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President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday he would work to end the "inconvenient" custom of moving clocks forward one hour every spring, which he said was imposing an unnecessary financial burden on the United States. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't! Daylight Saving Time (DST) is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation," Trump posted on his website, Truth Social. DST was adopted by the federal government during World War I but was unpopular with farmers rushing to get produce to morning markets, and was quickly abolished. Many states experimented with their own versions but it wasn't reintroduced nationwide until 1967. The Democratic-controlled US Senate advanced a bill in 2022 that, like Trump's plan, would bring an end to the twice-yearly changing of clocks, in favor of a "new, permanent standard time." But The Sunshine Protection Act called for the opposite switch -- moving permanently to DST rather than eliminating it -- to usher in brighter evenings, and fewer journeys home in the dark for school children and office workers. The bill never made it to President Joe Biden's desk, as it was not taken up in the Republican-led House. It had been introduced in 2021 by a Republican, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is about to join the incoming Trump administration as secretary of state. He said studies had shown a permanent DST could benefit the economy. Either way, changing to one permanent time would put an end to Americans pushing their clocks forward in the spring, then setting them back an hour in the fall. Colloquially the practice is referred to as "springing" forward and "falling" back. The clamor has increased in recent years to make DST permanent especially among politicians and lobbyists from the Northeast, where frigid conditions are normal in the early winter mornings. "It's really straightforward. Cutting back on the sun during the fall and winter is a drain on the American people and does little to nothing to help them," Rubio said in a statement ahead of the vote. "It's time we retire this tired tradition." Rubio said the United States sees an increase in heart attacks and road accidents in the week that follows the changing of the clocks. Any changes would be unlikely to affect Hawaii and most of Arizona, the Navajo Nation, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which do not spring forward in summer. ft/nro

WASHINGTON , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With a look back at 2024, NASA is celebrating its many innovative and inspiring accomplishments this year including for the first time, landing new science and technology on the Moon with an American company, pushing the boundaries of exploration by launching a new mission to study Jupiter's icy moon Europa; maintaining 24 years of continuous human exploration off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, and unveiling the first look at its supersonic quiet aircraft for the benefit of humanity. The agency also shared the wonder of a total eclipse with millions of Americans, conducted the final flight of its Ingenuity helicopter on the Red Planet, demonstrated the first laser communications capability in deep space, tested the next generation solar sail in space, made new scientific discoveries with its James Webb Space Telescope, completed a year-long Mars simulation on Earth with crew, announced the newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts, and much more. "In 2024, NASA made leap after giant leap to explore, discover, and inspire – all while bringing real, tangible, and substantial benefits to the American people and to all of humanity," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson . "We deepened the commercial and international partnerships that will help NASA lead humanity back to the Moon and then to the red sands of Mars. We launched new missions to study our solar system and our universe in captivating new ways. We observed our changing Earth through our eyes in the sky – our ever-growing fleet of satellites and instruments – and shared that data with all of humanity. And we opened the doors to new possibilities in aviation, new breakthroughs on the International Space Station, and new wonders in space travel." Through its Moon to Mars exploration approach, the agency continued moving forward with its Artemis campaign, including progress toward its first mission around the Moon with crew in more than 50 years and advancing plans to explore more of the Moon than ever before. So far in 2024, 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, committing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of space with the United States . As part of efforts to monitor climate change, the agency launched multiple satellites to study our changing planet and opened its second Earth Information Center to provide data to a wider audience. With the release of its latest Economic Impact Report , NASA underscored the agency's $75.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy, value to society, and return on investment for taxpayers. "To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness. Through continued investments in our workforce and our infrastructure, NASA will continue to propel American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars," said Nelson. Key 2024 agency highlights across its mission areas include: Preparing for Moon, Mars This year, NASA made strides toward the Artemis Generation of scientific discovery at the Moon while validating operations and systems to prepare for human missions to Mars. The agency advanced toward Artemis II, the first crewed flight under Artemis: Observing, Learning About Earth NASA collects data about our home planet from space and on land, helping understand how our climate on Earth is changing. Some of the agency's key accomplishments in Earth science this year include: Exploring Our Solar System, Universe NASA's Europa Clipper embarked Oct. 14 on its long voyage to Jupiter , where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. NASA collaborated with multiple partners on content and social media related to the launch, including engagements with the National Hockey League, U.S. Figure Skating, 7-Eleven, e.l.f., Girl Scouts, Crayola, Library of Congress, and others. NASA's 2024 space exploration milestones also include: Living, Conducting Research in Space In 2024, a total of 25 people lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, helping to complete science for the benefit of humanity, open access to space to more people, and support exploration to the Moon in preparation for Mars. A total of 14 spacecraft visited the microgravity laboratory in 2024, including eight commercial resupply missions from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, as well as international partner missions, delivering more than 40,000 pounds of science investigations, tools, and critical supplies to the space station. NASA also helped safely return the uncrewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft to Earth, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station. In addition: Imagining Future Flight NASA researchers worked to advance innovations that will transform U.S. aviation, furthering the Sustainable Flight National Partnership and other efforts to help the country reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. NASA also unveiled its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, the centerpiece of its Quesst mission to make quiet overland supersonic flight a reality. NASA aeronautics initiatives also worked to bring air taxis, delivery drones, and other revolutionary technology closer to deployment to benefit the U.S. public and industry. Over the past year, the agency: Improving Life on Earth, in Space with Technology NASA develops essential technologies to drive exploration and the space economy. In 2024, NASA leveraged partnerships to advance technologies and test new capabilities to help the agency develop a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and beyond, while benefiting life on our home planet and in low Earth orbit. The following are 2024 space technology advancements: Growing Global Partnerships Through the Artemis Accords , almost 50 nations have joined the United States , led by NASA with the U.S. State Department, in a voluntary commitment to engage in the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Artemis Accords represent a robust and diverse group of nation states, representing all regions of the world, working together for the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond with NASA. More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the weeks and months ahead. Celebrating Total Solar Eclipse During the total solar eclipse on April 8 , NASA helped the nation enjoy the event safely and engaged millions of people with in-person events, live online coverage, and citizen science opportunities. NASA also funded scientists around North America to take advantage of this unique position of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to learn more about the Sun and its connection to our home planet. Highlights of the solar celebration include: Building Low Earth Orbit Economy In August, NASA announced the development of its low Earth orbit microgravity strategy by releasing 42 objectives for stakeholder feedback. The strategy helps to guide the next generation of human presence in low Earth orbit and advance microgravity science, technology, and exploration. NASA is refining the objectives with collected input and will finalize the strategy before the end of the year. Additional advancements include: Inspiring Artemis Generation of STEM Students NASA continues to offer a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and activities, reaching and engaging the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. The agency's STEM engagements are enhanced through collaborations with partner organizations, the distribution of various grants, and additional strategic activities. Key 2024 STEM highlights include:

( MENAFN - The Peninsula) QNA Washington: The United States and the People's Republic of China on Friday signed a protocol to amend the US-China Science and technology Agreement (STA) and extend it for five years. The STA provides consistent standards for US-China bilateral government-to-government scientific cooperation. This modernized and strengthened Agreement sustains intellectual property protections, establishes new guardrails for implementing agencies to protect the safety and security of their researchers, and advances US interests through newly established and strengthened provisions on transparency and data reciprocity. The amended Agreement ensures that any federal science and technology cooperation with the China under the STA benefits the United States and minimizes risks to US national security. The amended Agreement covers only basic research; this Agreement does not facilitate the development of critical and emerging technologies. The modernized STA is one way in which the United States is responsibly managing strategic competition with the China. It is the result of extensive consultations across the US Government and months of negotiation between the United States and the China. MENAFN13122024000063011010ID1108991941 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Palvella Therapeutics Announces Closing of Merger with Pieris Pharmaceuticals and Concurrent Private Placement of $78.9 Million

Palvella Therapeutics Announces Closing of Merger with Pieris Pharmaceuticals and Concurrent Private Placement of $78.9 Million

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2024-- Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to empower millions of Amazon sellers to manage their finances, stay compliant, access capital, and grow their business. By leveraging Intuit’s AI-driven expert platform, millions of Amazon sellers will be able to discover and access Intuit’s platform seamlessly, benefiting from powerful financial insights like profitability, cash flow, and estimated tax liabilities to fuel their growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241209817038/en/ Intuit and Amazon expand strategic partnership (Graphic: Business Wire) QuickBooks will become Amazon’s preferred partner for financial management solutions integrated directly in Amazon Seller Central, the Amazon site where sellers manage their businesses. “Intuit and Amazon are providing financial tools for millions of Amazon sellers to thrive in Amazon’s store,” said Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi. “We know businesses that use Intuit’s QuickBooks platform have a nearly 20-point higher success rate than those who don’t. We’re proud to partner with Amazon to bring the benefits of our AI-driven expert platform to help sellers boost their revenue and profitability, save time, and grow with confidence.” “Amazon is innovating on behalf of sellers every day to support the growth and success of their businesses, which includes providing sellers with streamlined access to third-party tools that offer additional efficiencies and capabilities to help them operate their business,” said Dharmesh Mehta, VP WW Selling Partner Services at Amazon. “Together with Intuit, we’re working to equip our selling partners with additional financial tools and access to capital to help them scale efficiently.” This partnership will help Amazon sellers manage and grow their businesses with real-time financial updates, powered by new integrations. Sellers will have the ability to bring their existing Amazon data into Intuit’s AI-powered business platform, ultimately making it easier for sellers to understand and optimize profitability, manage cash flow, access capital, and simplify taxes with confidence. Key benefits for sellers include: A pathway to growth Intuit’s AI-powered business platform helps small and mid-market businesses gain deep insights into where they stand and helps them stay compliant and organized so they can focus on growing their business. This includes access to a robust financial and workforce management platform, with multi-entity financial management, payroll, bill pay and payments, marketing automation, live expert help, third-party integrations, and more. Intuit's objective is to leverage its platform capabilities to grow with Amazon sellers and fuel their success. A strong commitment to responsible AI and data stewardship Intuit’s AI-driven expert platform and products are built in keeping with the company’s commitment to data privacy, security, and responsible AI governance. Intuit safeguards customer data and protects privacy using industry-leading technology and practices and adheres to responsible AI principles. Intuit is a member of the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium, established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Availability Intuit and Amazon will start rolling out these capabilities in mid-2025. The companies will initially focus on delivering capabilities for sellers in the U.S., with international availability to follow. About Intuit Intuit is the global financial technology platform that powers prosperity for the people and communities we serve. With approximately 100 million customers worldwide using products such as TurboTax , Credit Karma , QuickBooks , and Mailchimp , we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. We never stop working to find new, innovative ways to make that possible. Please visit us at Intuit.com and find us on social for the latest information about Intuit and our products and services. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241209817038/en/ CONTACT: Media Contact: Sara Day, Intuit PR 650-336-3123 sara_day@intuit.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE ACCOUNTING ONLINE RETAIL INTERNET PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BUSINESS FINTECH ELECTRONIC COMMERCE TECHNOLOGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RETAIL FINANCE SOURCE: Intuit Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/09/2024 04:00 PM/DISC: 12/09/2024 04:02 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241209817038/enDowntown Bryan Lighted Christmas parade comes marching into town Thursday

Charleston Southern stuns host Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball teamThe midseason four-game winning streak that lifted the Arizona Cardinals into the playoff picture seemed as though it happened fast. Their subsequent free fall has been even more jarring. The Cardinals could have moved into a tie for first place in the NFC West with a home win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Instead, they were thoroughly and are now tied for last in the tightly packed division. Arizona has lost three straight and will face an uphill battle to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Seahawks (8-5) are in first place, followed by the Rams (7-6), Cardinals (6-7) and 49ers (6-7). Even more daunting for their playoff hopes, the Cardinals lost both of their games against the Seahawks this season, meaning a tiebreaker would go to Seattle. Four games remain. “I just told them we put ourselves in a little bit of a hole now, but all you can do is attack tomorrow, learn tomorrow and have a good week of practice,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. There are plenty of reasons the Cardinals lost to the Seahawks, including Kyler Murray's two interceptions, a handful of holding penalties, a porous run defense and a brutal missed field goal. It all adds up to the fact Arizona is playing its worst football of the season at a time when it needed its best. “I’m sure we’ll stick to our process, but we have to tweak some things,” Gannon said. "I have to tweak some things.” It's probably faint praise, but the Cardinals did make the game interesting in the second half while trying to fight back from a 27-10 deficit. Murray's shovel pass to James Conner for a 2-yard touchdown and subsequent 2-point conversion cut the margin to 27-18. The Cardinals had a chance to make it a one-score contest early in the fourth quarter, but Chad Ryland's 40-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright. “I thought we spotted them a lot of points there, but then we battled back,” Gannon said. “I appreciate their effort. That was good. We battled back there, had a couple chances to even cut the lead a little more, but ultimately didn’t get it done." Murray's in a bit of a mini-slump after throwing two interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He also didn't do much in the run game against the Seahawks, with 16 yards on three carries. The quarterback's decision-making was nearly flawless for much of the season and the Cardinals need that good judgment to return. “I’m not looking at it like I have to try to be Superman,” Murray said. “I don’t think that’s the answer. I just need to play within the offense like we’ve done for the majority of the season. Today, I didn’t. Like I said, throwing two picks puts yourself behind the eight ball.” Said Gannon: “I thought he stuck in there and made some big time throws, though, but he has to protect the ball a little bit better. That’s not just him, that’s all 11. So there’ll be a lot of corrections off those plays." The defense didn't have its best day, but it's not Budda Baker's fault. The two-time All-Pro safety is having another phenomenal season and was all over the field against the Seahawks, finishing with 18 tackles. Baker's energy is relentless and he's the unquestioned leader of a group that has been better than expected this season, even with Sunday's mediocre performance. Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. had a tough day, getting flagged for holding three times, though one of those penalties was declined by the Seahawks. The second-year player moved from right tackle to the left side during the offseason and the transition has gone well, but Sunday was a step backward. The Cardinals remain fairly healthy. DL Roy Lopez (ankle) and P Blake Gillikin (ankle) left Sunday's game, but neither injury is expected to be long term. 9 — It looks as if the Cardinals will go a ninth straight season without winning the NFC West. The last time they won the division was 2015 with coach Bruce Arians and a core offense of quarterback Carson Palmer, running back David Johnson and receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are in must-win territory now for any chance at the playoffs. They'll host the New England Patriots on Sunday. AP NFL:

INVESTORS in the Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) of Chinese cosmetics firm Mao Geping Cosmetics received an early Christmas present on Dec 10 when the company made its trading debut – the shares rose as much as 92 per cent before closing the day 77 per cent higher. It was the best first-day performance in four years and a further sign that the three-year slump in IPOs on the Hong Kong stock market is finally over. As at Dec 8, 63 companies, mostly from the Chinese mainland, had listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) this year, according to a recent report from international accounting firm KPMG. They raised a combined HK$83 billion (S14.5 billion), 80 per cent more than in 2023, and pushing the exchange back up to fourth place in the global ranking for IPO fundraising. Of the total, HK$69 billion came in the second half of the year, driven by several sizeable deals, including the four largest IPOs in the past two years, the report said. It’s a welcome turnaround from 2023, when the city’s IPO market plunged to its worst showing in 20 years and only HK$46.3 billion was raised in total from 73 listings amid poor market sentiment. “It’s fair to say that market activity and sentiment have improved significantly compared with six months ago,” said Xu Wenjia, head of Greater China equity capital markets at law firm Linklaters LLP. According to forecasts by KPMG and its peer EY, IPOs in Hong Kong are set to recover further in 2025, with total fundraising projected to reach HK$100 billion to HK$120 billion, pushing the bourse back to its position among the top three global exchanges in terms of IPO fundraising. The turning point for what looked set to be another disappointing year came in September with the blockbuster IPO of home-appliance manufacturer Midea Group. The company, which listed in Shenzhen in 2013, raised HK$35.7 billion in the largest listing in Hong Kong in three years and the second-largest globally in 2024. Although the company is in a traditional consumer-focused industry rather than a hot emerging technology sector, demand massively outstripped the shares on offer in the IPO and as at Tuesday (Dec 24), the stock had climbed more than 40 per cent from its offer price of HK$54.80. Three more major IPOs took place in October and November, each raising more than HK$5 billion – China Resources Beverage, autonomous-driving tech firm Horizon Robotics, and delivery group SF Holding. This compares with 2023 when only one company, liquor-maker ZJLD Group, raised more than HK$5 billion. The rebound in the IPO market follows the implementation of a series of favourable policies issued by the HKEX, efforts by mainland regulators to bolster Hong Kong’s position as an international financial centre and support Chinese companies’ international expansion, and an improvement in market sentiment fuelled by a slew of stimulus measures unleashed in late September and early October by the Chinese government. This year saw the first three companies list under Chapter 18C of the exchange’s listing rules, a new IPO pathway introduced in March 2023 for money-losing specialist technology firms in fields such as next-generation information technology, advanced materials, new energy and new agricultural technology. Several other companies have submitted listing applications. Hong Kong’s special purpose acquisition company listing mechanism, introduced on Jan 1, 2022, also completed its first merger transaction in October this year. New regulations on overseas listings for mainland companies, implemented from Mar 31, 2023, were intended to make it easier for them to list in Hong Kong by standardising procedures, clarifying regulatory requirements, shifting to a filing-based regime from an approval-based regime, making the process more transparent. In April this year, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) introduced five measures to enhance collaboration with Hong Kong’s capital markets, including boosting support for companies such as Midea and SF Holding to do their Hong Kong IPOs. The commission was reported to have held meetings in October with more than 10 international banks and law firms, urging them to help speed up the offshore listings of mainland companies which had already gained CSRC consent to create some “successful cases” of high-profile deals to bolster sentiment in the market. “Midea’s listing in Hong Kong gave everyone a very positive impression,” said Xu from Linklaters. “The company is in a traditional industry, has an overseas setup, and priced its Hong Kong IPO at a moderate discount to its A-shares, which generated a lot of interest.” Its success should encourage more firms, especially those with a record not only of stable and sustainable profitability but also of financial disclosure discipline honed by years of oversight from mainland regulators, Xu said. Midea’s listing has paved the way for a string of other IPOs from mainland companies. SF Holding listed in November, and in December, auto-driving systems maker Ningbo Joyson Electronic, pharmaceutical company Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, and condiment manufacturer Foshan Haitian Flavouring and Food, all announced plans to issue shares in Hong Kong. Sources have told Caixin that leading battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology and leading energy-drink company Eastroc Beverage are among others planning Hong Kong IPOs. Mining companies are also eyeing Hong Kong as a venue to raise money after years of silence, according to Frank Bi, head of corporate transactions practice in Asia at lawyers Ashurst. They are being seen from a new perspective – as upstream suppliers for new materials, new energy, and hard technology companies, he said. “Moreover, post-pandemic, as China’s Belt and Road Initiative progresses, mining companies are needed for infrastructure development, which will drive greater financing demand.” The slowdown in IPO activity on the mainland market has also prompted many companies originally intending to list on the Shanghai, Shenzhen or Beijing stock exchanges to switch to Hong Kong. Beijing 51World Digital Twin Technology, a specialty technology company, became the fifth company to file under Chapter 18C with the HKEX after unsuccessful attempts to list on the high-tech Star Market in Shanghai and the Beijing Stock Exchange for innovative small and medium-sized companies. Stricter oversight of applicants for mainland listings has reduced the number of companies in the queue from over 1,000 to about 300, according to Louis Lau, a partner of the capital markets advisory group at KPMG China. Many of these firms may switch to Hong Kong and become a significant source of IPOs for the city in future, he said. Companies currently in Hong Kong’s IPO pipeline include Jingdong Industrials, a supply-chain technology and service provider spun off from e-commerce giant JD.com, and transport and logistics firm Lalatech Holdings. The central government’s encouragement of mainland companies to list in Hong Kong has opened up a new financing platform for their global expansion, according to Kelvin Leung, managing director at Huatai Financial Holdings (Hong Kong). Midea, for example, plans to use 20 per cent of the proceeds of its IPO for global technology research and development and 35 per cent for boosting its global distribution channels and sales networks over the next five years. SF Holding’s chairman, Wang Wei, has said his company’s Hong Kong listing will be a platform to expand into international markets, while Mao Geping said 15 per cent of the funds it raised will be used for overseas expansion and acquisitions. Hong Kong is making even more changes to help mainland companies list on its bourse. In October, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and the exchange jointly announced plans to streamline the local listing approval process, including setting up a fast-track path for companies which are already trading on the mainland stock market that could cut the number of rounds of regulatory feedback to one and shorten the IPO evaluation process to just 30 working days. Edward Au, managing partner of the Deloitte China Southern Region, said that the collaboration between the two regulators to improve the approval process should help avoid repetitive inquiries to issuers and improve the overall pace of listings. CAIXIN GLOBAL