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TOKYO, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. MRM ("MEDIROM") announces that M3, Inc. (TOKYO PRIME: 2413), or an affiliate within the M3 group, is participating in the Series A equity financing round of MEDIROM MOTHER Labs Inc., a subsidiary of MEDIROM. NFES Technologies Inc. is the lead investor of the Series A financing round at a pre-money valuation of JPY9 billion. Additional information is available here: https://medirom.co.jp/en/ir/20240824/6148%09 Forward-Looking Statements Regarding MEDIROM Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates or expectations about MEDIROM's possible or assumed operational results, financial condition, business strategies and plans, market opportunities, competitive position, industry environment, and potential growth opportunities. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "design," "target," "aim," "hope," "expect," "could," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "predict," "project," "potential," "goal," or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements relate to future events or to MEDIROM's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MEDIROM's actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond MEDIROM's control and which could, and likely will, affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects MEDIROM's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to MEDIROM's operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. More information on these risks and other potential factors that could affect MEDIROM's business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price is included in MEDIROM's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including in the "Risk Factors" and "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects" sections of MEDIROM's most recently filed periodic report on Form 20-F and subsequent filings, which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov . MEDIROM assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. ABOUT M3, Inc. M3 is a one of a kind venture company that operates a multitude of global services centred around its physician platform such as m3.com. M3 is the first company incorporated after the year 2000 to be included in the Nikkei 225 Index. Its 330,000+ Japanese and 6,500,000+ global physician member panel serves as a central platform in advancing innovation and reform across healthcare worldwide. Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (Securities code 2413) 1-11-44 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 JAPAN Web https://corporate.m3.com/en ABOUT MEDIROM MOTHER Labs Inc. A subsidiary of MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. MRM , focuses on the health-tech sector. The company's core activities include the "Specific Health Guidance Program" offered through the "Lav" health application and development and sales of the 24/7 recharge-free MOTHER Bracelet smart tracker. By leveraging the features of the recharge-free MOTHER Bracelet, MOTHER Labs offers customizable health management solutions across diverse sectors, including caregiving, logistics, manufacturing, etc. MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. NASDAQ Symbol: MRM Tradepia Odaiba, 2-3-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Web https://medirom.co.jp/en Contact: ir@medirom.co.jp MEDIROM MOTHER Labs Inc. Tradepia Odaiba, 2-3-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan MOTHER Bracelet is the world's first* 24/7 recharge-free smart tracker. It uses innovative technology from a Silicon Valley tech company that allows for power generation based on temperature differences between body and surrounding air. The recharge-free feature eliminates the risk of data loss when a device is taken off for recharge. MOTHER Bracelet records five basic metrics: heart rate, calories burned, body surface temperature, step count, and sleep. Official Website: https://mother-bracelet.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

NoneAfter another election cycle that brought few bright spots for Nebraska Democrats, some former party officials have escalated their criticism of the state party's leader, Jane Kleeb, calling on her to step aside. In interviews with the Journal Star, two former chairs of the Nebraska Democratic Party — Vince Powers, who led the party from 2012 to 2016, and former U.S. Attorney for Nebraska Tom Monaghan, who was chair from 1985 to 1989 — called last week for Kleeb to step down from the post she has held since 2016. The two former party leaders were joined in their calls for change by Bud Pettigrew, who served as the Nebraska Democratic Party's chair of chairs from 2008 to 2022, working alongside Kleeb for six years before resigning his position after that year's midterms punctuated his lack of confidence in the party's direction. The calls for change come as the Democratic Party continues to shrink in Nebraska, where there are fewer registered Democrats now than there have been in any general election year since at least the 1960s. Republicans, meanwhile, have maintained their hold on statewide offices, all five of the state's congressional seats and captured a filibuster-proof majority in the Legislature. "Some people need to be fired," said Pettigrew, who once chaired the Cherry County Democratic Party and now lives in Hastings. "Maybe Jane might need to step down. She may say, ‘Hey, maybe it’s time for fresh blood.’ I know a lot of people are saying that. They are telling me that." "The last few days, I’ve had phone calls from people as far west as Bayard, as far north as Valentine, people in Omaha and Lincoln, (saying), 'We’ve had enough. It’s not working,'" Pettigrew said in a phone interview Tuesday. "And I agree. It’s not working. It’s time for fresh blood.” In an interview, Kleeb, an activist who rose to prominence in the 2010s as Nebraska's leading opponent to the Keystone XL Pipeline, largely dismissed criticism of her stewardship of the state's Democratic Party, which she has chaired as a volunteer since 2016 — winning reelection by votes at party conventions in 2018, 2020 and 2022. She pointed to the state party's record fundraising this year, a substantial increase in elected Democrats in down-ballot races since she took over in 2016, key wins in tough legislative races this cycle and the delivery of the 2nd Congressional District's "Blue Dot" presidential electoral vote to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Kleeb, who said she still plans to finish out her current term as chair that runs until 2026, acknowledged that "more listening sessions have to happen" between Democrats and state voters and said she "welcome(s) fair criticism." But Kleeb contended her most vocal critics like Powers, Monaghan and former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey — who did not call for Kleeb's resignation but did label the state party "a corrupt organization" under her leadership — are "people who've always hated me and always have an ax to grind against me and who (have) never, ever recognized the work that we've done." "And as a woman, it's increasingly obvious," Kleeb said, adding: "That's how it is. And no matter how many conversations I've had to try to have with those critics, they don't want me to be successful." Criticism of Kleeb is far from universal among Nebraska Democrats or former party leaders. Vic Covalt, who led the party from 2008 to 2012, said he doesn't "fault Nebraska's (party) leadership at all" for this year's disappointing election cycle, adding that Kleeb "does her best, but there isn't much to work with." Randy Fair, the chair of the Keith County Democratic Party and the state party's 3rd Congressional District chair, said "some of the criticism of her is really misplaced." Fair A Democrat who unseated a GOP incumbent in 2010 to become the top prosecutor in a county where more than 68% of voters are Republicans, Fair said he had never heard from anyone at the state party until Kleeb came along in 2016, spurring him to become an active party member. "I think that Jane Kleeb and the current Nebraska Democratic Party is much more focused on the blue-collar, the working class, making inroads with everybody in the state," said Fair, who is thought to be the only Democratic county attorney in Nebraska. But critics point to high-profile instances of a divided state party — including the party's vote in March to censure Omaha Sen. Mike McDonnell over his votes in the Legislature for a stricter abortion ban and limits on gender-affirming care in a move that prompted McDonnell to switch parties a month after the censure — as evidence for their case. The critics also point to the widening gulf between registered Republicans and Democrats in the state, where Democrats haven't won a statewide race since 2006 and haven't won federal office since 2014, repeatedly failing to unseat GOP Rep. Don Bacon in the 2nd Congressional District even as Democratic presidential candidates prevailed there in 2020 and again this month. "The party is shrinking, and that just means that it's time for a change," said Powers. "I don't think anyone could say the status quo ... is good." Twenty years ago, 396,764 voters in Nebraska were registered Democrats — the high watermark for the party in the state dating back to at least 1972, according to state voter registration archives. Even in 2004, Democrats accounted for less than 35% of voters in Nebraska, but the party's candidates continued to compete with Republicans in statewide races. In 2006, Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, the state's former governor, won his second term in the U.S. Senate, winning nearly 64% of the vote over wealthy Republican upstart Pete Ricketts, who poured $14.35 million into his own campaign. Democrats haven't won a statewide election since. Ricketts, the state's former governor and Nebraska's junior U.S. Senator, has won three. After the number of registered Democratic voters in Nebraska hovered between 370,000 and 400,000 from 1972 until 2020, the party has hemorrhaged voters in the years since. There are now 337,289 registered Democrats in Nebraska, 33,205 fewer than there were four years ago. Republicans have added 16,470 voters since 2020 and now outnumber Democrats by more than 285,000 voters statewide. Kleeb acknowledged the party has "to get a handle on what's happening with voter registration" but pinned the party's losses in part on Nebraska's Secretary of State's Office, which she said is purging Democrats from state voter rolls at a higher rate than Republicans. The Secretary of State's Office did not provide data on what kind of voters have been removed from state voter rolls in time for publication. "We have documented that we've registered 16,000 new people this cycle, but you would not know that if you look at the raw numbers, because we're barely treading water with the amount of people that are either moving out of state or that are getting purged from voter files," Kleeb said, adding that the party would continue to invest in partisan voter registration moving forward — an initiative that Kleeb said donors had declined to fund in prior years. The widening gulf between registered Republicans and Democrats has hardened the party's path to winning statewide races, but even in Nebraska's Democratic strongholds, success has been fleeting. In the Lincoln-centric 1st Congressional District — where independent candidate Dan Osborn edged U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer this month by less than 1% in his closer-than-expected loss to the GOP incumbent statewide — Democratic challenger Carol Blood lost to Republican Rep. Mike Flood by more than 20 points. Democrats delivered an electoral vote to Harris in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District through the state's unusual presidential electoral system, but Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas again fell short of unseating Bacon, the district's Republican congressman who has staved off challenges from Vargas by narrow margins two election cycles in a row. Trouble for Democrats in the 2nd District did not stop at the ballot box this election cycle. In October, the Douglas County Democratic Party filed paperwork with the Federal Election Committee to establish its own federal campaign account separate from the Nebraska Democratic Party's to boost federal candidates, a move that violates the state party's bylaws . In response, Kleeb revoked the county party's access to the state party's VAN system, which is campaign software organizers use to track and inform door-to-door canvassing. The move left the county party in Democrats' biggest Nebraska stronghold without the technology for the last month of the campaign cycle. CJ King, the Douglas County Democratic Party chair, deferred questions on the spat to Kleeb, but said the county party "got along just fine without" the system. Kleeb said the conflict was "purely technical" and the bylaws the county party violated are meant to ensure both parties don't violate shared FEC contributed limits placed on parties. "We have to follow our bylaws," Kleeb said. "I can't just be like, 'Well, it's close to the election.' So what we did was we said, ‘We want to solve this together. If we can’t solve this together in the next 30 days, you know that there, of course, has to be repercussions, which means you won't have full VAN access.'" An email obtained by the Journal Star that Kleeb sent King and others in early October suggests the revocation was more immediate. Kleeb told King the Douglas County party's VAN "access will be turned off until the DCDP is in compliance with the bylaws" in an email sent Oct. 9, the same day King filed paperwork to establish the county party's federal committee. The state party has seen its own federal fundraising spike under Kleeb's leadership. In the 2016 election cycle, the Nebraska Democratic Party raised $2.61 million and spent $2.36 million, according to FEC data. This time around, the party raised $4.24 million and spent $3.42 million through Oct. 16. Both figures are sure to increase when the party's campaign finance records for the last 20 days of the race become public. For Kleeb and other Democratic Party leaders, Harris' victory in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District marked a bright spot in an otherwise grim election cycle for the party. For critics, the Blue Dot's uncertain future is further evidence in the case against Kleeb. Since 1992, Nebraska has had in place a unusual presidential electoral system that awards a single presidential electoral vote to the winner of each of the state’s three congressional districts — a system that allowed Democratic nominees to pick up one of the state's five electoral votes in 2008, 2020 and again this year. Maine is the only other state that allows its electoral votes to be split between presidential candidates. Conservative state lawmakers in Nebraska's formally nonpartisan Legislature have tried to undo the system repeatedly in the decades since it was established, falling one vote shy of overcoming a filibuster in a close call in 2016. Heading into this year's legislative session, progressive lawmakers maintained 16 seats in the Legislature — enough to kill legislation with a filibuster when the group voted in lockstep. But in April, when McDonnell became a Republican a month after the Nebraska Democratic Party had censured him for his conservative social views, the Blue Dot's future seemed in peril. McDonnell was the subject of a national pressure campaign from Republicans urging him to back a switch to a winner-take-all system. In the end, McDonnell refused to bow to the calls from national Republicans and Nebraska's system survived the Donald Trump-backed push for the change. Kleeb said she was opposed to McDonnell's censuring that preceded his party switch but stood with the rank-and-file Democrats who called for it "because that’s what I have to do as a chair." "But it was always my advice that we are a big tent party," she said, adding that McDonnell's refusal to back the switch to winner-take-all was a testament to her close relationship with the Omaha lawmaker "and showed a lot of work and ability of me as a chair." Critics cast the episode as an embarrassment for Democrats that served as a microcosm for the party's shrinking ranks. "If you're going into the 3rd District and you behave that way, don't ever expect to win it," said Kerrey, a Democrat who represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2001, adding: "You're never gonna get their attention if you start off by saying, 'I'm going to censure you if you're a committed Catholic.'" "If you’re going to try to have the Democratic Party succeed in Nebraska, you can’t start off without facing this fact: if it weren’t for a man you censured, we’d have a winner-take-all state," he added. "What do you make of that? It’s not for me to decide. It’s for the leadership of the Democratic Party in Nebraska to decide. What do you make of the fact that you were saved by the man you censured?” If Democrats hope to retain Nebraska's presidential electoral system for another election cycle, they will once again have to turn to Republican state lawmakers for their rescue. Democrats won tough legislative races this month, according to unofficial results, unseating conservative Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island in District 35 while appearing to eke out a win in District 3, where Democrat Anthony Rountree leads conservative Felix Ungerman by less than 2%. Democrats also won back the Omaha seat McDonnell vacated at the end of his second term — but Republicans captured the District 15 seat vacated by term-limited Democratic Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont and unseated Democratic Sen. Jen Day of Gretna, maintaining the filibuster-proof majority they first captured when McDonnell switched parties in April. Progressives came within 1,000 votes of retaining Day's seat and flipping two others, including in District 39, where the Democrat-backed nonpartisan Allison Heimes lost by less than 5 points in her bid to replace term-limited Republican Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn. In District 45, Democrat Sarah Centineo fell 870 votes short of unseating conservative Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue in a race where Centineo faced a massive fundraising gap with little support from the Nebraska Democratic Party. Sanders outraised Centineo by more than $70,000. The Democratic Party contributed $1,500 to the Democrat's campaign. "I had a very close race, and I had very little support from the state party," Centineo said at a virtual meeting the party hosted Saturday to evaluate the election cycle. "It's not that y'all were talking to me. Nobody showed up at anything. (It) was very disappointing." Kleeb acknowledged in the meeting that Centineo's race is one the state party is "kicking ourselves in." "Sarah was one of our strongest recruits, our strongest candidates, and we did not invest enough resources into her race," Kleeb said. The party's lack of support for Centineo was among other perplexing investments Democrats did and did not make in legislative races. The state party contributed $32,238 to Rountree, who garnered the most support from the state party among legislative candidates this cycle en route to her narrow win in a district that leans conservative, according to campaign finance records. But as the party gave less than $10,000 to the likes of Centineo, Heimes, Day and nonpartisan progressive Nicki Behmer Popp — all of whom squared off against conservatives in relatively close races — the party poured $29,139 into Democrat Ashlei Spivey's race against Nick Batter, a progressive nonpartisan backed by some Democrats like Kerrey, in District 13. The party also contributed $27,858 to Michelle Smith, who lost to a conservative by nearly 35 points in District 33, a Republican fortress that includes Hastings, where Kleeb lives. The state party also gave $19,144 to Dunixi Guereca, who prevailed in his District 7 race against another Democrat, Tim Pendrell, who recieved $1,000 from the party. Guereca also received $10,000 from Bold Alliance, the environmental nonprofit run by Kleeb. Among legislative candidates, Bold Alliance contributed the most to Spivey and Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney, an employee of the nonprofit who ultimately ran unopposed for reelection in District 11. The nonprofit contributed more than $15,000 to both campaigns. In District 13, Kleeb said "it was very important for us to keep that seat for a Democrat, not an independent" and noted that Spivey, an Omaha nonprofit executive, is "a Black woman who is highly qualified to be in the Legislature." "And, quite frankly, to see the racism and sexism of some donors (and) community leaders who would tell us that they didn't think Ashlei was qualified or ready to be a state senator was shocking, and pissed us off as a party," she said. "And so we wanted to make sure that Ashlei had the resources to win." Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com . On Twitter @andrewwegley Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.NBA hand out suspensions after fracas in Phoenix

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After 125 years or so of being the most collectively Joe College nation on Earth, many Americans have turned sour on the idea that a higher education — or at least the four years we have traditionally set aside for young adults to get a bachelor’s degree — is key to an informed, successful life. Not me. But the varsity blues are otherwise rampant. Perhaps our culture had gone a little bit too all-in on the tradition, and this is just a course correction. I have noted before in this space that in my observations of car rear windshields in dozens of countries around the world, we are the only one that is positively bonkers in identifying the schools in which we, or our children, have matriculated, through decals and bumper stickers. The Citroens of Paris and the Jaguars of London are not adorned with signifiers bragging “Sorbonne” or “Oxford.” I don’t quite know if it’s simple humility or a lack of school spirit, but the fact is their license-plate holders do not announce, as does mine, “Go Bears!,” or the equivalent, to the driver behind them at the stop light. I do realize I was lucky in having been accepted into the University of California system during its golden age of taxpayer support. I got to study at the greatest public university in the world for a tuition that never varied from its annual $637.50 price tag from September 1973 through June 1977. That, the $200 monthly check my (sainted) mother sent me and the $15 a week I made for writing for the student newspaper covered everything: rent, books, meals, beer, whatnot. Undergraduate bliss. Or, if not always entirely that — there were inevitable heartbreaks, and the vague existential dread of adult life around the corner, in which you’d somehow have to make ends meet — four formative transitional years in between living under your parents’ roof and having to fend entirely on your own. If I was lucky, at least I knew that I was, and never took it for granted. I wasn’t smart enough to be a slacker. I never missed a single class, freshman through senior years. Of course, the information imparted wasn’t always at the hands of the professors. On a university campus, you have your beliefs challenged, or at least you ought to. For instance, as a perhaps naive believer in the essentially correct nature of American foreign policy, the Vietnam debacle aside, I had never for a minute as a high school student been exposed to any notion that Israel was anything but entirely righteous and correct in its dealings with its Arab neighbors. But walking through Sproul Plaza one day, with its ubiquitous “tablers” espousing various political causes, from Young Communists through Young Republicans, I stopped to read some pamphleteering giving the Palestinian side. You mean land was taken from families with an ancient claim to it without proper compensation? The world was more complicated than one had been led to believe. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Matt Fleming: Some books I enjoyed reading in 2024 Opinion Columnists | Thomas Elias: Expect Newsom to start his much anticipated run for president Opinion Columnists | Wishing for Santa-like efficiency in the USA Opinion Columnists | Jon Coupal: Santa Jarvis’s naughty and nice list Opinion Columnists | California is battling the future to protect performers And now, as is only fitting, it’s time to play the role of old grouch. Students arrive on campus these days more set in their views, less open to conversion. You hang with the like-minded and issue trigger warnings to those who would challenge you. The Palestine-Israel situation is a sadly perfect example of that. And so, as someone who still spends a lot of time on college campuses, I was glad to read recently of efforts by college administrators to get young people to open up. In a story headlined “To Dial Down Campus Tensions, Colleges Teach the Art of Conversation,” New York Times reporter Anemona Hartocollis writes: “On a warm November day, a group of Columbia University professors set up ‘listening tables’ near the center of campus and hailed students rushing to class, inviting them to stop and talk.” They smartly bring pizza as an enticement, so some things never change. But it’s often the dire wolf of Gaza that still howls loudest at the tables. A woman in a kaffiyeh in one conversation talked about “this genocide.” “I wouldn’t call it a genocide,” said Scott Barry Kaufman, a psych prof moderating the group. “Do you hate me because I disagree with you?” “No, she did not hate him — ‘for that reason,’ she said,” Hartocollis reports. “Ouch,” Dr. Kaufman replied. Hey, at least they’re talking. Larry Wilson is on the Southern California News Group editorial board. lwilson@scng.com.Published 4:48 pm Friday, December 6, 2024 By Data Skrive There are four games on the college basketball schedule on Saturday that feature a ranked team. That includes the Louisville Cardinals versus the UConn Huskies. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.

Conservatives delay debate on NDP motion in House of CommonsTo recover investments and protect margins, private telcos resorted to tariff hikes in mid-year but that move backfired. New Delhi: The country's private telecom operators face twin challenges on investment recovery in the New Year – customers leaving their network after tariff hikes and satellite players mainly Elon Musk's Starlink eyeing a chunk of their bread and butter data business. Private operators have invested around Rs 70,000 crore in telecom infrastructure and radiowave assets this year to expand the coverage of next-generation 5G services which is one of the main highlights of 2024 for the sector. To recover investments and protect margins, private telcos resorted to tariff hikes in mid-year but that move backfired. Around 2 crore subscribers dropped their connections. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea jointly lost 2.6 crore customers due to a 10-26 per cent price hike. Around 68 customers switched to state-run player BSNL which refrained from price hike. The loss-making PSU still offers generation-old 3G service and is on the path of rolling out 4G network across the country. Despite subscriber loss, private players need to recover investment and invest more in 5G to offer new-age services to drive future growth. According to EY India Markets and Telecom leader Prashant Singhal, the cumulative investment of Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea was around Rs 70,200 crore in 2024. Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) Director General Manoj Kumar Singh says the telecom infrastructure sector looks at a cumulative investment of Rs 92,100 crore to Rs 1.41 lakh crore in 2022-2027 to support the 5G ecosystem. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also backed telecom operators on the tariff hike issue citing investments made by companies in the network. The rollout of 5G services in 2024 has paved the way for the adoption of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence which offers huge growth potential. "5G deployment has been a game-changer. We've witnessed a significant surge in 5G base transceiver stations, rising from 412,214 in December 2023 to 462,854 by November 2024,” says DIPA, whose members include Indus Towers and American Tower Corporation. Impending huge investments in 5G and maintaining healthy margins in the face of subscriber loss are not the only challenges for private telecom players. A new threat from satellite broadband service providers is staring at private telcos in the New Year. The satellite broadband sector has seen intense lobbying on the spectrum allocation issue in 2024. Private telecom operators led by Mukesh Ambani-promoted Jio have been for strongly protesting against the administrative allocation of spectrum to satellite broadband service providers like Elon Musk's Starlink. Telcos fear that allocation of radiowaves to satellite broadband providers without auction will come at a low price and make a dent in their data subscriber market share. The government's decision to allocate satcom spectrum without auction also saw political mud-slinging with opposition members equating the move with 2G spectrum case. As per the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), 2G spectrum allocation caused a notional loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer. Scindia said the country cannot forget the "2G scam" -- a blot on the country's history. "A scam that not just led to a colossal loss of Rs 1,76,645 crore to the exchequer, but also gave government-corporate collaboration its worst name, a.K.A crony capitalism," he said on X. The minister reiterated that even administrative allocation of spectrum to satcom players will be done at a price recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Indian Space Association (ISpA) Director General AK Bhatt has batted for expeditious allocation of satcom spectrum, saying it would help satcom players start their services in India as soon as possible and bring the unconnected areas under the coverage. According to analysts, satcom players' entry may delay mobile services tariff hikes by telcos and new entrants may trigger another round of price war which may push the sector into another round of financial stress as well as lower investments in the network. Private players like Vodafone Idea are already ridden under huge debt. It has awarded a Rs 30,000 crore contract to Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung for the supply of 4G and 5G network equipment for three years. GX Group CEO Paritosh Prajapati says that the investment in the Indian telecom sector will continue as operators are looking to improve their network. EY India Markets and Telecom leader Prashant Singhal cautions that it is crucial for the telecom industry to find a balance between tariff rationalisation to recover their investments without compromising on subscribers' experience. "Telecom companies should not ignore low paying customers and it is very much required to include them in the data-led digital economy as per government mission of inclusive development. Operators also need to invest in building infrastructure on which the entire digital economy including start-ups, e-commerce are thriving," says Singhal. According to a joint report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, India's internet economy alone is expected to register a six-fold growth and touch about Rs 80 lakh crore by 2030. The report estimated that India's internet economy was in the range of Rs 12.86 lakh crore to Rs 14.5 lakh crore in 2022. Singhal said that internet companies or the new age businesses are generating high margins and their corporate social responsibility funds can be used for building rural and remote networks where returns are low for telecom operators. Telecom industry body COAI has been pushing for revenue sharing with foreign big tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, WhatsApp etc as videos, images and other content on these platforms are estimated to consume 80 per cent bandwidth. "The massive traffic created by LTGs (large traffic generators)has significantly strained telecom networks, compelling TSPs to invest an additional Rs 10,000 crore in infrastructure in 2023, according to our study. “While TSPs bear these costs, LTGs, without contributing, amass multiple incomes through subscriptions, ads and data-driven marketing, with revenues largely outside India's tax ambit," COAI Director General SP Kochhar said. He said that telcos also faced the blow of equipment theft as well during the year. Telecom equipment theft has emerged as a major issue affecting Indian TSPs, incurring an estimated Rs 800 crore in losses already, causing major disruptions in 4G/5G expansions and impacting the quality of mobile services, Kochhar said. Also, the year 2024 ends with the unsolved menace of pesky and fraud calls with scamsters powered by high-speed 5G networks devising new strategies like digital arrest, misusing AI to extort money. Stay informed on all the latest news , real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Potiskum Local Government Chapter, has commended the Emir of Fika, Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abali Muhammad Idrisa, for his commitment to religious tolerance in his domain and Yobe State at large. Reverend Musa Zakar, CAN Chairman, Potiskum LGA chapter, gave the commendation during a Christmas courtesy visit to the Emir’s palace in Potiskum town, where he prayed for peace, security, stability, and development of the Emirate. In response, the Emir appreciated CAN’s efforts in promoting peace and resilience, emphasizing the need for daily prayer among various religious groups to address the country’s challenges. He demonstrated a strong commitment to humanity’s development, regardless of socio-economic, political, and religious differences. The CAN elders praised the Emir for promoting unity among religious organizations, showcasing the sterling quality expected of traditional institutions. They noted that the Emirate has demonstrated fairness to religious organizations, making the Emir’s Christmas gesture to Christians worthy of emulation. This commendation reflects the Emir’s dedication to peaceful coexistence and his commitment to unity, peace, and tranquility in Nigeria.NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on to beat Boston College 20-15 Saturday for its first bowl victory since 2015. After Nebraska built a 13-2 lead in the first half on scoring runs by Rahmir Johnson and Kwinten Ives, Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team's first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. Rahmir Johnson and Ives scored on short TD runs in the second period, and Nebraska’s defense set up the critical score in the third. Emmett Johnson scored on fourth-and-3 play for a 20-2 lead. That score came after John Bullock sacked Boston College quarterback Grayson James, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Elijah Jeudy at midfield. James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6) fell to 0-3 in Pinstripe Bowl games. The Eagles got past midfield on five of their first seven drives, but committed two turnovers and failed to convert four fourth downs, including two inside the 10-yard line. Boston College finally cashed with 6:11 left in the fourth when Turbo Richard scored on a 1-yard run, but the two-point conversion failed. BC made it a one-score game on Jordan McDonald’s 2-yard run, a play after getting possession on a blocked punt. After a scoreless opening quarter, Rahmir Johnson easily scored on a 4-yard run on the first play of the second period. After BC turned it over on downs twice in Nebraska territory, the Cornhusker’s took a 13-0 lead on Ives’ 2-yard run that was set up by Rahmir Johnson’s 22-yard run. The Eagles picked up their only points of the first half when Ashton McShane blocked John Hohl’s extra point and returned it for two points. Nebraska: Showed its depth at receivers, with Raiola hitting 10 players with passes, including Thomas Fidone and Emmett Johnson with five each. Boston College: The Eagles displayed their depth at receiver, with nine players catching passes. Lewis Bond and Jeremiah Franklin caught six eacg Nebraska opens its 2025 season against Cincinnati on Aug. 30. Boston College takes on Fordham on Aug. 30 to open its season. 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 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Unrivaled signs LSU star Flau'jae Johnson to NIL deal

Luanda (Angola), Dec 3 (AP) President Joe Biden arrived for his long-awaited first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa on Monday to the cheers of thousands in Angola, where he will highlight an ambitious US-backed railway project meant to counter China's influence on the continent of over 1.4 billion people. Biden's three-day visit to Angola will focus largely on the Lobito Corridor railway redevelopment in Zambia, Congo and Angola. It aims to advance the US presence in a region rich in the critical minerals used in batteries for electric vehicles, electronic devices and clean energy technologies. Biden's trip comes weeks before Republican Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, finally delivering on Biden's pledge to visit sub-Saharan Africa. On his way to Angola, he stopped in the Atlantic Ocean island nation of Cape Verde for a brief, closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva. Biden plans to meet with Angolan President João Lourenço in the capital, Luanda, where crowds lined the streets for his arrival, and visit the National Slavery Museum. He also will travel to the Atlantic port city of Lobito for a look at the rail project. He will announce new developments on health, agribusiness and security, White House officials said. Biden had been expected to visit Africa last year after reviving the US-Africa Summit in December 2022. The trip was pushed back to 2024 and delayed again this October because of Hurricane Milton, reinforcing a sentiment among some Africans that their continent is still low priority for Washington. The last US president to visit sub-Saharan Africa was Barack Obama in 2015. Biden did attend a United Nations climate summit in Egypt in North Africa in 2022. “I just kind of push back on the premise that this is some Johnny-come-lately trip at the very end,” national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on board Air Force One on the way to Angola, noting that top administration officials had visited Africa, including Vice President Kamala Harris. “This is something he (Biden) has been focused on since he became president of the United States.” A new strategy Critical minerals are a key field for US-China competition, and China has a stranglehold on Africa's critical minerals. The US has for years built relations in Africa through trade, security and humanitarian aid. The 800-mile (1,300-kilometer) railway upgrade is a different move and has shades of China's Belt and Road foreign infrastructure strategy. The Biden administration has called the corridor one of the president's signature initiatives, yet Lobito's future and any change in US engagement with the continent depends on the incoming administration of President-elect Trump. “President Biden is no longer the story,” said Mvemba Dizolele, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. “Even African leaders are focused on Donald Trump.” A fit for Trump's vision? The US has committed USD 3 billion to the Lobito Corridor and related projects, administration officials said, alongside financing from the European Union, the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, a Western-led private consortium and African banks. “A lot is riding on this in terms of its success and its replicability,” said Tom Sheehy, a fellow at the United States Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan federal research institution. He called it a flagship for the G7's new Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, which was driven by Biden and aims to reach other developing nations as a response to China's Belt and Road. Many are optimistic that the Lobito project, which won't be complete until well after Biden has left office, will survive a change of administration. Blunting China has bipartisan backing and is high on Trump's to-do list. “As long as they keep labeling Lobito one of the main anti-China tools in Africa, there is a certain likelihood that it's going to keep being funded,” said Christian-Géraud Neema, who analyzes China-Africa relations for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Kirby said the Biden administration hopes Trump and his team see the value in Lobito but “we are still in office. We still have 50 days. This is a key major development not just for the United States and our foreign policy goals in Africa, but for Africans.” Only a starting point The Lobito Corridor will be an upgrade and extension of a railway line from the copper and cobalt mines of northern Zambia and southern Congo to Angola's port of Lobito, strengthening a route west for Africa's critical minerals. It also ultimately aims to extend from Zambia and Congo to Africa's east coast through Tanzania and be a coast-to-coast rail link. While Biden's administration called it a “game-changer” for US investment in Africa, it's little more than a starting point for the US and its partners, with China dominant in mining in Zambia and Congo. Congo has more than 70% of the world's cobalt, with most heading to China to reinforce its critical mineral supply chain that the US and Europe rely on. Michelle Gavin, a former adviser on Africa to Obama, said the US had failed to take Africa seriously over multiple administrations, a bipartisan trend. The Lobito Corridor was “not just about trying to blunt China, but trying to imagine, OK, what does it look like if we actually were to show up in a more serious way?” she said. “It's one project. It's one good idea. And I'm very glad we're doing it. It's not enough.” (AP) NB NB (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)The JPM Healthcare Conference is the largest and most informative health care investment symposium in the industry which connects global industry leaders, emerging fast-growth companies, innovative technology creators and members of the investment community. Pioneering the Economics of Health to examine the interdependencies of the healthcare ecosystem which are often overlooked when only considering a singular silo of it. AI In Biopharma to highlight how AI-driven technologies can revolutionize drug discovery, accelerate development timelines, enhance patient accessibility, foster quicker innovation, and significantly reduce operating costs. Panelists to include David Rhew (Global Chief Medical Officer and VP of Healthcare, Microsoft), Sean Tunis (Principal, Rubix Health), Peter Ehrhardt (Senior Partner, Simon-Kucher), and Poonam Alaigh (Former Acting Under Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). WARREN, N.J., Dec. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tevogen Bio ("Tevogen" or "Tevogen Bio Holdings Inc.") TVGN , will host panel discussions at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, California. Event Details Date: Monday, January 13, 2025 Location: Marines' Memorial Club & Hotel, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94102 Time (PST): 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM – AI in Biopharma: Next Frontier of Medical Innovation Panelists: Dr. David Rhew – Global Chief Medical Officer and VP of Healthcare, Microsoft MSFT Dr. Sean Tunis – Principal, Rubix Health Mittul Mehta – Chief Information Officer and Head of Tevogen.AI, Tevogen Bio 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm – Afternoon Coffee Break 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM – Pioneering the Economics of Health: Balancing Access and Outcomes Victor Sordillo – MD, Risk Advisory Services, Verita CSG, Inc; Member, Board of Directors, Tevogen Bio Peter Ehrhardt – Senior Partner at Simon-Kucher & Partners Dr. Poonam Alaigh – Former Acting Under Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Former Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health Dr. Sean Tunis - Principal, Rubix Health; Senior Fellow, Tufts Center for Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health; Venture Mentor, Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures Dr. Ryan Saadi – Founder and CEO, Tevogen Bio 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Reception and Cocktails For inquiries regarding additional event details, please contact communications@tevogen.com . About Tevogen Bio Tevogen is a clinical-stage specialty immunotherapy company harnessing one of nature's most powerful immunological weapons, CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, to develop off-the-shelf, genetically unmodified precision T cell therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases, cancers, and neurological disorders, aiming to address the significant unmet needs of large patient populations. Tevogen Leadership believes that sustainability and commercial success in the current era of healthcare rely on ensuring patient accessibility through advanced science and innovative business models. Tevogen has reported positive safety data from its proof-of-concept clinical trial, and its key intellectual property assets are wholly owned by the company, not subject to any third-party licensing agreements. These assets include three granted patents, nine pending US and twelve ex-US pending patents, two of which are related to artificial intelligence. Tevogen is driven by a team of highly experienced industry leaders and distinguished scientists with drug development and global product launch experience. Tevogen's leadership believes that accessible personalized therapeutics are the next frontier of medicine, and that disruptive business models are required to sustain medical innovation. Contacts Tevogen Bio Communications T: 1 877 TEVOGEN, Ext 701 Communications@Tevogen.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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