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Surprising Kasper Schmeichel skill that's made Celtic a Champions League force againNEW YORK — A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on Wednesday in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, setting off a massive search for the fleeing assailant hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting nearby. Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said. The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire , New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Police had not yet established a motive. People are also reading... “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting "does not appear to be a random act of violence.” A New York police officer stands on 54th Street outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) Stefan Jeremiah Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows someone emerging from behind a parked car, pointing a gun at Thompson’s back, then firing multiple times from several feet away. The gunman continues firing, interrupted by a brief gun jam, as Thompson stumbles forward and falls to the sidewalk. He then walks past Thompson and out of the frame. “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. Thompson was shot at least once in the back and once in the calf, Tisch said. The shooter, who wore a jacket, face mask and large backpack, fled through Midtown on foot before pedaling an electric bike into Central Park a few blocks away, police said. The assailant remained at large Wednesday afternoon, sparking a search that included police drones, helicopters and dogs. This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP) HONS “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., said in a statement. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.” Police issued a poster showing a surveillance image of the man pointing what appeared to be a gun and another image that appeared to show the same person on a bicycle. Minutes before the shooting, he stopped at a nearby Starbucks, according to additional surveillance photos released by police on Wednesday afternoon. They offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage. Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive. A New York police officer stands outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot Wednesday, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) Stefan Jeremiah The killing shook a part of New York City that's normally quiet at that hour, happening about four blocks from where tens of thousands of people were set to gather for Wednesday night’s tree lighting. Police promised extra security for the event. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts The hotel is also a short walk from other tourist sites, including the Museum of Modern Art and Radio City Music Hall, and is often dense with office workers and visitors on weekday mornings. Many security cameras are nearby. “We’re encouraging New Yorkers to go about their daily lives and their daily business but to be alert,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled. They were also searching Thompson's hotel room, interviewing his UnitedHealthcare colleagues and reviewing his social media, Kenny said. The UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., lowered its flags to half-staff on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in honor of CEO Brian Thompson, who was fatally shot outside a hotel in New York. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP) Kerem Yücel Police initially said the bicycle the shooter used to ride into Central Park came from the city’s bike-share program, CitiBike. But a spokesperson for Lyft, which operates the program, said they were informed by department officials Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet. Health care giant UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual meeting with investors to update Wall Street on the company's direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson's death. “I’m afraid that we — some of you may know we’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members,” a company official told attendees, according to a transcript. “And as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today. ... I’m sure you’ll understand.” Members of the New York police crime scene unit investigate the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot Wednesday, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) Stefan Jeremiah Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with the company since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years. UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on the social platform X that the state is “sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.” “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” the Democrat wrote. Associated Press writers Tom Murphy in Indianapolis, Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, contributed to this story. Nearly 30% of US drugstores closed in one decade, study shows Musk says he and Trump have 'mandate to delete' regulations. Ethics laws could limit that Walmart becomes latest — and biggest — company to roll back its DEI policies Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletterVacmaster Announces Black Friday Deals
Riding a 6-game win streak, the Eagles head to Hollywood again for a rematch with the young Rams
NoneNFL Power Rankings: Bills Remain Firm No. 2 Following Bye Week | Sporting News"We can make sure that all the problems of the world get fixed, but we just ... need to be focused and get everybody focused together to fix them," Sir Richard Branson said. Branson spoke to CNBC as he launched a partnership with the We Are Family Foundation, which was started by musician Nile Rodgers. Branson and Rodgers were both activists as young people: Branson protested the Vietnam War via his magazine "Student," while Rodgers was a member of the Black Panther Party, focused on racial equality and the Free Breakfast for School Children Program. The billionaire Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said younger generations should feel positive about the future — and that they can "achieve an enormous amount." "Any of us who get ourselves into a position where we can make a difference, however small it is, just shouldn't waste that position," he said, speaking to CNBC's Tania Bryer last month. When asked how he might reassure young people about their future over issues such as climate change, Branson said, "They can achieve an enormous amount, and so I honestly don't think that young people should be down about it. I think we can overcome climate change if we have the ... we've got to make sure we have the right politicians at the top," he said. "We can make sure that all the problems of the world get fixed, but we just ... need to be focused and get everybody focused together to fix them," Branson said. Branson made the comments to CNBC before Donald Trump's reelection — the president-elect is likely to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement , a landmark climate pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Branson has previously described Trump as having a "vindictive streak." Helping young people has long been a focus for Branson, who — as a teenager in 1967 — opened the Student Advisory Center to provide free advice on sex and relationships. In 2004, he founded Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, which invests in early-stage businesses to "create opportunities for a better world," and in 2018, Virgin Unite set up The NewNow, a group of young leaders who aim to represent the needs of their generation. Branson spoke to CNBC as Virgin Unite launched a partnership with the We Are Family Foundation, an organization co-founded by musician and producer Nile Rodgers in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Rodgers lost three friends in the attacks, he said, and he went on to start the foundation to "educate people to just talk about our differences," when hate crime against Muslim communities rose after 9/11. "Our sweet spot is, we work with youth around the world," Rodgers said of the two organizations. Climate change, public health and criminal justice reforms will be a focus, according to an online release . Young people can make an "immense impact," Branson said in the release. "The problems we face today mean it has never been more important to make sure that young people are front and centre in that conversation," he said. Branson and Rodgers were both activists as young people. Rodgers joined the Black Panther Party in Harlem as a teenager, becoming a community organizer, standing up for racial equality and helping the party with initiatives including its Free Breakfast for School Children Program in the late 1960s. Around the same time, Branson was protesting the Vietnam War via "Student," the magazine he ran. Branson said the differences between people can be exaggerated. "The difference between us, let's say, let's ... call it left and right, is nowhere near as much as politicians want us to believe," he said, describing a meeting with someone "on the opposite political spectrum" to him. The pair ended up agreeing on most of the world's biggest issues, Branson said. "The trouble is, the politicians need to ... be whipping up fury in order ... to get votes, and that's obviously sad," he said. Rodgers, the producer behind hits such as David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Madonna's "Like A Virgin," and Duran Duran's "The Reflex," said he has toured extensively this year. "Every country that we've gone to has been wonderful, and I find that people are generally terrific. It's the governments that are unstable and sometimes run by people that don't have the world's best interest at heart," he said.
A festive call for unityHawks vs. Mavericks Injury Report Today – November 25
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.Devolver Digital has announced the return of Devolver Delayed – the now-annual showcase of Devolver-published games which are set to miss their planned launch windows – for . During the tongue-in-cheek show, a range of developers will pop in to reveal their progress, confirming small or major delays to game development. While ordinarily, a delay would be announced with a sombre message, Devolver Digital is known for always taking the quirkier approach where possible. So, we’ll see a light-hearted showcase that makes fun, rather than revels in disappointment. Based on wording in a press release, this year’s Devolver Delayed will be a direct parody of The Game Awards, with the publisher hosting “an awards extravaganza dedicated to the brightest, best indie games you can’t play yet.” Expect some silly awards to be handed out, in a bite-sized comedy show designed to lessen the sting of delayed games. As for what could appear, there are several games on the Devolver Digital roster that have been announced, but haven’t released just yet. This list includes titles like and more. Devolver has also hinted there will be new game announcements included in the show. How to watch Devolver Delayed 2024 To tune in to see all the Devolver Digital games that’ve been delayed, at the following times: As Devolver says, as well as tuning in, it’s important to remember: “Never get your hopes up.” We’ll find out which upcoming games have been delayed very shortly.NFL appeals officer Ramon Foster has decided to uphold the three game suspension for Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair after a hit on Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, according to Michael Signora . Al-Shaair is eligible to return to the active roster in Week 17. Al-Shaair, 27, originally signed on with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic back in 2019. Al-Shaair returned to San Francisco on a one-year restricted deal in 2022. He was testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent for the first time when he signed a one-year deal with the Titans last offseason. He then signed with the Texans on a three-year, $34 million deal this past offseason. In 2024, Al-Shaair has appeared in 10 games for the Texans and recorded 68 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and four passes defended. This article first appeared on NFLTradeRumors.co and was syndicated with permission.
LPGA, USGA to require players to be assigned female at birth or transition before puberty
Middle East latest: Blast rocks Beirut moments after Biden announces Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street
CES 2025 Preview: TESSAN to Showcase Charging Solutions for Enhanced Connectivity and ConvenienceJoe Biden announces ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and HezbollahJonah Goldberg Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there's one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that's wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the "sixties" didn't really start until the decade was almost over). But politically, the 21st century neatly began in 2000, when the election ended in a tie and the color coding of electoral maps became enshrined as a kind of permanent tribal color war of "red vs. blue." Elite understanding of politics has been stuck in this framework ever since. Politicians and voters have leaned into this alleged political reality, making it seem all the more real in the process. I loathe the phrase "perception is reality," but in politics it has the reifying power of self-fulfilling prophecy. Like rival noble families in medieval Europe, elites have been vying for power and dominance on the arrogant assumption that their subjects share their concern for who rules rather than what the rulers can deliver. Political cartoonists from across country draw up something special for the holiday In 2018, the group More in Common published a massive report on the "hidden tribes" of American politics. The wealthiest and whitest groups were "devoted conservatives" (6%) and "progressive activists" (8%). These tribes dominate the media, the parties and higher education, and they dictate the competing narratives of red vs. blue, particularly on cable news and social media. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of Americans resided in, or were adjacent to, the "exhausted majority." These people, however, "have no narrative," as David Brooks wrote at the time. "They have no coherent philosophic worldview to organize their thinking and compel action." Lacking a narrative might seem like a very postmodern problem, but in a postmodern elite culture, postmodern problems are real problems. It's worth noting that red vs. blue America didn't emerge ex nihilo. The 1990s were a time when the economy and government seemed to be working, at home and abroad. As a result, elites leaned into the narcissism of small differences to gain political and cultural advantage. They remain obsessed with competing, often apocalyptic, narratives. That leaves out most Americans. The gladiatorial combatants of cable news, editorial pages and academia, and their superfan spectators, can afford these fights. Members of the exhausted majority are more interested in mere competence. I think that's the hidden unity elites are missing. This is why we keep throwing incumbent parties out of power: They get elected promising competence but get derailed -- or seduced -- by fan service to, or trolling of, the elites who dominate the national conversation. There's a difference between competence and expertise. One of the most profound political changes in recent years has been the separation of notions of credentialed expertise from real-world competence. This isn't a new theme in American life, but the pandemic and the lurch toward identity politics amplified distrust of experts in unprecedented ways. This is a particular problem for the left because it is far more invested in credentialism than the right. Indeed, some progressives are suddenly realizing they invested too much in the authority of experts and too little in the ability of experts to provide what people want from government, such as affordable housing, decent education and low crime. The New York Times' Ezra Klein says he's tired of defending the authority of government institutions. Rather, "I want them to work." One of the reasons progressives find Trump so offensive is his absolute inability to speak the language of expertise -- which is full of coded elite shibboleths. But Trump veritably shouts the language of competence. I don't mean he is actually competent at governing. But he is effectively blunt about calling leaders, experts and elites -- of both parties -- stupid, ineffective, weak and incompetent. He lost in 2020 because voters didn't believe he was actually good at governing. He won in 2024 because the exhausted majority concluded the Biden administration was bad at it. Nostalgia for the low-inflation pre-pandemic economy was enough to convince voters that Trumpian drama is the tolerable price to pay for a good economy. About 3 out of 4 Americans who experienced "severe hardship" because of inflation voted for Trump. The genius of Trump's most effective ad -- "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you" -- was that it was simultaneously culture-war red meat and an argument that Harris was more concerned about boutique elite concerns than everyday ones. If Trump can actually deliver competent government, he could make the Republican Party the majority party for a generation. For myriad reasons, that's an if so big it's visible from space. But the opportunity is there -- and has been there all along. Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch: thedispatch.com . Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
They were all exceptional – Mikel Arteta loved seeing Arsenal run riot in LisbonA day of embarrassment ends with further indignity for Marnus and AustraliaEx-Arsenal star Nicklas Bendtner reveals true feelings on stabbing incident in New YorkRarely does a college basketball game provide such stark contrast between the sport's haves and have-nots as when Jackson State faces No. 9 Kentucky on Friday in Lexington, Ky. While Kentucky claims eight NCAA Tournament crowns and the most wins in college basketball history, Jackson State has never won an NCAA Tournament game and enters the matchup looking for its first win of the season. Impressive tradition and current record aside, Kentucky (4-0) returned no scholarship players from last season's team that was knocked off by Oakland in the NCAA Tournament. New coach Mark Pope and his essentially all-new Wildcats are off to a promising start. Through four games, Kentucky is averaging 94.3 points per game, and with 11.5 3-pointers made per game, the team is on pace to set a school record from long distance. The Wildcats boast six double-figure scorers with transfer guards Otega Oweh (from Oklahoma, 15.0 ppg) and Koby Brea (from Dayton, 14.5 ppg) leading the team. The Wildcats defeated Duke 77-72 on Nov. 12 but showed few signs of an emotional letdown in Tuesday's 97-68 win over a Lipscomb team picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference in the preseason. Kentucky drained a dozen 3-pointers while outrebounding their visitors 43-28. Guard Jaxson Robinson, held to a single point by Duke, dropped 20 points to lead the Kentucky attack. Afterward, Pope praised his team's focus, saying, "The last game was over and it was kind of on to, ‘How do we get better?' That's the only thing we talk about." Lipscomb coach Lennie Acuff also delivered a ringing endorsement, calling Kentucky "the best offensive Power Four team we've played in my six years at Lipscomb." Jackson State (0-5) and third-year coach Mo Williams are looking for something positive to build upon. Not only are the Tigers winless, but they have lost each game by nine or more points. Sophomore guard Jayme Mitchell Jr. (13.8 ppg) is the leading scorer, but the team shoots just 35.8 percent while allowing opponents to shoot 52.3 percent. The Tigers played on Wednesday at Western Kentucky, where they lost 79-62. Reserve Tamarion Hoover had a breakout game with 18 points to lead Jackson State, but the host Hilltoppers canned 14 3-point shots and outrebounded the Tigers 42-35 to grab the win. Earlier, Williams, who played against Kentucky while a student at Alabama, admitted the difficulties of a challenging nonconference schedule for his team. "Our goal is not to win 13 nonconference games," Williams said. "We're already at a disadvantage in that regard. We use these games to get us ready for conference play and for March Madness." Jackson State has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2007. The Tigers had a perfect regular-season record (11-0) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2020-21 but lost in the league tournament. Kentucky has never played Jackson State before, but the game is being billed as part of a Unity Series of matchups in which Kentucky hosts members of the SWAC to raise awareness of Historical Black Colleges and Universities and provide funds for those schools. Past Unity Series opponents have been Southern in December 2021 and Florida A&M in December 2022. --Field Level Media
New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) India's 26 major listed real estate firms have sold properties worth nearly Rs 35,000 crore during the September quarter with Godrej Properties reporting highest sales bookings. According to the data compiled from regulatory filings, the 26 major listed realty firms have reported a combined sales bookings of Rs 34,985 crore in the second quarter of the current fiscal year. Bulk of pre-sales (sales bookings) came from residential segment. In terms of sales bookings, Godrej Properties emerged as the largest listed player during July-September quarter with pre-sales of Rs 5,198 crore. Mumbai-based Macrotech Developers Ltd, which sells properties under the Lodha brand, reported sales bookings of Rs 4,290 crore during the quarter under review. Delhi-NCR-based Max Estates sold properties worth Rs 4,100 crore, while Bengaluru-based Prestige Estates Projects Ltd clocked sales bookings of Rs 4,022.6 crore during the quarter. Delhi-NCR based Signature Global achieved sales bookings of Rs 2,780 crore in the September quarter, driven by strong demand for its housing projects at Gurugram. DLF Ltd, the country's largest realty firm in terms of market capitalisation, sales bookings declined sharply during the July-September period to Rs 692 crore as it did not launch any new housing project. Among other major listed players, Bengaluru-based Brigade Enterprises Ltd reported a sales bookings of Rs 1,821 crore during July-September period of this fiscal year, while Mumbai-based Oberoi Realty did pre-sales of Rs 1,442.46 crore. Mumbai-based Aditya Birla Real Estate sold properties worth Rs 1,412 crore. Bengaluru-based Puravankara Ltd and Sobha Ltd clocked sales bookings of Rs 1,331 crore and Rs 1,178.5 crore, respectively. Delhi-based TARC Ltd also performed well and achieved pre-sales of Rs 1,012 crore during the September quarter. There were many players that reported sales between Rs 500 crore and Rs 1,000 crore during the second quarter of this fiscal year. Pune-based Kolte-Patil Developers Ltd sold properties worth Rs 770 crore, while Mumbai-based Keystone Realtors (Rustomjee brand) achieved pre-sales of Rs 700 crore. Delhi-based Ashiana Housing Ltd reported sales bookings of Rs 673 crore during the September quarter while Bengaluru-based Shriram Properties clocked pre-sales of Rs 568 crore. Mumbai-based firms Raymond Ltd and Sunteck Realty Ltd sold properties worth Rs 562 crore and Rs 524 crore, respectively. Among listed firms that booked less than Rs 500 crore, Ahmedabad-based Arvind Smartspaces sold properties worth Rs 464 crore during the July-September period. Mumbai-based Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd achieved a sales bookings of Rs 397 crore. Mumbai-based realtors Arihant SuperstructuresLtd, Ajmera Realty & Infrastructure Ltd and Arkade Developers Ltd reported sales bookings of Rs 270.8 crore, Rs 254 crore and Rs 215 crore, respectively. Suraj Estate Developers sold properties worth Rs 107 crore, while Lucknow-based Eldeco Housing & Industries Ltd clocked pre-sales of Rs 102.9 crore. Mumbai-based Equinox India Developments Ltd (earlier Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd) achieved pre-sales of mere Rs 98 crore during the second quarter of this fiscal year. Sales bookings of many listed entities have declined in the second quarter of 2024-25 because of inauspicious Shraadh period, monsoon rain and also lack of regulatory approvals to launch their projects. For example, DLF Ltd's pre-sales plunged to Rs 692 crore in the September quarter from Rs 6,404 crore in the first quarter of this fiscal. Sales bookings data of many listed players was not available on the stock exchanges. Post-Covid pandemic, the residential real estate segment has revived strongly because of pent-up demand growing desire to have homeownership. Housing prices too have appreciated significantly. Housing market is witnessing a shift in consumer demand towards those realty companies and brands which have better track record of executing real estate projects. Real estate developers, which are not listed on stock exchanges, generally do not report their quarterly and annual sales bookings. Branded and reputed players, including both listed and unlisted ones, have benefited most in this revival cycle as homebuyers do not want to take risk of getting stuck in real estate projects after making payments. Thousands of buyers of many NCR-based builders, like Unitech and Jaypee Infratech, are stuck and fighting legal cases in real estate regulatory authorities at the state-level, tribunals, and courts. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)Sharing your kids with an ex during Christmas sucks — here’s my unpopular advice
DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Elastic (NYSE:ESTC) Stock
The Golgi apparatus modifies, sorts and packages proteins to be sent to their final destinations, whether that's within or outside of the cell. It's a core function, but little studied in the setting of cancer immunology, especially when compared to other organelles like the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. "So we were interested in looking a little bit more at the Golgi apparatus. It's obviously an important organelle. How is it being changed or what is its role in T-cells in terms of fighting cancer?" said Nathaniel Oberholtzer, an M.D./Ph.D. student who worked in the lab of Shikhar Mehrotra, Ph.D., co-leader of the Cancer Biology & Immunology Research Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and scientific director of the Center for Cellular Therapy in the MUSC College of Medicine. As it turns out, the healthy function of the Golgi apparatus has a lot to do with how well T-cells function in killing cancer cells. Understanding how a signaling axis mitigates Golgi stress, enabling it to perform properly, points to a possible new therapeutic target for researchers to pursue to strengthen T-cells. Not only that, but Oberholtzer's research shows how the Golgi could be used as a biomarker to select the strongest T-cells for immunotherapy. Oberholtzer, as first author, and Mehrotra, as senior author, along with a team of Hollings scientists published the research this month in Science Advances . T-cells, part of the immune system, can kill cancer cells. CAR-T cells are T-cells that have been modified in the lab to home in on proteins on the surface of an individual's cancer cells . CAR-T cells are custom-made for each patient. Both T-cells and CAR-T cells can become "exhausted" in the hostile tumor microenvironment. Mehrotra's lab looks at ways to boost these cells so that they can fight cancer for a longer time. "The whole tumor microenvironment is conducive for the tumor itself, but not for the other cells which are trying to get in there," Mehrotra said. Just like people, cells are constantly subjected to stress—stress from biochemical reactions that have become unbalanced and mechanical stress from moving. Transient stress can be good. Stressing your muscles through exercise strengthens them, and transient stress on cells can prompt them to a response that ultimately strengthens them. "But if this stress stays there, which it does in the tumor microenvironment, the cells are just in continuous stress, and that will then lead to a very different phenotype and death," Mehrotra said. However, the researchers found that treating the Golgi apparatus with hydrogen sulfide created T-cells that could take more stress. "Hydrogen sulfide is a gaseous signaling molecule present in pretty much all mammalian cell types. Typically, it's a byproduct of different cellular processes, but it's actually been shown to have really important signaling roles as well," Oberholtzer said. "It can modify proteins through a process called sulfhydration, where it modifies cysteine residues and can change their activity." In this project, Oberholtzer found that this sulfhydration process, in modifying a protein called Prdx4 within the Golgi apparatus, confers protection in an oxidative setting. "When you have the stressors that the tumor microenvironment puts on T-cells, you get a disruption, or fragmentation, of the Golgi apparatus where it essentially isn't able to do its job. Hydrogen sulfide protects against that disruption," Oberholtzer said. Looking into this protective effect then led the researchers to look more closely at the Golgi apparatus by itself. "Essentially, if you just use the Golgi apparatus as a simple marker, if T-cells have a lot of Golgi versus less, the ones that have more Golgi are much more robust at killing tumor cells and controlling tumors," Oberholtzer explained. Using cell sorting technology at the Flow Cytometry & Cell Sorting Shared Resource at Hollings, the researchers sorted T-cells according to the amount of Golgi they contained. The top 30% were labeled Golgi-hi and the bottom 30% were labeled Golgi-lo. "Basically, all the cells which are expressing high Golgi have a very different phenotype. They are less exhausted, and they are much more potent in controlling tumors," Mehrotra said. This pre-clinical work suggests that sorting T-cells into Golgi-hi and Golgi-lo and reinfusing only the Golgi-hi cells into a patient would create a better chance of controlling the tumor . "Right now, we're working on doing some validation studies in the Center for Cellular Therapy to potentially be able to start a clinical trial to see if that has a translational ability as well," Oberholtzer said. More work is also needed to understand the role of Golgi stress when all of the organelles in a cell are under stress because of the tumor microenvironment . More information: Nathaniel Oberholtzer et al, H 2 S-Prdx4 axis mitigates Golgi stress to bolster tumor-reactive T cell immunotherapeutic response, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp1152
Middle East latest: Blast rocks Beirut moments after Biden announces Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire