the incoming president threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian products. Several Liberal MPs publicly called for Trudeau to step down as Liberal leader since Freeland's resignation, and the NDP has joined the other major opposition parties in saying it no longer has confidence in the minority Liberal government. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024 David Baxter, The Canadian PressnuEra Cannabis Launches Annual "Season of Giving Danks" Charity Drive to Support the Center for Prevention of Abuse
WASHINGTON − Former President Bill Clinton was hospitalized at the Georgetown University Medical Center “for testing and observation after developing a fever,” his chief of staff announced Monday. “He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving,” Angel Ureña, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Clinton, 78, campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race. He was hospitalized for a urological infection that later developed into a blood infection known as sepsis in 2021. This is a developing story and will be updated .None
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Young Australians are ‘all in’ on generative AI and are embracing tools like ChatGPT in the workplace at speed, according to new research, amid calls for workplace leaders to introduce guardrails for the nascent technology. The study of 1200 Gen Z Australians found that 58 per cent of them are already using and embracing tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini in the office, and almost all (93 per cent) are not worried about it threatening their job. Hatch co-founders Chaz Heitner and Adam Jacobs with investor Taryn Pieterse. Credit: Steven Siewert Young workers are ramping up their use of the chatbots despite the highly publicised risks associated with the technology, including ‘hallucinations’ – faulty or misleading responses – and security risks associated with feeding sensitive workplace data into the large language models. The research was conducted by Hatch, an online jobs marketplace described as ‘Seek for Gen Z’. Hatch CEO Adam Jacobs, a co-founder of The Iconic, said Gen Z’s keenness to embrace AI technologies should be viewed as an asset to businesses. “It’s very natural for young people, who are digital natives, to adopt new technologies,” he said. “All employers are sitting at the start of a major wave of transformation brought on by AI and the next generation can help position them to ride that wave, rather than being threatened by it. “While there’s a lot that we still need to learn about the way AI is going to change our world, it’s comforting to hear that the next generation is optimistic about it.” Hatch head of AI Dr Arwen Griffioen said workplaces needed to establish guidelines and ensure that employees were trained in how hallucination, bias and error could be detected and mitigated. “Managers should be enthusiastic about their teams using the technology where it is helpful and safe,” Griffioen said. “Creating a culture of healthy scepticism and accountability ensures that employees feel empowered to use the tools that elevate them while building critical thinking and analysis skills. “Legal and security teams should be auditing the provider agreements to ensure that company data and IP are not retained for model improvements or tuning. Establish employee accounts on the tools of choice for use in workplace contexts and emphasising data security in onboarding and recurrent training.” A study of 1200 Gen Z Australians found that 58 per cent are already using and embracing tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini in the office, and almost all (93 per cent) are not worried about it threatening their job. Credit: AP Law student Monique Buksh, a paralegal at Zed Law, saw ChatGPT regularly at work, as well as a tool called Dashworks, which is integrated with her firm’s legal systems. “I use it every day. It’s instrumental in helping me draft things more efficiently and identify oversights that I might not have been able to identify myself, given my lack of experience working as a lawyer,” she said. “AI is really helpful for me in being that ‘eagle eye’, and it’s a great tool to use internally. But inadequate safeguards could result in potential breaches of confidentiality, which would jeopardise client integrity and expose the firm to legal liabilities. So it’s a great tool but it also doesn’t replace the training we receive.” Earlier this year, a US lawyer was suspended from the bar and fired from his law firm after admitting to using artificial intelligence to file court cases. The lawyer confessed to a judge that he had used ChatGPT to submit a motion in civil court. Buksh said generative AI was adept at collating information and making summaries, but that its limitations should be recognised. A Senate committee in November recommended that artificial intelligence chatbots ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama should be deemed “high risk” and subjected to mandatory transparency, testing and accountability requirements. After nine months of hearings, the committee issued 13 recommendations including sweeping EU-style legislation that would introduce guardrails against high-risk AI use cases across the economy. Varad Chaudhari, a Gen Z investment intern with venture capital firm Rampersand, said he used ChatGPT and other chatbots like Claude and Gemini just as much as he used Google. Like Buksh, Chaudhari said the AI chatbots were particularly helpful given he was still early in his career. Rampersand investment intern Varad Chaudhari. “Every day I use it to quickly learn something,” he said. “I’ll be on a call with a founder who will tell me something I haven’t heard before, and it’s awesome to learn 60 or 70 per cent of something really quickly. “There are also so many ways to make what you do faster. ChatGPT really speeds up my job, which is massive. As a junior person, you’re trying to make sure you’re working hard and not missing something important. I find it incredibly useful.” Chaudhari said he thought company executives should try the tools themselves so they could then have a clearer idea about how to regulate them or set up guardrails. Amid a cost of living crisis, Hatch’s research also found that more than two-thirds of young workers believed they were being underpaid, while only half of Gen Z workers felt engaged at work. The start-up earlier this year raised an oversubscribed $7 million funding round and has embarked on a poaching spree. It has landed senior talent from other start-ups, hiring Griffioen from Culture Amp as its head of AI, Tom Mansfield from Dovetail as chief revenue officer, Ashwin Ramesh from Canva as chief technology officer and Pete Binns from Dovetail as lead product designer. Hatch is also halfway through rebuilding its platform from scratch, and once finished, it will use AI technology to match people to jobs based on their skills and values. “Who you hire is 90 per cent of the success of a business,” Jacobs said. “I built The Iconic for about nine years, and during that time, I probably interviewed around 2000 people and hired around 600 or 700 people. And what I learned is that what’s on a resume is often misleading. It’s actually someone’s underlying skills and traits that matter.“ The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning .Texas Rep. Kay Granger missed majority of U.S. House votes this year
NoneThe Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has announced the 24th edition of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit (SLES), scheduled for January 28th and 29th, 2025, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. The Summit, under the theme “Shaping Sri Lanka’s Future: Transformational Growth Rooted in Sound Economic Policies,” is set to bring together a distinguished lineup of national and international industry leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss the country’s economic future. As Sri Lanka continues to navigate through significant political and economic changes, the Summit aims to provide critical insights into the policies needed to foster an export-led growth model. The discussions will focus on unlocking the country’s export potential, leveraging its strategic location, and accessing fast-growing regional markets. The summit will also emphasize the reforms required to boost key sectors, such as Tourism, Agriculture, and Value-Added Manufacturing, in driving sustainable and inclusive growth. Over the course of two days, participants will engage in high-level panel discussions, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities designed to address key challenges and opportunities for Sri Lanka’s economic development. Among the key topics to be explored are policies for improving export competitiveness, attracting foreign investment, and implementing structural reforms across sectors that can shape the nation’s future growth. Since its inception in 2020, the Sri Lanka Economic Summit has become a premier platform for thought leadership, attracting some of the brightest minds in industry, policy, and academia. It continues to play a crucial role in shaping the nation’s economic discourse and facilitating dialogue between the public and private sectors. Registration for the 2025 Summit is now open, and with seats filling up fast, participants are encouraged to secure their places early to avoid disappointment. For more details and registration, visit SLES Registration. For further inquiries, contact Alikie at 011-5588805 or via email at alikie@chamber.lk.
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PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract Monday. The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Editor's Picks Phils acquire lefty Luzardo in trade with Marlins 1d Jesse Rogers Phillies add ex-Twins OF Kepler on 1-year deal 3d Jeff Passan Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He is 29-34. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. The Phillies, meanwhile, have no plans to pitch prized prospect Andrew Painter in spring training games as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old Painter hurt his elbow during spring training in 2023 and had surgery that July 25 with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Painter was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed for a $3.9 million bonus. "He'll throw but not plan on pitching" in games, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday. "We're going to push the innings back." Dombrowski said Painter will build up at some point in the minor leagues and could make his major league debut at some point in the summer. Painter made six starts and allowed four runs in the Arizona Fall League. He struck out 18 batters in 152⁄3 innings after he sat out each of the last two seasons. Painter sprinted through Philadelphia's system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A teams and Double-A Reading. The Associated Press contributed to this report.ENPH Investor Alert: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP Has Filed a Securities Fraud Class Action Lawsuit Against Enphase Energy, Inc.
VitaGraft KidneyTM quantifies the amount of DNA fragments in transplant patients' blood that originate from the donor organ, a key biomarker for assessing graft health. This process is commonly referred to as donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) testing and is widely used in clinical practice today. In this latest study, Oncocyte's proprietary diagnostic dd-cfDNA test using digital PCR was able to diagnose antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in kidney transplant recipients nearly a year ahead of standard protocols 1 . "We are excited to see our dd-cfDNA technology demonstrate strong predictive value for AMR, supporting clinicians in identifying AMR in patients sooner, thereby enhancing the opportunity for better outcomes,” said Oncocyte Chief Science Officer Dr. Ekkehard Schuetz. "The trial's results further validate dd-cfDNA as a critical biomarker that can bridge diagnostic gaps for transplant patients.” For further context, de-novo donor specific antibody (dnDSA) is a routine biomarker used in kidney transplant management. The appearance of dnDSA in a patient -- that is, the patient is found to be dnDSA-positive (dnDSA+) -- signals an increased risk of AMR. This latest study shows that compared to standard of care, VitaGraft Kidney can significantly reduce the time to diagnosis of AMR in dnDSA+ patients. It is also the first randomized interventional study to validate any dd-cfDNA technology as a rule-in test for biopsy in a high-risk population. Catching AMR early, when kidney graft loss can be minimized, is becoming increasingly important as physicians explore the use of drugs, including the anti-CD38 drugs felzartamab and daratumumab, to manage rejection. Monitoring with VitaGraft in this high-risk patient population could support early intervention with these new therapeutic options. Once patients are on therapy, monitoring for therapeutic efficacy is also important to manage potential unwanted side effects. Publications using VitaGraft to monitor for efficacy for both aforementioned drugs can be found in the New England Journal of Medicine and Transplant International . In addition, earlier this year, Oncocyte signed an agreement with a European biotechnology company to be the provider of dd-cfDNA testing for a Phase II clinical trial for a separate therapeutic in AMR. Oncocyte expects to submit for claims expansion to its payor, MolDX 2 , to support the use of VitaGraft for these high-risk patients in the clinic. If granted, it would expand the use case beyond the current for-cause claim, opening significant new revenue opportunities. In sum, this clinical trial provides compelling evidence for dd-cfDNA monitoring as a tool for enhancing early intervention and improving outcomes for patients at increased risk of transplant rejection. Oncocyte scientists and inventors of the technology, Dr. Schuetz, Julia Beck and Kirsten Bornemann-Kolatzki, co-authored the study, which was initiated by researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin under the leadership of Prof. Klemens Budde. The study was published in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation: Oxford Academic and may be found by accessing this link. Additional study details: Highlighting potential for improved patient outcomes, as well as implications for broader clinical applications and future therapies The interventional randomized trial, conducted between June 2021 and July 2023, involved 40 kidney transplant recipients with dnDSA, assessing longitudinal dd-cfDNA monitoring as a guiding tool for diagnostic biopsy compared to standard clinical practices. Oncocyte's proprietary dd-cfDNA technology was able to detect the onset of AMR significantly earlier in patients by guiding the indication for biopsy (median time from inclusion to diagnosis: 2.8 months) compared to the control group using standard of care (14.5 months). As noted above, this early intervention could offer a valuable advantage in transplant care by enabling prompt treatment before irreversible damage occurs. "This study underscores the impact of dd-cfDNA as a critical biomarker for early AMR detection, providing healthcare teams with timely data enabling them to initiate treatments sooner," said Dr. Aylin Akifova, first author from Charité. This study also suggests that dd-cfDNA monitoring could also be instrumental in identifying subclinical AMR-a silent condition that, if undiagnosed, can lead to significant graft damage. Additionally, the findings come at a crucial time, as mentioned above, as promising new treatments, including CD38-targeted therapies, are showing unprecedented efficacy in treating AMR. Early diagnosis with dd-cfDNA could provide the earliest window for intervention, offering an advantage for patients suffering from AMR, a disease with historically very limited treatment options. "We congratulate Charité's research teams on these compelling findings, which further underscore our mission to empower clinicians with tools for precision diagnostics while also democratizing access to novel molecular diagnostic testing to improve patient outcomes,” said Josh Riggs, CEO of Oncocyte. "We look forward to expanding the clinical applications of dd-cfDNA technology and supporting transplant communities worldwide with our innovative diagnostic solutions.” About Oncocyte Oncocyte is a diagnostics technology company. The Company's tests are designed to help provide clarity and confidence to physicians and their patients. VitaGraftTM is a clinical blood-based solid organ transplantation monitoring test. GraftAssureTM is a research use only (RUO) blood-based solid organ transplantation monitoring test. DetermaIOTM is a gene expression test that assesses the tumor microenvironment to predict response to immunotherapies. DetermaCNITM is a blood-based monitoring tool for monitoring therapeutic efficacy in cancer patients. For more information about Oncocyte, please visit https://oncocyte.com/ . For more information about our products, please visit the following web pages: VitaGraft KidneyTM - https://oncocyte.com/vitagraft-kidney/ VitaGraft LiverTM - https://oncocyte.com/vitagraft-liver/ GraftAssureTM - https://oncocyte.com/graftassure/ DetermaIOTM - https://oncocyte.com/determa-io/ DetermaCNITM - https://oncocyte.com/determa-cni/ VitaGraftTM, GraftAssureTM, DetermaIOTM, and DetermaCNITM are trademarks of Oncocyte Corporation. CONTACT: Jeff Ramson PCG Advisory (646) 863-6893 [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements Any statements that are not historical fact (including but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will,” "believes,” "plans,” "anticipates,” "expects,” "estimates,” "may,” and similar expressions) are forward-looking statements. These statements include those pertaining to, among other things, the expectation that Oncocyte will submit for claims expansion to MolDX to support the use of VitaGraft for high-risk patients in the clinic, which may expand the use case and open significant new revenue opportunities, the company's anticipated expansion of clinical applications of dd-cfDNA technology, the company's goal to support transplant communities worldwide with its innovative diagnostic solutions, and other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of diagnostic tests or products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, the capacity of Oncocyte's third-party supplied blood sample analytic system to provide consistent and precise analytic results on a commercial scale, potential interruptions to supply chains, the need and ability to obtain future capital, maintenance of intellectual property rights in all applicable jurisdictions, obligations to third parties with respect to licensed or acquired technology and products, the need to obtain third party reimbursement for patients' use of any diagnostic tests Oncocyte or its subsidiaries commercialize in applicable jurisdictions, and risks inherent in strategic transactions such as the potential failure to realize anticipated benefits, legal, regulatory or political changes in the applicable jurisdictions, accounting and quality controls, potential greater than estimated allocations of resources to develop and commercialize technologies, or potential failure to maintain any laboratory accreditation or certification. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and accordingly such statements should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of Oncocyte, particularly those mentioned in the "Risk Factors” and other cautionary statements found in Oncocyte's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, which are available from the SEC's website. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Oncocyte undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.Netflix stock (NFLX) buying the dips at the blue box area [Video]