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Stick to tax vow CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves insists she will never repeat her inflationary, business-bashing Budget, and that she had “no alternative.” Voters will question if this is really true. After all, as the Tories imploded, she had months to prepare a radical programme. Labour could have unveiled credible plans to slash Government spending. Instead it opted for bumper public sector pay-rises, including 15 per cent for train drivers. She could have laid waste to the aid budget. READ MORE FROM THE SUN SAYS Instead farmers overseas are handed £500m of our money — while Reeves whacks British farms for the same amount in Inheritance Tax . Or perhaps the Chancellor could have foreseen that businesses would not be able to simply absorb the impact of her £25billion National Insurance rise , which will now inevitably lead to job losses and higher prices. Reeves — who deserves credit for at least sparing motorists a fuel duty rise , in the most popular measure in her Budget — feels able to predict she won’t have to launch another tax bombshell. For her sake and everybody else’s, the Chancellor had better be right. Most read in The Sun Skint workers and employers bucking under the weight of record taxes can’t take much more. Woke-us pocus HOLLYWOOD’s backing for JK Rowling over the new Harry Potter franchise is another welcome sign that the woke culture suffocating our lives is being dismantled. Rowling has been a staunch defender of women’s safety and rights. For this she has been relentlessly trolled and pilloried online. In the face of such vile bullying she has remained resolute. Not so the actors who made their fame and fortune off the back of Rowling’s brilliant imagination. Emma Watson , Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint cravenly betrayed her to the trans extremists. In standing by the decision to keep Rowling as a producer on a new Potter series, TV execs at HBO have signalled a major sea change. That the spiteful hate mob that infests social media won’t win over plain common sense. Chagos shame THE sight of our new National Security Adviser scurrying to Mauritius to give away the Chagos islands shames Britain. READ MORE SUN STORIES Jonathan Powell is desperate to sew up the grubby deal before Donald Trump — who hates the idea — becomes president. Such blatant poking of our strongest ally over global defence is a folly which makes our key interests less secure.None
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Michail Antonio had video call with West Ham team before their win over Wolves
PETER WRIGHT’S mind games worked perfectly as he out-psyched Luke Humphries to dethrone the world champion in frenetic fashion. Snakebite, 54, defied the 25-year age gap and produced a masterclass of finishing to win 4-1 in the fourth round of the PDC World Darts Championship and back up his pre-game trash talk . Follow all the action from the World Darts Championship as it happens with SunSport's LIVE blog Humphries , 29, dramatically bombed out of the competition, almost 12 months after he ruled the world for the first time. The world No1 will not defend the Sid Waddell Trophy – Gary Anderson in 2016 was the last man to achieve that feat – after suffering his first defeat in nine successive games on the Ally Pally stage. It spectacularly opens up the top half of the draw and means 17-year-old Luke Littler has an excellent chance to become the youngest world champion in history. Two-time world champion Wright went from his sick bed to the doubles bed and took out exactly 70 per cent of his doubles in the shock result of the 2024/25 tournament. READ MORE IN DARTS The Scotsman, 54, riled the defending world champ pre-game by predicting Raymond van Barneveld would KO him in round three. That never happened, as the Dutchman lost early, but Wright had predicted that he and Barney would then have “the best game you’ve ever seen on the stage”. In response, the Berkshire thrower told his trash-talking foe there would be “egg on his face” if he did not “smash me”. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS READ MORE on all the build-up to the Ally Pally extravaganza... All the info: All the action as it happens in our LIVE BLOG Everything you need to know about the Ally Pally extravaganza How much prize money can be won? What is the format for the tournament ? Who are the Sky Sports presenters and pundits ? News, features and interviews: Mardle to take step back after tragic death of wife Donna Emma Paton reveals rise as Queen of Darts MVG pays tribute to Wayne Mardle's wife Donna Watch Littler hit 180 as Bullseye makes return to TV Littler reveals why he broke down in tears Sosing diagnosed with serious and rare condition after falling ill at Alexandra Palace Barry from EastEnders entertains crowd with singing 'Weird Kettering lad' Ricky Evans wins one of the 'greatest games ever' And in a proper verbal barb, he warned: “I’m one world title away from matching his career and I’m 25 years younger!” Most read in Darts It added spice and intrigue to this clash and though they are actually good mates, there was only a cursory fist-bump at the start. Wright – who was wearing another snazzy Christmas top – was coughing and spluttering last Friday due to a chest infection but was better this time and did his usual dance on the stage for the fans. He was really up for this one, too, and took a 1-0 lead, the first set that Humphries had conceded at world level since becoming world champion last January. Humphries responded with a 161 in leg one and then produced an under-pressure steal in leg five to level up at 1-1. At the TV break, Wright changed his darts – as he often does – and opened set three with a brilliant 83 before then swapping them back again to move 2-1 ahead with a 96. The crowd sensed the upset was coming and when he moved 3-1 up, there was a TV ad break for the players to regroup backstage. Wright emphatically opened set five with a Bull finish on 88 – Humphries acknowledged that with a fist-bump – and then sealed his best win this year on double eight. On New Year’s Day, Wright now plays No8 seed Stephen Bunting or Luke Woodhouse and that tie will be concluded on Monday. Speaking after his huge win, Wright said: "He didn’t play like he can. I have never had support like this in my life. Thank you. It’s amazing. "I have struggled for form all year. It’s so annoying. I know I can still play darts. I switched to another set there to try and find something. "This crowd, I have never experienced anything like it in the world. Absolutely amazing. "Lucky that I wasn’t playing the Luke Humphries of last year as he was absolutely awesome then. "I am a double world champion. I wanted to win it for the third time. I am not too old. "You only have to play well for two-and-a-half weeks in the whole year. Doesn’t matter what else you do. READ MORE SUN STORIES "This is all that matters. I am in the quarter-finals. "I thought I played rubbish tonight. I hope I can play better and score better in the next round. As long as this crowd are behind me, I have a great hence."December is the most wonderful time of the year for most people, but for political journeyman Martin Lukato, this month signifies his personal fiefdom.It was during December 1960 t ... If you are an active subscriber and the article is not showing, please log out and back in. Free access to articles from 12:00.
Washington, Dec 10 (AP) The State Department said on Monday it is not actively reviewing the “foreign terrorist organisation” designation of the main Syrian rebel group that overthrew Bashar Assad's government this weekend. But, it said such designations are constantly under review, and that even while it's in place, the label does not bar US officials from speaking with the group. “There is no specific review related to what happened” over the weekend, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “That said, we are always reviewing. Based on their actions, there could be a change in our sanctions posture, but we have nothing today.” He said a review could be initiated if Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, known as HTS, takes steps to reverse the reasons for its designation. That would be based entirely on its actions, he said. The designation imposes numerous sanctions against those targeted, including a ban on the provision of “material support” to such groups, although Miller said that would not necessarily prevent discussions between its members and US officials. HTS will be an “important component” in what transpires in Syria and the US needs to “engage with them, appropriately, and with US interests in mind”, said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Miller cited the case of the Trump administration negotiating with the Taliban over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, but later conceded that the Taliban has never been designated in the same way. Instead, the Taliban was listed as a “specially designated terrorist organisation”, a label that comes with less stringent sanctions. Nevertheless, Miller said US officials “do have the ability, when it is in our interest, legally to communicate with a designated terrorist organisation”. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah II spoke by phone about the rapidly evolving situation in Syria and joint efforts to keep the Islamic State militant group from exploiting the situation, according to the White House. In their call, Biden and the Jordanian monarch also discussed the dozens of US airstrikes conducted on Sunday targeting IS leaders and fighters in the Syrian desert as well as ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. The call came as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass and Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf were in the region holding consultations with key partners. They are in Amman, Jordan, on Monday and were in Doha, Qatar, over the weekend, the State Department said. More than a million Syrian refugees have flooded into neighbouring Jordan since the civil war ignited in 2011, and officials in Amman are hoping to avoid another refugee crisis following the fall of Assad's government. “The President emphasised the support of the United States for the stability of Jordan and Jordan's central role in maintaining stability and de-escalating tensions throughout the Middle East region,” the White House said in a statement. Separately, the State Department said the US had arranged with local groups to secure the shuttered US Embassy compound in Damascus, which suspended operations in 2012 and had been until recently under the protection of the Czech Embassy. The Czechs, however, closed their own embassy in Damascus as the situation in the capital grew more uncertain. It would not say with what groups the US made the arrangements. (AP) PY PY (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)No. 8 Maryland women’s basketball beats No. 19 Michigan State, 72-66
Lauren Betts recorded 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocks as No. 5 UCLA held off No. 17 Louisville 66-59 on Monday in Paris, France. UCLA led the game 32-29 at halftime and 50-46 after three quarters. Isla Juffermans made a jumper to cut the deficit to 50-48 before the Bruins rattled off 11 of the next 14 points. Betts had the final four points of that surge. Her layup gave UCLA its largest lead at 61-51 with 4:02 to play. Oregon State transfer Timea Gardiner put up 15 points in her team debut and Londynn Jones had 13 for the Bruins. Tajianna Roberts finished with 21 points for Louisville to lead all scorers, while Jaleah Williams had 11 points, nine assists and four steals. --Field Level MediaHouse votes to block immediate release ethics report involving Matt Gaetz
NoneHow co-writing a book threatened the Carters' marriage
From revisiting the political scandal that sparked a cultural reckoning in Canberra to a rich-lister’s unravelling, there were no shortage of court battles being waged — or defended — by the top end of town in 2024. We revisit some of the cases that dominated headlines and left us shocked, perplexed, and — at times — even entertained. Brittany Higgins defended a defamation action launched by Senator Linda Reynolds. Credit: Composite image/Holly Thompson Villain or victim? Reynolds v Higgins It was a story of an alleged rape in the halls of Parliament House and a covert political cover-up, and like all “fairytales”, it needed a villain. That was how WA Senator Linda Reynolds’ lawyer Martin Bennett began the five-week-long trial in her defamation suit against former staffer Brittany Higgins and her husband David Sharaz, the most high-profile case to go before WA’s civil courts in 2024. The former defence minister sued Higgins over social media posts accusing her of mishandling the former staffer’s alleged rape by Bruce Lehrmann in March 2019 — a claim that was later aired by the media and created a storm that led to Reynolds’ political demise. Higgins fiercely defended the action on the basis her posts were true, but opted against taking the stand at the eleventh hour amid concerns for her health. The trial, which the pair mortgaged and sold their homes to pursue, pored over the events of 2019 in excruciating detail, dragged in high-profile figures — from former prime minister Scott Morrison to broadcaster Peta Credlin — and threw private texts into the public arena we imagine the parties would have preferred to remain private. It also spawned fresh evidence Reynolds now wants to use as a weapon in her bid to have Higgins’ $2.4 million compensation claim probed by the corruption watchdog. Lehrmann has maintained his innocence since his 2022 criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct, but a Federal Court judgment found, on the balance of probabilities, that he did rape Higgins. Lehrmann is now appealing that ruling. Justice Paul Tottle is expected to hand down a judgment in the court row in the New Year, but we suspect there won’t be any winners in this saga. Western Australia’s mining dynasty, of which the nation’s richest person Gina Rinehart is the most famous member, was embroiled in a court fight over the rights to the Hope Downs projects in the state’s iron-rich Pilbara region. Credit: Marija Ercegovac Gina Rinehart: 1, Bianca and John: 0 The high-stakes clash over the Hope Downs iron ore project , which pitted Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart against two mining dynasties and her eldest children, occupied two floors of the Supreme Court for more than six months in 2023. And yet still, there was unfinished business in the battle for the multibillion-dollar asset. The case made headlines again in April, when Rinehart’s eldest children lost an eleventh-hour bid for 82 top secret documents their billionaire mother claimed were protected by legal privilege. The pair, who have been locked in a bitter battle with their mother over mining assets left behind by their pioneer grandfather Lang Hancock, believed the files might aid their pursuit for ownership of Rinehart-led Hancock Prospecting’s sprawling mining tenements in the state’s north-west. But Justice Natalie Whitby ruled the pair had insufficient evidence, lashing the handling of the case and its burden on the public justice system after revealing the court book spanned 6000 pages. “To say that the resources dedicated to these privilege claims was grossly disproportionate to the issues in the dispute is an understatement,” she wrote. Ouch... We’re still awaiting a judgment from Justice Jennifer Smith on the broader row. We hope Justice Smith is not spending the whole festive season “in the area of or contiguous to” her desk and what we imagine is a very lengthy draft judgment. Beleaguered Mineral Resources boss takes on media to keep court row quiet He gained a reputation as the uninhibited billionaire mining boss behind Mineral Resources’ meteoric rise, but it would be what Chris Ellison kept hidden that would be his downfall. Depressed lithium prices, sweeping cost cuts and a debt-laden balance sheet saw Ellison declare it the “shittiest time” to be a managing director in one newspaper interview. Just a few months later, he would announce plans to vacate the top job, undone by an exposé in the Australian Financial Review detailing his involvement in an alleged decade-long tax evasion scheme. But as shareholders were demanding answers and the corporate regulator was beginning its own probe, Ellison’s lawyers were busy fighting to keep the media from undoing sweeping gag orders over documents filed in his now-settled row with a former contracts boss. The documents were central to the two-year court row MinRes, Ellison and self-proclaimed whistleblower Steven Pigozzo had been fighting on several fronts until inking a peace deal in July — which featured explosive allegations of misconduct. While a string of Pigozzo’s claims had been republished by the media, much of the case had been covered by suppression orders which were broadened when both parties asked that more than 16 legal documents be permanently removed from the case file. “The non-publication orders are sought to fortify matters raised previously about allegations that were not just irrelevant but scandalous,” Ellison’s lawyer told the court. WA Health, scientist ink top-secret stem cell patent peace deal She was the face of Royal Perth Hospital’s state-of-the-art cellular therapy facility, the Perth scientist behind a medical invention that saw her wheeled out by the health department’s publicity team to showcase its life-changing research. That was until the day of Dr Marian Sturm’s retirement in 2021, when the health service dragged her to court demanding compensation and that the licence agreement for the invention be torn up. The three-year medicine ownership battle came to an abrupt end in March after the East Metropolitan Health Service and Sturm’s company Isopogen inked a top-secret peace deal. The lawsuit centred around intellectual property rights to an improved method of manufacturing mesenchymal stromal cells used to treat inflammatory illnesses, which Sturm developed in 2007 and registered in her name and that of her capital-raising vehicle Isopogen. Sturm’s relationship with the EMHS soured amid claims she had breached her contract by asserting ownership over the medicine, which saw Isopogen, two former employees, the state’s own patents attorneys and its insurer embroiled in a bitter legal pursuit with the health service. The parties claimed they had reached a mutually acceptable, confidential settlement which provided a comprehensive framework for “an ongoing relationship”. A spokesperson for the health service told this masthead that gag order extended to how much this three-year sparring match cost the taxpayer. How convenient. Vegan activist Tash Peterson, partner cop $280k bill in defamation row She’s not quite the “top end of town”, but we couldn’t take a look back at the biggest civil cases of 2024 without referencing the whopping damages bill handed to Perth’s most prominent animal rights activist. In November, Tash Peterson and her partner were ordered to pay $280,000 in damages to the owners of a Perth veterinary clinic for defamation after a bizarre dispute in 2021. The dispute, which was later circulated on social media, was sparked after Peterson and Jack Higgs spotted two cockatiels in a large cage at the front of Dr Kay McIntosh and Andrew McIntosh’s Bicton Veterinary Clinic. What unfolded was a bizarre tirade in which Peterson accused the clinic of “advertising animal slavery” — despite neither of the birds being able to survive in the wild — and of eating their own patients. Peterson and Higgs had claimed their tirade was justified as honest opinion, defending the content on the basis it was substantially true and a matter of public interest. But the part of the trial that managed to capture the most attention were revelations about just how deep Peterson’s pockets were, with the V-Gan Booty Pty Ltd entity behind her burgeoning OnlyFans account generating more than $380,000 in earnings in 2022 alone. We suspect this won’t be the last we see of Peterson. Get alerts on breaking news as happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert .
NEW YORK — The masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words "deny," "defend" and "depose," two law enforcement officials said Thursday. The words were written in permanent marker, according to one of the officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. With the gunman still at large, police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company's annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown. The reason behind the killing remained unknown, but investigators believe it was a targeted attack. This image shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. New York City Police Department The message left on the ammunition echoes the phrase "delay, deny, defend," which is commonly used by attorneys and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims. It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions. Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for complicating access to care. Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled. Inside a nearby trash can, they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that they say the gunman purchased from a nearby Starbucks minutes before the shooting. The city's medical examiner was looking for fingerprints. The killing and the shooter's movements in the minutes before and after were captured on some of the multitudes of security cameras present in that part of the city. The shooter fled on a bike and was last seen riding into Central Park. Bullets lie on the sidewalk Wednesday outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in New York. Stefan Jeremiah, Associated Press The hunt for the shooter brought New York City police to at least two hostels on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Thursday morning, based on a tip that the suspected shooter might have stayed at one of the residences, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts The photos police released Thursday of a man wanted for questioning were taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel. "We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, can not comment at this time," said Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the hostel. Police received a flood of tips from members of the public, many of them unfounded. On Wednesday evening, police searched a Long Island Rail Road train after a commuter claimed to have spotted the shooter, but found no sign of the gunman. "We're following up on every single tip that comes in," said Carlos Nieves, a police spokesperson. "That little piece of information could be the missing piece of the puzzle that ties everything together." Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected from the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke with the AP. This still image from surveillance video shows the suspect, left, sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, center, Wednesday outside a Manhattan hotel. Associated Press Security camera video showed the killer approach Thompson from behind, level his pistol and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the health executive tumbled to the pavement. Cameras showed him fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza before getting on the bicycle. Police issued several surveillance images of the man wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face, which wouldn't have attracted attention on a frigid day. Authorities also used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intensive search, but the killer's whereabouts remained unknown. Thompson, a father of two sons who lived in suburban Minneapolis, was with UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years. The insurer's Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting with investors in New York 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. 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. Key Points Health care in America has evolved in some ways, but in others, it continues to be a complex and arduous process for employees and employers alike. The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, made it a legal requirement for Americans to have a health insurance plan, regardless of employment status. ACA opened the door for health care expansion, including the marketplace, HRAs, and more. In the U.S. healthcare system, even the simplest act, like booking an appointment with your primary care physician, may feel intimidating. As you wade through intake forms and insurance statements, and research out-of-network coverage , you might wonder, "When did U.S. health care get so confusing?" Short answer? It's complicated. The history of modern U.S. health care spans nearly a century, with social movements, legislation, and politics driving change. Take a trip back in time as Thatch highlights some of the most impactful legislation and policies that gave us the existing healthcare system, particularly how and when things got complicated. History of U.S. Health Care 1930s: Great Depression and the birth of health plans that primarily covered the cost of hospital stays. 1942: Creation of employer-sponsored health care in the wake of wage freezes. 1965: Medicare and Medicaid debut. 1986: COBRA is signed, offering former employees the opportunity to stay on employer health care. 2010: Affordable Care Act signed into law. 2019: ICHRAs introduced. Past Is Prologue In the beginning, a common perception of American doctors was that they were kindly old men stepping right out of a Saturday Evening Post cover illustration to make house calls. If their patients couldn't afford their fee, they'd accept payment in chicken or goats. Health care was relatively affordable and accessible. Then it all fell apart during the Great Depression of the 1930s. That's when hospital administrators started looking for ways to guarantee payment. According to the American College of Healthcare Executives, this is when the earliest form of health insurance was born. Interestingly, doctors would have none of it at first. The earliest health plans covered hospitalization only. A new set of challenges from the Second World War required a new set of responses. During the Depression, there were far too many people and too few jobs. The war economy had the opposite effect. Suddenly, all able-bodied men were in the military, but somebody still had to build the weapons and provision the troops. Even with women entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers, there was simply too much to get done. The competition for skilled labor was brutal. A wage freeze starting in 1942 forced employers to find other means of recruiting and retaining workers. Building on the recently mandated workers' compensation plans, employers or their union counterparts started offering insurance to cover hospital and doctor visits. Of course, the wage freeze ended soon after the war. However, the tax code and the courts soon clarified that employer-sponsored health insurance was non-taxable. The Start of Medicare and Medicaid Medicare, a government-sponsored health plan for retirees 65 and older, debuted in 1965. Nowadays, Medicare is offered in Parts A, B, C, and D; each offering a different layer of coverage for older Americans. As of 2023, over a quarter of all U.S. adults are enrolled in Medicare. The structure of Medicare is not dissimilar to universal health care offered in other countries, although the policy covers everyone, not just people over a certain age. Medicaid was also signed into law with Medicare. Medicaid provides health care coverage for Americans with low incomes. Over 74 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid today. Nixoncare? The Obama administration was neither the first nor the last to champion new ways to provide health care coverage to a wider swath of Americans. The first attempts to harmonize U.S. healthcare delivery systems with those of other developed economies came just five years after Medicare and Medicaid. Two separate bills were introduced in 1970 alone. Both bills aimed to widen affordable health benefits for Americans, either by making people Medicare-eligible or providing free health benefits for all Americans. As is the case with many bills, both these died, even though there was bipartisan support. But the chairman of the relevant Senate panel had his own bill in mind, which got through the committee. It effectively said that all Americans were entitled to the kind of health benefits enjoyed by the United Auto Workers Union or AFL-CIO—for free. But shortly after Sen. Edward Kennedy began hearings on his bill in early 1971 , a competing proposal came from an unexpected source: Richard Nixon's White House. President Nixon's approach , in retrospect, had some commonalities with what Obamacare turned out to be. There was the employer mandate, for example, and an expansion of Medicaid. It favored healthcare delivery via health maintenance organizations, or HMOs, which was a novel idea at the time. HMOs, which offer managed care within a tight network of health care providers, descended from the prepaid health plans that flourished briefly in the 1910s and 1920s. They were first conceived in their current form around 1970 by Dr. Paul M. Ellwood, Jr. In 1973, a law was passed to require large companies to give their employees an HMO option as well as a traditional health insurance option. But that was always intended to be ancillary to Nixon's more ambitious proposal, which got even closer to what exists now after it wallowed in the swamp for a while. When Nixon reintroduced the proposal in 1974, it featured state-run health insurance plans as a substitute for Medicaid—not a far cry from the tax credit-fueled state-run exchanges of today. Of course, Nixon had other things to worry about in 1974: inflation, recession, a nation just beginning to heal from its first lost war—and his looming impeachment. His successor, Gerald Ford, tried to keep the proposal moving forward, but to no avail. But this raises a good question: If the Republican president and the Democratic Senate majority both see the same problem and have competing but not irreconcilable proposals to address it, why wasn't there some kind of compromise? What major issue divided the two parties? It was a matter of funding. The Democrats wanted to pay for universal health coverage through the U.S. Treasury's general fund, acknowledging that Congress would have to raise taxes to pay for it. The Republicans wanted it to pay for itself by charging participants insurance premiums, which would be, in effect, a new tax. The Birth of COBRA Coverage The next significant legislation came from President Reagan, who signed the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, or COBRA, in 1985. COBRA enabled laid-off workers to hold onto their health insurance—providing that they pay 100% of the premium, which had been wholly or at least in part subsidized by their erstwhile employer. While COBRA offers continued coverage, its high expense doesn't offer much relief for the unemployed. A 2006 Commonwealth Fund survey found that only 9% of people eligible for COBRA coverage actually signed up for it. The COBRA law had a section, though, that was only tangentially related. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, which was incorporated into COBRA, required all emergency medical facilities that take Medicare—that is, all of them—to treat patients irrespective of their insurance status or ability to pay. As Forbes staff writer Avik Roy wrote during the Obamacare debate, EMTALA has come to overshadow the rest of the COBRA law in its influence on American health care policy. More on that soon. The Clinton Debacle It wasn't until the 1990s that Washington saw another serious attempt at healthcare reform. Bill Clinton's first order of business as president was to establish a new health care plan. For the first time, the First Lady took on the role of heavy-lifting policy advisor to the president and became the White House point person on universal health care. Hillary Clinton's proposal mandated : Everyone enrolls in a health coverage plan. Subsidies would be provided to those who can't afford it. Companies with 5,000 or more employees would have to provide such coverage. The Clintons' plan centralized decision-making in Washington, with a "National Health Board" overseeing quality assurance, training physicians, guaranteeing abortion coverage, and running both long-term care facilities and rural health systems. The insurance lobbyists had a field day with that. The famous "Harry and Louise" ads portrayed a generic American couple having tense conversations in their breakfast nook about how the federal government would come between them and their doctor. By the 1994 midterms, any chance of universal health care in America had died. In this case, it wasn't funding but the debate between big and small governments that killed the Clinton reform. It would be another generation before the U.S. saw universal health care take the stage. The Birth of Obamacare Fast-forward to 2010. It was clear that employer-sponsored plans were vestiges of another time. They made sense when people stayed with the same company for their entire careers, but as job-hopping and layoffs became more prevalent, plans tied to the job became obsolete. Thus the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, was proposed by Barack Obama's White House and squeaked by Congress and the Supreme Court with the narrowest of margins. The ACA introduced an individual mandate requiring everyone to have health insurance regardless of job status. It set up an array of government-sponsored online exchanges where individuals could buy coverage . It also provided advance premium tax credits to defray the cost to consumers. But it didn't ignore hat most people were already getting health insurance through work, and a significant proportion didn't want to change . So the ACA also required employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees to provide health coverage to at least 95% of them. The law, nicknamed Obamacare by supporters and detractors, set a minimum baseline of coverage and affordability. The penalty for an employer that offers inadequate or unaffordable coverage can never be greater than the penalty for not offering coverage at all. The model for Obamacare was the health care reform package that went into effect in Massachusetts in 2006. The initial proposal was made by then-Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican who now serves as a senator from Utah. What Came Next Despite an onslaught of court challenges, Obamacare remains the law of the land. For a while, Republican congressional candidates ran on a "repeal-and-replace" platform plank, but even when they were in the majority, there was little legislative action to do either. Still, Obamacare is not the last word in American health care reform. Since then, there have been two important improvements to Health Reimbursement Arrangements, through which companies pay employees back for out-of-pocket medical-related expenses. HRAs had been evolving informally since at least the 1960s but were first addressed by the Internal Revenue Service in 2002. Not much more happened on that front until Obama's lame-duck period. In December 2016, he signed the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which was mainly a funding bill supporting the National Institutes of Health as it addressed the opioid crisis. But, just like the right to free emergency room treatment was nested in the larger COBRA law, the legal framework of Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangements was tucked away in a corner of the Cures Act. QSEHRAs, offered only by companies with fewer than 50 full-time employees, allow firms to let their employees pick their insurance coverage off the Obamacare exchanges. The firms pay the employees back for some or all of the cost of those premiums. The employees then become ineligible for the premium tax credit provided by the ACA, but a well-constructed QSEHRA will meet or exceed the value of that subsidy. That brings this timeline to one last innovation, which expands QSEHRA-like treatment to companies with more than 50 employees or aspiring to have them. Introducing ICHRAs Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements , or ICHRAs, were established by a 2019 IRS rule . ICHRAs allow firms of any size to offer employees tax-free contributions to cover up to 100% of their individual health insurance premiums as well as other eligible medical expenses. Instead of offering insurance policies directly, companies advise employees to shop on a government-sponsored exchange and select the best plan that suits their needs. Employer reimbursement rather than an advance premium tax credit reduces premiums. And because these plans are already ACA-compliant, there's no risk to the employer that they won't meet coverage or affordability standards. The U.S. is never going back to the mid-20th century model of lifetime employment at one company. Now, with remote employees and gig workers characterizing the workforce, the portability of an ICHRA provides some consistency for those who expect to be independent contractors for their entire careers. Simultaneously, allows bootstrap-phase startups to offer the dignity of health coverage to their Day One associates. How We Got Here, Where We're Headed—A Fairer, Kinder Health Care System The U.S. health care system can feel clunky and confusing to navigate. It is also regressive and penalizes startups and small businesses. For a country founded by entrepreneurs, it's sad that corporations like Google pay less for health care per employee than a small coffee shop in Florida. In many ways, ICHRA democratizes procuring health care coverage. In the same way that large employers enjoy the benefits of better rates, ICHRA plan quality and prices improve as the ICHRA risk pool grows. Moving away from the traditional employer model will change the incentive structure of the healthcare industry. Insurers will be able to compete and differentiate on the merits of their product. They will be incentivized to build products for people, not one-size-fits-all solutions for employers. This story was produced by Thatch and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. MargJohnsonVA // Shutterstock
Sixty-eight-year-old Valerie Anderson still recalls the rush of humid Florida air that greeted her in 1992, a stark contrast to the biting winter of her hometown in Calgary. “I said, ‘Oh, this is beautiful because Calgary is so dry,’” she said. That first family vacation with her husband and two young kids ignited a love for the Sunshine State. Thirty years and three grandkids later, the Andersons proudly wear the “snowbird” badge, escaping Canada’s harsh winters to a rental property off the Florida coast. But they’re unsure how much longer they can afford to live out their dream. Like many snowbirds, they’ve been feeling a chill on their wallet as the Canadian dollar dropped about 4 per cent against the greenback in recent months, pushing up prices for everything from food to rent. “It’s definitely getting to be very expensive – food has gone up everywhere,” Ms. Anderson said. Compared with last year, she said it costs her and her husband about $25 more per person a meal. A recent glance at the menu of their favourite restaurant showed a single dish of sea bass priced at the equivalent of $80 Canadian. “We both just said, ‘I don’t think so!’” Norman Seawright, who also decamps to Florida in the winter, owns a condo there and said he’s paying “easily 20 to 25 per cent more” for everything. But while many snowbirds agree the weak loonie is weighing on them, most are reluctant to change their travel plans. Experts say those weathering the economic headwinds are offsetting losses with U.S. investments and getting strategic about taxes, exchange rates and insurance fees. “The dollar just sucks right now – clients are asking a lot of questions,” said Carson Hamill, a cross-border associate portfolio manager at Raymond James Canada. “People come to us that are renting permanently in the U.S., they’re going, ‘Oh, is it worth keeping this place?’” It might not be. Anyone who was renting a dozen years ago when the loonie was at par is now paying 40 per cent more, taking inflation and currency fluctuations into account. The unfavourable numbers can work in reverse for snowbirds who purchased property back then. If they haven’t rented out their property before, now might be the time to start – they’d be raking in that 40 per cent more in Canadian dollars, Mr. Hamill said. But homeowners have other worries. Their expenses are further weighed down by maintenance and insurance costs – the latter has surged by about 30 per cent between 2021 and 2023 in places like Florida, according to Insurify . Bankrate found that as of September 2024, the average insurance policy in Florida for US$300,000 in coverage was US$5,531 – 142 per cent higher than the national average. Kris Rossignoli, a cross-border tax and financial planner at Cardinal Point Capital Management ULC in New York, said his firm has seen many snowbirds selling larger properties and purchasing smaller homes as one way to cut costs. Evan Rachkovsky, director of research and communications at the Canadian Snowbird Association, said snowbirds who want to offset insurance costs often pick a destination in Central Florida – Lakeland and Winter Haven are two popular choices – farther from the coast and less susceptible to extreme weather. Whether or not they own property, snowbirds will see additional costs tied to the exchange rates offset through well-performing U.S. investments in savings and retirement accounts. John Woodfield, a senior wealth adviser and portfolio manager at SWAN Wealth Management, Raymond James, in Kelowna, B.C., said snowbirds should, and often do, hold American investments in their portfolios in U.S. currency to generate income stream in U.S. dollars, as a hedge against currency drops. “The dividends and your growth would all be in USD – as the Canadian dollar falls, the value of those stocks actually go up.” He said the recent currency moves have added roughly 6 per cent to Canadian client returns this year. Investors, however, need to keep in mind that dividends paid by U.S. companies into non-registered accounts held by non-residents of the U.S. face a withholding tax, though Mr. Woodfield said the benefits generally outweigh this. Another thing snowbirds often overlook is that if they own real estate in the U.S. and they die, their property will be subject to U.S. estate taxes, which are costlier with the current exchange rates. “As the lawyers down there say, ‘It’s great to own U.S. property, but it’s not great to die owning U.S. property,” said Mr. Woodfield, adding that Canadians can dodge this by setting up and purchasing property through a corporation in Canada. Beyond leveraging the U.S. dollar and reducing taxes, snowbirds should think about mitigating day-to-day costs by optimizing their travel credit cards or exploring prepaid cards. The majority of credit cards used for purchases outside the country will charge a foreign transaction fee adding up to about 2.5 per cent of the purchase cost in Canadian – that’s $125 in fees on $5,000. Marty Firestone, a travel insurance specialist, warns credit card-based insurance wields heavy restrictions for older travellers and won’t have as comprehensive coverage as they need. He said medical costs in the U.S. have increased about 25 per cent year-over-year with premiums climbing in tandem. He recommends no snowbird leave the country with less than $2,000,000 in coverage, and cut costs with a multi-trip annual policy. “They can travel up to a prescribed amount of days, come back home, for even a minute, and go back down again and they don’t pay for the amount they go back down again for,” he said, adding that this can save thousands. Still, some travellers might want to avoid the U.S. altogether. Lindsay Kipp, a travel expert at Flight Centre Canada, said Nicaragua and Panama are becoming popular alternative destinations for snowbirds at a fraction of the usual costs. Though Ms. Anderson has been reluctantly eyeing deals in Mexico and Portugal, she said she’d sooner cut discretionary spending and dining out than change travel plans any time soon.Nearly 13 months after his beloved wife Rosalynn died in November 2023, former President Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100, the Carter Center confirmed on Sunday. The former president made a rare public appearance at her memorial service. He sat in a wheelchair with a blanket that had a picture of him and Rosalynn together. He would also make a rare public appearance on October 1 as his hometown celebrated his 100th birthday. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Carter said after his wife passed away. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.” The couple was married for 77 years. They met as children, both growing up in Plains, Georgia. Their storied romance started when Jimmy was 17 years old. After their first date, he reportedly told his mom, “She’s the girl I want to marry.” The pair would marry not long after — in 1946. The couple moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where Jimmy was stationed after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy. Like many military families, the Carters moved from city to city. Their three sons were born in three different states: Virginia, Hawaii and Connecticut. Their only daughter was born in their home state of Georgia. Jimmy left the military in 1953 and began a career in politics about 10 years later. RELATED STORY | Former President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100 Rosalynn was reportedly an important member of Jimmy’s campaign team when he ran for governor of Georgia, a race he won in 1970. After serving four years as governor, Jimmy decided to run for president. During the campaign, Rosalynn traveled the country independently, proving to be a strong advocate for her husband’s vision for the country. Jimmy Carter would go on to defeat President Gerald Ford and become the 39th president of the United States. Rosalynn was an active first lady. She attended cabinet meetings and frequently represented her husband at ceremonial events. Rosalynn shared in her husband’s efforts to work to make the U.S. government more “competent and compassionate,” the White House said. After leaving the White House in 1981, the couple returned to Georgia. They would go on to become some of the most notable philanthropists in the world. They founded The Carter Center, which is committed to protecting human rights around the world.https://arab.news/4yxue RIYADH: From protecting its growing digital infrastructure to exporting cybersecurity technologies and expertise, Saudi Arabia is emerging as a key player in addressing global cyber threats. The Kingdom has made significant strides in developing its technology infrastructure, a key pillar of its Vision 2030 initiative aimed at diversifying the economy beyond oil. This digital transformation has been accompanied by a comprehensive approach to online safety – including the adoption of the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which focuses on creating a secure digital landscape that supports rapid technological advancements. “The growth of Saudi Arabia’s tech infrastructure has substantially enhanced its cybersecurity capabilities,” Sohil Mohamed, director, cyber risk advisory lead at Alvarez & Marsal told Arab News. He praised the National Cybersecurity Strategy, saying that it prioritizes resilience, secure digital landscapes, and trust. This strategic approach ensures that Saudi Arabia’s technological growth is supported by adaptive risk management and dynamic defense mechanisms. In addition to the government’s efforts, the private sector has also played a critical role in building a secure digital ecosystem. The expanding cybersecurity market in Saudi Arabia As one of the fastest-growing markets in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity sector is valued at approximately SR13.3 billion. This rapidly expanding market offers substantial opportunities for public-private partnerships, particularly in developing advanced cybersecurity solutions and creating new business models for commercial involvement. Additionally, the Saudi government’s focus on digital transformation and cybersecurity has opened new avenues for investment. “Key areas of focus include the development of advanced cybersecurity solutions, engagement in public-private partnerships, and contributions to national initiatives such as the Cybersecurity Catalyst Program spearheaded by the National Cybersecurity Authority,” Mohamed said. These initiatives are driving a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors to strengthen the Kingdom’s cyber resilience. Saudi Arabia’s investment in the sector also positions it as a key player in the global cybersecurity market. The government has partnered with international organizations and cybersecurity firms to enhance its capabilities and bolster the country’s readiness to handle large-scale cyber threats. This proactive stance is evident in Saudi Arabia’s role as host of major events, such as the Global Cybersecurity Forum, which brings together industry leaders. Sohil Mohamed, director, cyber risk advisory lead at Alvarez & Marsal. Supplied Protecting national infrastructure – a key priority Critical Information Infrastructure Protection has become a top priority for Saudi Arabia as it seeks to secure vital sectors, such as energy, finance, and transportation, from cyber threats. The Kingdom has experienced several high-profile cyberattacks, most notably the Shamoon attack in 2012, which targeted Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest energy companies. This incident underscored the importance of building robust cybersecurity measures to protect national assets. Saudi corporations are increasingly focused on quantifying the economic impact of potential cyberattacks, particularly in industries that form the backbone of the national economy. “Saudi corporations are progressively implementing sophisticated risk assessment tools and methodologies to quantify the economic impact of cyber threats,” Mohamed said. He explained that this includes evaluating potential financial losses, operational disruptions, and reputational damage from cyber incidents. Additionally, cyber insurance is becoming a critical tool for mitigating risks. This provides financial protection against potential cyberattacks and promotes the adoption of best practices across industries. The growing reliance on cyber insurance reflects the increased awareness among Saudi businesses of the importance of proactive cybersecurity measures. Exporting cybersecurity expertise and technology Saudi Arabia’s progress in cybersecurity is not only benefitting the Kingdom but also positioning it as a global leader capable of exporting expertise and technologies. The National Cybersecurity Authority has been instrumental in fostering international collaborations and creating platforms for knowledge sharing. Initiatives such as the National Cybersecurity Academy provide advanced training to professionals, equipping them with the skills needed to address both domestic and international challenges. Alvarez & Marsal’s Mohamed said: “By leveraging its robust cybersecurity frameworks and strategic partnerships, Saudi Arabia can offer tailored cybersecurity services and solutions to other regions. Initiatives such as the National Cybersecurity Academy by the NCA.” This capacity for exporting cybersecurity solutions will allow Saudi Arabia to play a critical role in addressing global online threats. Moreover, the Kingdom’s strategic location and status as a regional economic hub make it a key player in cybersecurity across the Middle East and North Africa region. Saudi Arabia is increasingly seen as a model for other countries seeking to enhance their cybersecurity frameworks. Its experience in managing threats and building resilient digital infrastructure has positioned it as a leader in this space. The Kingdom’s efforts to protect its critical infrastructure are seen not just as a defensive necessity but also as a key pillar in positioning the Kingdom as a leader in global cybersecurity. Vision 2030 has been a central driver of this transformation. Events such as the Global Cybersecurity Forum have cemented Saudi Arabia’s leadership position. File Samer Omar, cybersecurity and digital trust leader at PwC Middle East, highlighted to Arab News how the Kingdom’s digital growth has shaped its cybersecurity strategy. “Saudi Arabia has achieved fourth place globally in the digital services index, first regionally, and second among G20 nations. The rapid advance in technology has increased the digital ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, which in turn has further increased its exposure to cyber-attacks,” Omar said. He added: “In response, the Kingdom has successfully orchestrated a combination of regulations, investments, and awareness which has propelled most sectors to adopt a proactive security by design approach.” This proactive approach allowed Saudi Arabia to secure the highest ranking possible in the UN Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, a reflection of the Kingdom’s investment in a secure digital future. Omar pointed out that Vision 2030 has accelerated the investment in human capital to build critical national capability and aid nationals in attaining key cybersecurity skills and certifications. He also emphasized the vital role Vision 2030 plays in safeguarding the Kingdom’s critical sectors, particularly energy, finance, and smart cities, which are integral to the nation’s economy. “Saudi Arabia faces compelling challenges in these critical sectors due to the complex infrastructure, creating a potentially vulnerable and vast attack surface for adversaries,” Omar said. Omar noted Saudi Arabia’s determination to not only secure its own digital landscape but also position itself as a cybersecurity leader on the global stage. This leadership is exemplified by initiatives like the Global Cybersecurity Forum, which Omar describes as “a unique ecosystem and platform that is actively engaging with leading bodies such as the World Economic Forum,” thus shaping the future of cybersecurity well beyond the Kingdom. Addressing the cybersecurity talent gap Saudi Arabia has been proactively addressing the shortage of cybersecurity talent by heavily investing in capacity-building programs supported by both public and private sectors. “There are an estimated 19,600 Saudi cybersecurity professionals with 32 percent of them being female,” Omar said. He continued: “In addition, most major universities have cybersecurity education and training including Capture The Flag competitions, and all the major cybersecurity technology vendors provide training on their products and services.” These efforts are integral to the country’s broader vision of strengthening its digital infrastructure under Vision 2030. A secure future According to Omar, the cybersecurity industry in Saudi Arabia is projected to experience significant growth in the coming years, driven by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative and robust regulatory frameworks. “NCA released a report this year that estimates the size of the cybersecurity market to be SR13.3 billion with 31 percent of the spending from the public sector and the remaining 69 percent from the private sector,” he said. Omar went on to say: “Some analysts estimate the cybersecurity CAGR to be between 11 percent to 13 percent.” This is due to Vision 2030, which serves as a catalyst for developing the digital ecosystem, Omar explained, emphasizing the strategic role of the initiative in shaping the country’s cyber transformation.
UCLA vaulted to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 women's college basketball poll Monday for the first time in school history after dethroning South Carolina. The Bruins (5-0) received 20 of the 32 first-place ballots and climbed four spots following Sunday's 77-62 defeat of the defending national champion Gamecocks, ending their 43-game winning streak. "I think the piece that really hits me is that we're doing something for the first time in school history and we shared it with decades of alumni," UCLA coach Cori Close said Monday. "It was great to have so many alumni in our locker room to share it with. The people that blazed the trail for us we're walking in is really special." UConn (4-0) remained at No. 2 and received nine votes for first place and Notre Dame (5-0) moved up three places and earned the other three votes. South Carolina (5-1) fell to No. 4 after being No. 1 in each of the past 23 polls. No. 5 Texas (4-0) dropped one spot this week. Southern California (4-1), LSU (6-0), Oklahoma (5-0), Kansas State (5-0) and Maryland (6-0) round out the top 10. The rest of the women's Top 25: 11. Ohio State (5-0) 12. West Virginia (6-0) 13. Duke (5-1) 14. Kentucky (5-0) 15. Iowa State (5-1) 16. North Carolina (5-1) 17. TCU (6-0) 18. Ole Miss (3-1) 19. Illinois (5-0) 20. North Carolina State (3-2) 21. Oregon (6-0) 22. Iowa (6-0) 23. Alabama (6-0) 24. Louisville (4-2) 25. Nebraska (5-1). --Field Level Media
Scientific results demonstrate the company's achievements in creating fusion through MTF, providing foundation for its LM26 fusion demonstration, which will begin compressing large-scale plasmas in early 2025 to achieve transformative milestones RICHMOND, British Columbia, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Fusion has published peer-reviewed scientific results confirming world-first achievements in plasma compression using its uniquely practical Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology. The results, published in Nuclear Fusion , verify that during the company's Plasma Compression Science (PCS) experiment series, it successfully produced significant fusion neutron yield by compressing plasmas in the spherical tokamak configuration required for its MTF approach. The results demonstrated a method that ensures plasma stability and symmetry during compression and verified the company's predictions for the rate of plasma heating and increased neutron yield. The tests proved the effectiveness of the company's technology for plasma formation and compression using a metal liner, providing the foundation for its Lawson Machine 26 (LM26) - the company's large-scale fusion demonstration. LM26 will begin integrated operations in early 2025 and is on target to achieve key milestones of 1 keV, then 10 keV (fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius), and, ultimately, scientific breakeven equivalent (100 per cent Lawson criterion) in the next two years. In the PCS experiment, General Fusion's high-performing plasmas remained stable and maintained magnetic flux while the fusion neutron yield increased significantly. The experiment results demonstrated that significant volumetric compression of a spherical tokamak plasma is practical, de-risking the company's LM26, which will compress plasmas at large scale to reach higher fusion yields. Key Experiment Results: General Fusion is a world leader in plasma research. Twenty-four prototypes and over 200,000 plasma shots have helped the company build the world's largest and most powerful operational fusion plasma injector for LM26. The company's multi-year PCS series, conducted from 2013 to 2019, was the first of its kind to study the behavior of a magnetized plasma during rapid compression. Custom experimental systems and testbeds were built in-house to reliably compress a high-performance compact spherical tokamak plasma within an imploding metal wall. A robust suite of diagnostics provided data for each compression test. The peer-reviewed results from the experiment closely align with the company's advanced predictive simulation and modelling, providing confidence that LM26 will achieve its targets of 1 keV, 10 keV, and scientific breakeven equivalent (100 per cent Lawson criterion). "We've demonstrated the viability of a stable fusion process using our MTF approach, laying the foundation for our groundbreaking LM26,” said Mike Donaldson, Senior Vice President, Technology Development, General Fusion. "These achievements in plasma compression are a testament to our team's deep expertise and capabilities, accumulated over two decades of fusion technology development. Through our PCS series, we also made major advances in plasma systems, materials, coatings, and diagnostics. Now we're ready for the next step - demonstrating fusion and significant heating at large scale with LM26! Our incredibly talented team has made it all possible, building a practical, clean energy technology with world-changing potential from the ground up.” Quick Facts General Fusion is pursuing a fast and practical approach to commercial fusion energy and is headquartered in Richmond, B.C., Canada. The company was established in 2002 and is funded by a global syndicate of leading energy venture capital firms, industry leaders, and technology pioneers. Learn more at www.generalfusion.com . General Fusion Media Relations [email protected] +1-866-904-0995 Follow General Fusion twitter.com/generalfusion instagram.com/generalfusion linkedin.com/company/general-fusion facebook.com/generalfusionI tried on black sparkly co-ord from Tesco starting at just €20 – it’s perfect for Christmas nights out