Centre to provide assistance to Wayanad as per norms; severe criticism against LDF and UDF; high court with five questionsAsia In Brief Chinese chip designer Loongson last Friday announced its processors are powering a cloud computing platform that has been launched into space. The silicon slinger announced that its tech was built into a payload called Star Eye that launched on November 15 aboard the Tianzhou-8 cargo mission to the Tiangong Space Station.. Star Eye observes sources of radiation on Earth, captures images for remote sensing missions, and includes what Loongson described (via machine translation) as "storage, computing, and transmission functions" plus "on-orbit data processing, storage, forwarding, power conversion and control, task management, and thermal management." Loongson didn't reveal which of its processors made it into space. It uses a proprietary instruction set architecture that is compatible with MIPS but includes elements of RISC-V, and offers products designed for use on the desktop, in servers and in industrial machinery. The Chinese chippie's wares are modest and are a few years behind rivals like AMD and Intel, but this announcement nonetheless suggests Loongson silicon is ready to be used as a space-based cloud platform. A day after announcing the launch, it published a statement in which it hosed down rumors it has sought new sources of private investment. – Simon Sharwood India's government has reportedy decided to extend its IT hardware import authorization regime until the end of 2025. The scheme – introduced suddenly and seemingly without consultation in late 2023 – meant electronics manufacturers needed approval to ship certain products to India. The regulation was opposed by big manufacturers, leading India to excise desktop PCs from the scheme and quickly sign on off on many approvals . The scheme was originally set to expire in September of this year, but was extended until the end of 2024. "The present scheme has been extended till December 2024. Beyond December also, it is to also continue for one more year for the time being. We will review at the end of that period and somewhere through the calendar year 2025 and figure out what is to be done with the scheme next," Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) secretary S Krishnan told NDTV Profit. South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) last week issued corrective orders to Chinese e-commerce platforms AliExpress and Temu, alleging that the two use 47 unfair terms and conditions in agreements offered to local shoppers. The FTC found 13 clauses that limited consumer rights, excluded the platforms from liability, and violated local e-commerce laws. It also was unhappy with extensive personal data collection without clear consent or usage duration, and required the platforms to comply with Korea's Personal Information Protection Act. In other Chinese e-commerce news, on Thursday Alibaba Group announced the merger of its domestic and international business into a single unit. "The e-commerce industry in China and around the world is entering a new era, and the global supply chain capabilities, fulfillment capabilities and consumer service capabilities will determine the future competitive landscape," reportedly commented chief executive Eddie Wu in a post on Alibaba's intranet. The European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) signed an agreement to deepen their partnership on space exploration. The two agencies already collaborate on missions – like BepiColombo to travel to Mercury, and EarthCARE to study climate here at home. The new agreement focuses on multiple space initiatives, including ESA's Ramses mission to the asteroid Apophis. The agencies will also collaborate on the Gateway program to create a crewed station in lunar orbit, with contributions from both ESA and JAXA to NASA's Artemis program. ESA and JAXA also outlined joint lunar exploration efforts, such as lunar landers and rovers, and plans for lunar communications through ESA's Moonlight program. Mars exploration is also on the agenda. The partnership extends to space science, including ESA's New Athena X-ray telescope and potential future projects like M-Matisse to study Mars's habitability. Indian news outfit ANI sued OpenAI in a New Delhi court for scraping its content to train ChatGPT without permission. Other organizations that have sued OpenAI include the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. "We build our AI models using publicly available data, in a manner protected by fair use and related principles, and supported by long-standing and widely accepted legal precedents," the chatbot maker has reportedly argued. Alliances and deals spotted by The Register across the region last week include: ®
Ohio secures 84-68 win against Robert MorrisNone(The Center Square) – Eleven states, led by Texas, have sued the three largest institutional investors in the world for allegedly conspiring to buy coal company stocks to control the market, reduce competition and violate federal and state antitrust laws. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division and demands a trial by jury. It names as defendants BlackRock, Inc., State Street Corporation, and Vanguard Group, Inc., which combined manage more than $26 trillion in assets. The companies were sued for “acquiring substantial stockholdings in every significant publicly held coal producer in the United States” in order to gain “power to control the policies of the coal companies,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. According to the 109-page brief , defendants own 30.43% of Peabody Energy, 34.19% of Arch Resources, 10.85% of NACCO Industries, 28.97% of CONSOL Energy, 29.7% of Alpha Metallurgical Resources, 24.94% of Vistra Energy, 8.3% of Hallador Energy, 31.62% of Warrior Met Coal and 32.87% of Black Hills Corporation. Under the Biden administration, in the past four years, “America’s coal producers have been responding not to the price signals of the free market, but to the commands of Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chairman and CEO, and his fellow asset managers,” the brief states. “As demand for the electricity Americans need to heat their homes and power their businesses has gone up, the supply of the coal used to generate that electricity has been artificially depressed – and the price has skyrocketed. Defendants have reaped the rewards of higher returns, higher fees, and higher profits, while American consumers have paid the price in higher utility bills and higher costs.” Consumer costs went up because the companies “weaponized” their shares to push through a so-called green energy agenda, including reducing coal output by more than half by 2030, the lawsuit alleges. In response, publicly traded coal producers reduced output and energy prices skyrocketed. The companies advanced their policies primarily through two programs, the Climate Action 100 and Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, signaling “their mutual intent to reduce the output of thermal coal, which predictably increased the cost of electricity for Americans” nationwide, Paxton said. The firms also allegedly deceived thousands of investors “who elected to invest in non-ESG funds to maximize their profits,” Paxton said. “Yet these funds pursued ESG strategies notwithstanding the defendants’ representations to the contrary.” While they allegedly directly restrained competition among the companies whose shares they acquired, “their war on competition has consequences for the entire industry,” the brief states. “Texas will not tolerate the illegal weaponization of the financial industry in service of a destructive, politicized ‘environmental’ agenda. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to rig the coal market, artificially reduce the energy supply, and raise prices,” Paxton said. “Their conspiracy has harmed American energy production and hurt consumers. This is a stunning violation of state and federal law.” The lawsuit alleges the companies’ actions violated the Clayton Act, which prohibits any acquisition of stock where “the effect of such acquisition may be substantially to lessen competition;” and the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, 15 U.S.C. § 1 in a conspiracy to restrain trade. It also alleges the companies violated state antitrust laws of Texas, Montana and West Virginia; Blackrock also allegedly violated the Texas Business and Commerce Code by committing “false, deceptive, or misleading acts.” It asks the court to rule that the companies violated the federal and state statutes, provide injunctive and equitable relief and prohibit them from engaging in such acts. It requests that civil fines be paid, including requiring Blackrock to pay $10,000 per violation. Joining Paxton in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wyoming. The Buzbee Law Firm and Cooper & Kirk are serving as outside counsel. The companies have yet to issue a statement on the lawsuit. The lawsuit follows one filed by 25 states led by Texas against the Biden administration asking the court to halt a federal ESG policy that could negatively impact the retirement savings of 152 million Americans. It also comes after Texas has listed hundreds of companies and publicly traded investment funds, including Blackrock, on its divestment list for advancing ESG and anti-oil and natural gas policies.
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11 states sue three largest institutional investors for anticompetitive trade practicesNone's Glyptotek art museum announced on Nov. 26 that it will return the bronze head of Roman Emperor Septimius to , after showcasing it for over 50 years. The , which originates from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, was illegally excavated in the 1960s and subsequently sold to Denmark's Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in 1970. The announcement brings to an end an 18-month dispute with Ankara, which claims the piece was part of a statue looted during an archaeological dig. "The Glyptotek has decided in favor of Türkiye's request to return the ancient bronze portrait," the museum said in a statement on Nov. 26. Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy made a statement on his social media account, saying, “Thanks to the intensive efforts and diplomatic initiatives of our ministry, the head of a statue of Septimius Severus, which was smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur about 60 years ago, and the Düver terracotta panels from the Pisidia Region, are returning to their homeland, to our country.” Ersoy also reminded that the head of the statue had its body returned from the United States after being smuggled there years ago. “In other words, the Septimius Severus statue, which was smuggled from our country in two parts, will be whole again after a long time,” he said. Stating that with the latest repatriated artifacts, the total number of items brought back to their homeland since 2018 has reached 7,898, Ersoy said: “We are proud to have taken this significant step in our efforts to protect our cultural heritage and pass it on to future generations. I extend my gratitude to Türkiye's Embassy in Denmark, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Denmark, and the team at the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums for their contributions to this process.” A statue of the Roman emperor, who lived from A.D. 145 to 211, spent decades in the United States as part of a private collection that loaned it to New York's Metropolitan Museum. It was sent back to Türkiye almost two years ago — minus the head. Ankara said the missing head was in the Danish capital, on display at the Glyptotek in Copenhagen for over 50 years. In 1979, a former museum curator said he believed that the head, acquired in 1970 without any information about its exact origins, corresponded to the decapitated statue in the U.S. The two bronze pieces were reunited for an exhibition and examined by Turkish archaeologist Jale İnan. Based on his conclusions, the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen then formally asked Denmark in May 2023 for the head to be returned, a request Copenhagen initially met with skepticism. "I'm not saying that they don't belong together. I'm just saying that we are not as sure as we perhaps were 25-30 years ago," Rune Frederiksen, Glyptotek's director of collections, told AFP at the time. It has never been established beyond a doubt that the two pieces belong together, but the Danish museum has concluded that the head is from Bubon, a Roman site in Asia Minor, in the historic region of Lycia on what is now Türkiye's Mediterranean coast. "Unique archaeological finds from Bubon have been sold illegally to collectors and museums around the world," Gertrud Hvidberg-Hansen, the head of the museum, said in a statement. "In recent years, many of these items, especially those held in collections in the United States, have been returned. These factors have contributed to our decision to comply with the restitution request from Türkiye," she said. The head of the Septimius Severus statue will soon be displayed in the country. Its return is seen as a major step in preserving Anatolia’s rich cultural heritage. It is known that the artifacts smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon were sent not only to Europe but also to the United States. In collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the Culture Ministry has successfully facilitated the return of several artifacts to Türkiye. These include statues of Lucius Verus, Septimius Severus, a Young Emperor, and a Draped Woman, along with two busts attributed to Emperor Caracalla, five heads of significant figures from the era, and a bronze bust of a woman — all originating from Boubon.
Javon Leake is staying put. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Javon Leake is staying put. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Javon Leake is staying put. A CFL source said Friday the veteran running back-returner has agreed to terms on a two-year extension with the Edmonton Elks. Leake was slated to become a free agent in February. Edmonton Elks' Javon Leake (22) escapes a tackle by Calgary Stampeders' Ben Labrosse (29) during first half CFL football action in Calgary, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh The source added the deal — which was negotiated by Kenny Kim of Summit Athletes — was worth more than $270,000 in hard money. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity as the Elks hadn’t formally announced the move. The six-foot, 205-pound Leake ran for a career-high 661 yards on 102 carries (6.5-yard average) with six TDs in 15 games this past season, his first with Edmonton. Leake also had two 100-yard rushing contests in 2024 while adding 34 catches for 301 yards and a touchdown. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Leake also had 23 punt returns for 214 yards and 25 kickoff returns for 539 yards. Leake joined the Elks as a free agent after spending two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, winning a Grey Cup with the club in 2022. Leake was used predominantly as a returner with Toronto and was the CFL’s top special-teams player in 2023 after registering 81 punt returns for 1,216 yards and four TDs. He had 38 kickoff returns for 793 yards. Leake had 15 carries for 52 yards over his two seasons with the Argos. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement
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2024 Black Friday online shopping sets massive recordI saw 'Wicked' opening weekend — here's my take on the box office smashCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A fight broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday as Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag and were met by Buckeyes who confronted them. Police had to use pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game. Ohio State police said in a statement “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Ohio State police will investigate the fight, according to the statement. After the Ohio State players confronted their bitter rivals at midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the Wolverines' flag and ripped it off the pole as the brawl moved toward the Michigan bench. Eventually, police officers rushed into the ugly scene. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood the actions of his players. “There are some prideful guys on our team who weren't going to sit back and let that happen,” Day said. The two Ohio State players made available after the game brushed off questions about it. Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, didn't like how the Buckeyes players involved themselves in the Wolverines' postgame celebration. He called it “classless.” “For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game," he said in an on-field interview with Fox Sports. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know some people got to — they got to learn how to lose, man. ... We had 60 minutes, we had four quarters, to do all that fighting.” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said everybody needs to do better. “So much emotions on both sides," he said. "Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the country, so we got to handle that better.” 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-football
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The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction" amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report about allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women has said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. Fresh questions over the two nominees' pasts, and their treatment of women, arose with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his Cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far balked at the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required. While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump's nominees, it became clear after Gaetz's withdrawal that many had been harboring private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” After meeting with Hegseth, though, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. Republican senators' careful words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump's picks, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president but also some of their hopes that the confirmation process can proceed normally, with proper vetting and background checks that could potentially disqualify problematic nominees earlier. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested that it would have little bearing on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions — one at a time,” he said. As the Hegseth nomination proceeds, Republicans also appear to be betting that they won't face much backlash for publicly setting aside the allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won election after being found liable for sexual abuse last year. Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance on Thursday in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” A 22-page police report report made public late Wednesday offered the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to head off the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore has said. Wicker played down the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying that “since no charges were brought from the authorities, we only have press reports.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after his meeting with Hegseth that he "shared with him the fact that I was saddened by the attacks that are coming his way.” Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he-said, she-said thing” and called it a “shame” that they were being raised at all. The senator said attention should instead be focused on the Defense Department that Hegseth would head. It's one of the most complex parts of the federal government with more than 3 million employees, including military service members and civilians. Sexual assault has been a persistent problem in the military, though Pentagon officials have been cautiously optimistic they are seeing a decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the nominee is a strong candidate who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” Senate Republicans are under pressure to hold hearings once they take office in January and confirm nominees as soon as Trump is inaugurated, despite questions about whether Trump’s choices will be properly screened or if some, like Hegseth, have enough experience for the job. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, who will be the top Democrat on the panel next year, said the reports on Hegseth “emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the FBI on the background of all the nominees.” It takes a simple majority to approve Cabinet nominations, meaning that if Democrats all opposed a nominee, four Republican senators would also have to defect for any Trump choice to be defeated. Trump has made clear he’s willing to put maximum pressure on Senate Republicans to give him the nominees he wants – even suggesting at one point that they allow him to just appoint his nominees with no Senate votes. But senators insist, for now, that they are not giving up their constitutional power to have a say. “The president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit, but the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. In the case of Gaetz, he said, “I think there was advice offered rather than consent.”
The government of Côte d'Ivoire has signed a framework agreement with Qatar Charity (QC) in the economic capital, Abidjan, to strengthen collaboration and support efforts toward sustainable development. The agreement was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Diaspora Kacou Houadja Leon Adom and QC's Abidjan office director Ridha Mabrouk. The ceremony was attended by Qatar’s ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire Mubarak bin Hussein al-Marri. The agreement was signed as part of the government of Côte d'Ivoire's commitment to engaging international organisations in supporting its national economic and social development policies. The agreement is expected to facilitate QC work in Côte d'Ivoire and support the projects it will implement in collaboration with relevant entities. It grants QC various tax and customs exemptions to carry out its humanitarian and development initiatives, providing the necessary resources and tools in line with the country's economic and social development efforts. QC operates globally through more than 33 offices or in partnership with local partners. It has been actively involved in humanitarian and development work in Côte d'Ivoire since 2020, focusing on areas such as education, healthcare, water and sanitation, food security, social empowerment, and social care.Urban Outfitters, Inc. ( NASDAQ: URBN ) Q3 2025 Earnings Conference Call November 26, 2024 5:15 PM ET Company Participants Oona McCullough - Executive Director, Investor Relations Richard Hayne - Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Frank Conforti - Co-President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Hayne - Chief Technology Officer and President, Nuuly Sheila Harrington - Global Chief Executive Officer, Urban Outfitters and Free People Groups Melanie Marein-Efron - Chief Financial Officer Shea Jensen - President, Urban Outfitters, North America Tricia Smith - Global Chief Executive Officer, Anthropologie Group Conference Call Participants Lorraine Hutchinson - Bank of America Adrienne Yih - Barclays Matthew Boss - JPMorgan Paul Lejuez - Citi Alex Straton - Morgan Stanley Mark Altschwager - Baird Dana Telsey - Telsey Advisory Group Marni Shapiro - The Retail Tracker Janet Kloppenburg - JJK Research Associates Ike Boruchow - Wells Fargo Operator Good day and welcome to the Urban Outfitters, Inc. Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Earnings Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. After the speaker presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker Ms. Oona McCullough, Executive Director of Investor Relations. Please go ahead. Oona McCullough Good afternoon and welcome to the URBN Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Conference Call. Earlier this afternoon, the company issued a press release outlining the financial and operating results for the three and nine month period ending October 31st, 2024. The following discussions may include forward-looking statements. Please note that actual results may differ materially from those statements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results is contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more detailed commentary on our
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