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BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neuphoria Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: NEUP) (“ Neuphoria ” or the “ Company ”) is pleased to announce that its previously announced scheme of arrangement in relation to Bionomics Limited’s proposed re-domiciliation from Australia to the United States, under which Neuphoria will become the ultimate parent company of Bionomics Limited, has been implemented today, December 23, 2024 New York time (December 24, 2024 Sydney time). The shares of common stock of Neuphoria (“ Neuphoria Shares ”) issued today in connection with the re-domiciliation are expected to commence trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol “NEUP” on December 24, 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. In addition, Neuphoria will issue options to acquire shares of common stock in Neuphoria (“ Neuphoria Options ”) to holders of options to acquire shares in Bionomics (“ Bionomics Options ”) that were issued by Bionomics, in exchange for their Bionomics Options. Neuphoria will also issue a warrant to purchase 1,054,381 shares of common stock in Neuphoria (“ Neuphoria Warrant ”) to an institutional investor that holds a warrant to purchase 12,652,572 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) of Bionomics (“ Bionomics Warrant ”), in exchange for the Bionomics Warrant. Further details regarding the implementation of the redomiciliation can be found in a Current Report on Form 8-K that will be filed by Neuphoria with the SEC. About Neuphoria Therapeutics Inc. Neuphoria (Nasdaq: NEUP) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapies that address the complex needs of individuals affected by neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuphoria is advancing its lead drug candidate, BNC210, an oral, proprietary, selective negative allosteric modulator of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, for the acute, “as needed” treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and for chronic treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). BNC210 is a first-of-its-kind, well-tolerated, broad spectrum anti-anxiety experimental therapeutic, designed to restore neurotransmitter balance in relevant brain areas, providing rapid relief from stress and anxiety symptoms without the common pitfalls of sedation, cognitive impairment, or addiction. In addition, Neuphoria has a strategic partnership with Merck & Co., Inc. (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) with two drugs in early-stage clinical trials for the treatment of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease and other central nervous system conditions. Neuphoria's pipeline also includes the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor next generation and the Kv3.1/3.2 preclinical programs, both in the lead optimization development stage. Forward-Looking Statements Neuphoria cautions that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “intend,” “predict,” “seek,” “contemplate,” “potential,” “continue” or “project” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Neuphoria that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company’s business and other risks described in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, and its other reports. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Neuphoria undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties and other factors is included in Neuphoria’s filings with the SEC, copies of which are available from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov) and on Neuphoria’s website (www.neuphoriatx.com) under the heading “Investor Center.” All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Neuphoria expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of this press release. Not an offer of securities This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in any jurisdiction. The Neuphoria Shares, Neuphoria Options and Neuphoria Warrant have not been registered under the US Securities Act and may not be offered or sold except in a transaction registered under the US Securities Act or in a transaction exempt from such registration requirements and applicable US state securities laws.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday that would end nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Hours before the ceasefire with Hezbollah was to take effect, Israel carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to pummel Hezbollah before the ceasefire takes hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. There appeared to be some lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement after it was presented by Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Israel says it will ‘attack with might’ if Hezbollah breaks truce Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire and described it as a crucial step toward stability and the return of displaced people. Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state," he said, referring to Israel's demand for freedom of action. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Warplanes bombard Beirut and its southern suburbs Even as ceasefire efforts gained momentum in recent days, Israel continued to strike what it says are Hezbollah targets across Lebanon as the militants fired rockets, missiles and drones across the border. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in central Beirut — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli forces reach Litani River in southern Lebanon The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. ___ Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, and Aamer Madhani in Washington, contributed. ___ Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war Josef Federman, Kareem Chehayeb And Bassem Mroue, The Associated PressStockNews.com lowered shares of BlackBerry ( NYSE:BB – Free Report ) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Wednesday. A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. CIBC raised their target price on shares of BlackBerry from $3.50 to $3.60 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on BlackBerry from $2.70 to $2.80 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $3.00 target price on shares of BlackBerry in a research note on Friday, September 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.23. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BB BlackBerry Trading Up 1.3 % BlackBerry ( NYSE:BB – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.82 million. BlackBerry had a negative return on equity of 3.38% and a negative net margin of 21.66%. The company’s revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.06) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that BlackBerry will post -0.06 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity at BlackBerry In other BlackBerry news, insider Philip S. Kurtz sold 15,005 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Saturday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.53, for a total transaction of $37,962.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,129 shares in the company, valued at $76,226.37. The trade was a 33.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BB. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in BlackBerry by 83.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 5,349 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BlackBerry by 2.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 267,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after acquiring an additional 7,652 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of BlackBerry by 60.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 20,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 7,842 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of BlackBerry by 65.5% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 22,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 9,063 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in BlackBerry by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 130,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,000 after purchasing an additional 9,156 shares during the last quarter. 54.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About BlackBerry ( Get Free Report ) BlackBerry Limited provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Cybersecurity, IoT, and Licensing and Other. The company offers CylanceENDPOINT, an integrated endpoint security solution; CylanceGUARD, a managed detection and response solution; CylanceEDGE, an AI-powered continuous authentication zero trust network access solution; CylanceINTELLIGENCE, a contextual cyber threat intelligence service; BlackBerry Dynamics offers a development platform and secure container for mobile applications; BlackBerry Workspaces a secure Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS) solution; BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) Enterprise, an enterprise-grade secure instant messaging solution for messaging, voice and video; BlackBerry SecuSUITE is a certified, multi-OS voice and text messaging solution; BlackBerry AtHoc, a secure networked critical event management solution; and BlackBerry unified endpoint management (UEM) solutions. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for BlackBerry Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackBerry and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .PLEASANTON, Calif. , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 10x Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TXG), a leader in single cell and spatial biology, announced today it had secured a permanent injunction in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against the GeoMx products sold by Bruker Corporation (Nasdaq: BRKR), which acquired the product line from NanoString Technologies. To minimize the risk of disruption to ongoing research, 10x Genomics requested a carve-out for GeoMx users who installed an instrument prior to the trial in November 2023 . The injunction, which the Court said it will enter in January 2025 , is expected to prohibit Bruker from making, using, selling or offering to sell in the United States its GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler and associated instruments, reagents and services for RNA and protein detection. At the request of 10x Genomics, the injunction will not block ongoing research by researchers who installed a GeoMx instrument prior to November 18, 2023 . Such customers can continue to purchase GeoMx reagents for use with existing GeoMx instruments for purposes of continuing their ongoing research. The Court found that making such an exception for ongoing research strikes a "workable balance between protecting the patentee's rights and protecting the public from the injunction's adverse effects." In addition, the Court affirmed the $31 million damages awarded by the November 2023 jury verdict, as well as supplemental damages and interest that will be added to the total damages when final judgment is entered. "Today's decision helps to safeguard our decade-long investment in innovation and ensures we can continue to develop groundbreaking technologies that help our customers revolutionize science," said Eric Whitaker , Chief Legal Officer at 10x Genomics. "10x exists to fuel scientific progress – not stifle it – and that is why we've done our utmost to ensure this injunction was structured to protect both our intellectual property and existing GeoMx customers' ongoing research." The Court recognized the harm NanoString's infringing conduct caused 10x when it wrote in its ruling, "Having been careful not to license its technology, 10x suffers when it proclaims itself as an innovator in spatial genomics but a competitor is using the same innovative, patented technology." Today's Court decision follows a November 2023 jury verdict that found that NanoString's GeoMx products willfully infringed seven patents exclusively licensed to 10x Genomics by Prognosys. During the trial, the jury heard testimony from the sole inventor of the patents, Illumina co-founder Mark Chee , and NanoString CEO Brad Gray and NanoString CSO Joe Beechem. After hearing all of the evidence, the jury determined that all seven patents had been infringed by NanoString, that each patent was valid, that NanoString willfully infringed those patents and that monetary damages were owed to 10x for the infringement of all seven patents. In affirming the jury's finding that NanoString willfully infringed, the Court relied on the evidence showing that NanoString knew or was willfully blind that its acts would cause infringement of 10x's rights. The asserted patents in Case No. 21-cv-653-MFK include (a) U.S. Patent No. 10,472,669; (b) U.S. Patent No. 10,961,566; (c) U.S. Patent No. 10,983,113; (d) U.S. Patent No. 10,996,219; (e) U.S. Patent No. 11,001,878; (f) U.S. Patent No. 11,008,607 and (g) U.S. Patent No. 11,293,917. About 10x Genomics 10x Genomics is a life science technology company building products to accelerate the mastery of biology and advance human health. Our integrated solutions include instruments, consumables and software for single cell and spatial biology, which help academic and translational researchers and biopharmaceutical companies understand biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Our products are behind breakthroughs in oncology, immunology, neuroscience and more, fueling powerful discoveries that are transforming the world's understanding of health and disease. To learn more, visit 10xgenomics.com or connect with us on LinkedIn or X (Twitter) . Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. All statements included in this press release, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "see," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "would," "likely," "seek" or "continue" or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding litigation and remedies as well as possible outcomes of litigation. These forward-looking statements do not reflect that our success will depend on our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights, intellectual property litigation could be expensive, time-consuming, unsuccessful and could interfere with our ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize our products or technologies, litigation outcomes are unpredictable or there may be changes in our litigation strategy. These statements are based on management's current expectations, forecasts, beliefs, assumptions and information currently available to management. Actual outcomes and results could differ materially from these statements due to a number of factors and such statements should not be relied upon as representing 10x Genomics, Inc.'s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. 10x Genomics, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements provided to reflect any change in 10x Genomics' expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. The material risks and uncertainties that could affect 10x Genomics, Inc.'s financial and operating results and cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release include those discussed under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the company's most recently-filed 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and elsewhere in the documents 10x Genomics, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Disclosure Information 10x Genomics uses filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, our website ( www.10xgenomics.com ), press releases, public conference calls, public webcasts and our social media accounts as means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Contacts Investors: investors@10xgenomics.com Media: media@10xgenomics.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-district-court-awards-10x-genomics-permanent-injunction-in-patent-infringement-lawsuit-against-bruker-corporations-geomx-products-302338627.html SOURCE 10x Genomics, Inc.Bills rookie Cole Bishop beginning to get comfortable after consecutive starts
Nuclear sector pins hopes on 2026 for ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen label Nuclear energy advocates are pushing for the European Commission to label nuclear-derived hydrogen as ‘low-carbon’, but several industry sources told Euractiv that would prefer the decision is brought forward to 2026 instead of the scheduled 2028. In late September, the European Commission released for consultation a draft legal text, or ‘delegated act’, setting out criteria to determine whether hydrogen can be officially labeled as ‘low carbon’. This move drew the wrath of nuclear defenders, as the draft text proposed postponing a decision on whether hydrogen produced exclusively with nuclear energy can be eligible for the low-carbon label until 1 July 2028. Hydrogen produced exclusively with nuclear energy would entail a hydrogen producer signing a power purchase agreement, known as a ‘nuclear PPA’ with a nuclear energy provider. The nuclear industry wants a decision made much sooner. told The inclusion of nuclear PPAs would enhance predictability, mobilising private financing for new net zero technologies needed to meet EU climate goals,” a spokesperson for Fortum, the largest Finnish energy producer, In its response to the Commission’s public consultation, Fortum for an earlier recognition of nuclear PPA and said that the Commission should accelerate work by initiating a study in early 2025. Four corroborating sources from European industry and decision-makers suggest that the industry could be satisfied if the review date was brought forward from 2028 to early 2026. Industry sources argued that the move is necessary to meet Europe’s 2030 hydrogen production targets. “This would avoid delaying certain investment decisions in industrial projects requiring low-carbon hydrogen,” one source told Euractiv. In France, for example, Gravithy, which wants to produce ‘carbon-free’ iron, “expresses serious concerns about the proposal to postpone in [sic] 4 years the potential inclusion of nuclear PPAs,” it said in . With the text, “We can now say that Europe will be a long way from achieving its target of installing 40 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030,” French electrolyser producer McPhy argued in its . Antoine Bizet, Deputy Director of European Affairs at EDF, suggests that rather than waiting for the 2028 deadline, this period should be used to establish a so-called in Brussels ‘regulatory sandbox’, i.e. allowing experimenting with nuclear PPAs and then take stock of their contribution, he tells Euractiv. An energy industry source in Brussels argued that another approach would be for the EU Commission “to retain its approach for this delegated act, but to ensure that it comes back to (i.e. endorses) nuclear PPPs in 2025 or 2026, through another legislative vehicle such as a hydrogen strategy or the Clean Industrial Deal.” The text poses problems on other points, particularly regarding legal certainty, through the possibility given to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP) of imposing additional criteria to qualify or not hydrogen is low-carbon to benefit from state aid. said Having completed the consultation process, the EU Commission will return to the delegated act as soon as the College of Commissioners is in place, according to Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s energy services. Wörsdörfer was speaking the EU Hydrogen Week in Brussels on 19 November. This could happen as soon as 1 December, after the European Parliament’s expected vote of confidence on 27 November. Industry sources do not expect any announcements from the Commission before the beginning of 2025. READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Nuclear sector pins hopes on 2026 for ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen label, Cavendish Hydrogen ASA: Invitation to Q3 2024 results and live Q&A session The quarterly report and a pre-recording of the third quarter presentation will be made available on the company’s... After provisional insolvency, Quantron’s business continues thanks to a core team of employees Constantin Graf Salm-Hoogstraeten from the restructuring law firm BBL, provisional insolvency administrator of Quantron... Five million euros for HydroPulse Stuttgart – hydrogen filling stations, fuel cell transporters and high-temperature fuel cells planned Stuttgart – Stadtwerke Stuttgart (SWS) is delighted to have received a further five...
WASHINGTON — The bald eagle, a symbol of the power and strength of the United States for more than 240 years, earned an overdue honor on Tuesday: It officially became the country's national bird. President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United States Code to correct what had long gone unnoticed and designate the bald eagle — familiar to many because of its white head, yellow beak and brown body — as the national bird. The bald eagle has appeared on the Great Seal of the United States, which is used in official documents, since 1782, when the design was finalized. The seal is made up of the eagle, an olive branch, arrows, a flag-like shield, the motto “E Pluribus Unum” and a constellation of stars. Congress that same year designated the bald eagle as the the national emblem, and its image appears in a host of places, ranging from documents and the presidential flag to military insignia and U.S. currency, according to USA.gov . But it had never been officially designated to be what many had just assumed it was — the national bird. The bald eagle is indigenous to North America.OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Credicorp Ltd. ( NYSE:BAP – Free Report ) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,374 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $249,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Credicorp by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 2,842 shares of the bank’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Credicorp by 14.9% during the second quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 687 shares of the bank’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Credicorp by 4.3% during the second quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,049 shares of the bank’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its holdings in Credicorp by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 21,871 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,446,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Credicorp by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 2,745 shares of the bank’s stock worth $443,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 89.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Credicorp Price Performance NYSE:BAP opened at $197.32 on Friday. Credicorp Ltd. has a 52 week low of $122.72 and a 52 week high of $200.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $184.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.20. The company has a market capitalization of $15.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. Credicorp Cuts Dividend Analysts Set New Price Targets BAP has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Credicorp from $143.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Credicorp from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. View Our Latest Report on Credicorp About Credicorp ( Free Report ) Credicorp Ltd. provides various financial, insurance, and health services and products primarily in Peru and internationally. It operates through Universal Banking, Insurance and Pensions, Microfinance, and Investment Banking and Equity Management segments. The Universal Banking segment grants various credits and financial instruments to individuals and legal entities; and various deposits and current accounts. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BAP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Credicorp Ltd. ( NYSE:BAP – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Credicorp Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Credicorp and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
A judge declined to sanction Elon Musk for skipping a meeting with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to watch one of his rockets launch. US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said Friday there is no need to sanction Musk because he already agreed to reimburse the SEC $2,923 to cover airfare for the trio of agency lawyers he stood up in Los Angeles in September. Musk finally met with the SEC lawyers to give testimony on Oct. 3, Corley noted. The regulator has been investigating Musk’s purchases of Twitter Inc. stock and statements about his investments before he spent $44 billion in 2022 to buy the social-media platform, which he later rebranded as X. Musk has had a testy relationship with the SEC for years, going back to when it sued him for securities fraud in 2018 after he tweeted about taking Tesla Inc. private. In the Twitter probe, Corley repeatedly ordered Musk to cooperate with the agency after he initially did two interviews but refused to participate in a third round of questioning. Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, had argued that the billionaire’s failure to show up for the September deposition was justified because he had an urgent obligation as the head of SpaceX to travel to Florida for the Cape Canaveral launch of a rocket on a commercial spacewalk mission. The SEC urged Corley to impose sanctions on Musk to remind him that flouting her order was not a “trivial matter,” but Spiro contended that his client’s voluntary offer to reimburse the agency for $2,923 was sufficient. The case is Securities and Exchange Commission v. Musk, 23-mc-80253, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).For doctors across specialities, having access to the right funding can be a game-changer in building a successful and well-equipped practice. The challenges different types of doctors face vary based on their area of expertise, practice scale, and long-term goals. For example, radiologists may require high-end imaging equipment, while dentists might need modernised chairs and tools. Similarly, setting up a multi-speciality clinic requires significant capital. So, whether you are a general physician setting up a clinic, a specialist upgrading your diagnostic tools, or a surgeon expanding your facility, financing tailored to your specific needs ensures you have the resources to deliver the highest quality care to your patients. Access to these funds tailored for these specific requirements not only will support you but also provide a competitive edge in patient care. This is where a doctor loan comes in. These loans are designed to cater to these unique and diverse needs. So, let us see how each doctor, based on their speciality and practice goals, can select the most suitable loan option with Bajaj Finance to meet their unique needs. Choosing the right loan variant based on practice type Discover how different types of doctors can choose the ideal loan variant tailored to their practice type, ensuring financial flexibility and growth. For general practitioners (GPs) GPs are the doctors you visit for check-ups and common illnesses. Their clinics need basic equipment like stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors. A doctor loan can help GPs with: Clinic setup: Renting a space, buying furniture, and setting up an examination room Essential equipment: Getting diagnostic tools and medical supplies Hiring staff: Employing nurses or assistants to help run the clinic smoothly For surgeons Surgeons use advanced skills and technology to perform crucial surgeries. They need significant equipment including: Advanced surgical tools: Scalpels, laparoscopes, and other specialised tools High-tech imaging gear: X-ray machines, ultrasounds, and possibly CT scanners Operating room upgrades: Keeping the surgery room clean and well-equipped A doctor loan can help surgeons get these essential tools, enabling them to provide top-quality care. For dentists Dentists look after our teeth. Their equipment needs can include: Dental chairs: For patient comfort during procedures Digital X-ray systems: For accurate diagnosis and treatment planning Specialised dental tools: Drills, scalers, and other necessary tools Doctor loans can help dentists buy these tools and modernise their clinics, attracting more patients. For specialists Medicine has many specialised fields. For example, a cardiologist may need advanced heart monitors while a dermatologist might need special lasers. Doctor loans provide specialists the money needed to buy specific equipment and technology, improving patient care. Additional uses of a doctor loan Doctor loans are not only for equipment. They can also be used for: Clinic renovation: Making your clinic look better and feel more welcoming Marketing and branding: Building a strong online presence to attract new patients Continuing Medical Education (CME): Keeping your skills and knowledge updated with courses Features and benefits of the Bajaj Finserv Doctor Loan Each loan variant under the Bajaj Finserv Doctor Loan is crafted to help doctors like you finance your professional needs seamlessly. Here is how you can benefit from choosing this loan: · Get high loan amounts: You can easily get loans ranging from Rs. 2 lakh up to Rs. 80 lakh, allowing you to meet small and large expenses alike · Quick approval and disbursal: Funds are credited within 48 hours of approval, helping you address urgent financial requirements without any delays · Longer tenure: Repayment periods of up to 96 months give you the freedom to structure EMIs as per your financial plan · Transparent charges: All fees are clearly communicated with no hidden charges, ensuring complete clarity. This can help you manage expenses well in advance · No collateral needed: Get funds without pledging precious assets, giving you peace of mind while focusing on practice growth Choosing the right doctor loan variant based on your practice type can significantly impact your financial health and help achieve your clinic’s goals. The Bajaj Finserv Doctor Loan options are designed to cater to each doctor’s unique needs, making it easier to support a growing practice, invest in cutting-edge technology, and offer superior healthcare services.
Diego Simeone said he is "calm and at peace" at Atletico Madrid after his side edged Deportivo Alaves 2-1 in LaLiga in his 700th game in charge of the club. ( More Sports News ) Atletico went behind through a Jon Guridi penalty in the seventh minute, but Antoine Griezmann drew them level from the spot in the 76th minute. The winner came via Alexander Sorloth in the 86th minute as Atletico moved four points behind leaders Barcelona. Simeone, who has been in charge of Atletico since 2011, is the first coach to manage 700 matches with the same LaLiga club. "I live in the present, we are having a good time, the boys are working very responsibly," Simeone told DAZN. "I am calm and at peace. I love where I am and that's it." He managed Atletico to LaLiga title triumphs in 2014 and 2021 and also helped Los Rojiblancos win two Europa League titles in 2012 and 2018. The game against Alaves was Simeone's 492nd LaLiga match in charge, and the Argentine has also managed the third-most games with a single club in the Champions League (109), after Alex Ferguson with Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Simene pic.twitter.com/YjhdZUBKug Atleti's fifth straight win across all competitions, courtesy of a late fightback on Saturday, was also the 54-year-old's 300th in the Spanish top flight. Javi Galan had conceded a penalty for a handball inside the box and Guridi sent Jan Oblak the wrong way to put Atleti on the backfoot. "The first half started with a penalty that made it difficult for us to progress in the match. The opponent scored and sat back, the spaces became smaller," Simeone said after the game. "The team looked cold. In the second half we warmed up. The lads who came on did well, they gave us speed in the final stretch and strength in the box." After registering an xG of just 0.25 in the first half, Atletico were a much-improved outfit after the break, attempting four shots and finishing the half with an xG of 1.39 and three points. "In the second half we created more chances and we got the reward of an important victory," Simeone said. His side, who have the best defensive record in the league having conceded just eight goals in 14 matches, will face Real Valladolid in their next LaLiga game on 30 November.Ogie Diaz Sets Record Straight on Chloe San Jose & Viral Blind Item Rumors
The Indianapolis Colts could show up to the stadium on Sunday with nothing to play for. Or the scenario may call for a victory so they can remain alive in the AFC playoffs. Either way, the Colts' postseason fate hangs on other teams as they enter Sunday's game against the lowly New York Giants at East Rutherford, N.J. Indianapolis (7-8) is mathematically alive in the playoff hunt but trails the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos by two games with two contests left. The Chargers and Broncos both have games on Saturday. If both nine-win clubs win, the Colts will be eliminated and miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is well aware of the team's predicament and scenarios entering the game against the Giants (2-13), who have lost a franchise-record 10 straight games. "We still have an opportunity, with some help from other people," Richardson said. "But we just taking it one game at a time because it doesn't do us any good if everybody else does what they have to do to help us out and then we don't go out there and take advantage of it." Richardson (back/foot) sat out practice Thursday and the Colts remain confident his ailments will improve. If not, veteran Joe Flacco could be in line to start against New York. Flacco was just 1-3 as a starter when Richardson was sidelined or benched earlier this season. But Flacco (nine touchdowns, five interceptions) has a superior touchdown-to-interception ratio than Richardson (eight TDs, 12 interceptions) and has completed 66.5 percent of his passes compared to Richardson's 47.7 percent. No matter who starts, the game plan will revolve around star running back Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 218 yards and three scores on 29 carries during last weekend's 38-30 home win over the Tennessee Titans. It was Taylor's second-most rushing yards in a game behind the club-record 253 he put up against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2020 season. The Giants are starting Drew Lock at quarterback for the fourth time in the past five games. Lock underwent an MRI exam on his passing shoulder Monday but no damage was found. He hurt it during Sunday's 34-7 road loss against the Atlanta Falcons. Lock is 0-3 as a starter this season and has completed just 52.7 percent of his passes. He has one touchdown and four interceptions in 129 attempts. "As a quarterback, the ball is in your hands every play and one or two bad plays can change a game," Lock said of his miscues. "You try to look at them individually, try to learn from each play individually and go onto the next week. Learn from what you did and just have a heavy emphasis on taking care of the ball." Giants coach Brian Daboll opted for Lock over Tommy DeVito, who is 0-2 as a starter this season. Daboll said he made the decision to continue the continuity from last week. Meanwhile, star rookie wideout Malik Nabers (toe) missed practice Thursday and called himself a game-day decision. Nabers has 97 receptions for 969 yards and four touchdown catches as one of the bright spots of the horrendous season. "It's tough on everybody. It's not just tough on me. It's tough on everybody," Nabers said of the team's troubles. "I'm continuing to keep my mental (attitude) strong, continue to move forward, continue to try to better the team, better myself. Lead by example. I feel like that's really all we can do in this state of mind that we're going through." In addition to Nabers, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ankle), center John Michael Schmitz (ankle), linebacker Micah McFadden (neck), cornerbacks Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) and Dee Williams (toe) and safety Raheem Layne (knee) sat out practice Thursday. Richardson was one of three Colts to miss practice. The others were tight end Mo Alie-Cox (toe) and linebacker E.J. Speed (knee). In the most recent meeting, the Giants routed the Colts 38-10 late in the 2022 season. --Field Level MediaHarris Dickinson was nervous to approach Nicole Kidman. This would not necessarily be notable under normal circumstances, but the English actor had already been cast to star opposite her in as the intern who initiates an affair with Kidman’s buttoned-up CEO. They’d had a zoom with the who was excited by their playful banter and sure that Dickinson would hold his own. And yet when he found himself at the same event as Kidman, shyness took over. He admitted as much to who took things into her own hands and introduced them. “She helped me break the ice a bit,” Dickinson said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. On set would be an entirely different story. Dickinson might not be nearly as “puckishly audacious” as his character Samuel but in the making of “Babygirl,” he, Kidman and Reijn had no choice but to dive fearlessly into this exploration of sexual power dynamics, going to intimate, awkward, exhilarating and meme-able places. It’s made the film, in theaters Christmas Day, one of the year’s must-sees. “There was an unspoken thing that we adhered to,” Dickinson said. “We weren’t getting to know each other’s personal lives. When we were working and we were the characters, we didn’t veer away from the material. I never tried to attach all of the history of Nicole Kidman. Otherwise it probably would have been a bit of a mess.” His is a performance that reconfirms what many in the film world have suspected since his debut seven years ago as a Brooklyn tough questioning his sexuality in Eliza Hittman’s : Dickinson is one of the most exciting young talents around. Dickinson, 28, grew up in Leytonstone, in East London — the same neck of the woods as Cinema was in his life, whether it was at the local multiplex or venturing into town to see the more social realist films of and “Working class cinema interested me,” he said. “People around me that represented my world.” Appropriately, his entry into making art started behind the camera, with a comedy web series he made as a kid, which he now describes as “really bad spoofs” of films and shows of the time. But things started to really click when he began acting in the local theater. “I remember feeling invigorated by it and accepted,” he said. “I felt myself for the first time and felt able to express myself in a way where I didn’t feel vulnerable and I felt alive and ignited by something.” At around 17, someone suggested that he should give acting a try professionally. He hadn’t even fully understood that it was a career possibility, but he started auditioning. At 20, he was cast in “Beach Rats” and, he said, just “kept going.” Since then, he’s gotten a wide range of opportunities in films both big, including and small. He’s captivated as a male model in Ruben Östlund’s Cannes-winning an estranged father to a 12-year-old in Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper,” an actor bringing an ex-boyfriend to life in Joanna Hogg’s the charismatic, tragic wrestler David Von Erich in Sean Durkin’s and a soldier in But “Babygirl” would present new challenges and opportunities with a character who’s almost impossible to define. “He was confusing in a really interesting way. There wasn’t loads of specificity to it, which I enjoyed because it was a bit of a challenge to sort of pinpoint exactly what it was that drove him and made him tick,” Dickinson said. “There was a directness that unlocked a lot for me, like a fearlessness with the way he spoke, or a social unawareness in a way — like not fully realizing what he’s saying is affecting someone in a certain way. But I didn’t make too many rules for him.” Part of the allure of the film is the ever-shifting power dynamics between the two characters, which could change over the course of a scene. As Reijn said, “It’s a cautionary tale about what happens when you suppress your own desires.” She was especially in awe of Dickinson’s ability to make everything feel improvised and the fact that he could look like a 12-year-old boy in one shot and a confident 45-year-old man in the next. Since its premiere at the earlier this year, the film has led to some surprisingly direct conversations with audiences spanning generations. But that, Dickinson understood, was what Reijn wanted. “She really wanted to show the ugliness and the awkwardness of these things, of these relationships and sex,” he said. “That sort of fumbly version and the performative version of it is way more interesting, to me at least, than the kind of fantasized, romanticized, sexy thing that we’ve seen a lot.” Dickinson recently stepped behind the camera again, directing his first feature film under the banner of his newly formed production company. Set against the backdrop of homelessness in London, “Dream Space” is about a drifter trying to assimilate and understand his cyclical behavior. The film, which wrapped earlier this year, has given him a heightened appreciation for just how many people are indispensable in the making of a film. He’s also started to understand that “acting is just being able to relax.” “When you’re relaxed, you can do stuff that is truthful,” he said. “That only happens if you’ve got good people around you: The director that creates the good environment. The intimacy coordinator facilitating a safe space. A coworker in Nicole encouraging that kind of bravery and performance with what she’s doing.” Dickinson did eventually get to the point where he managed to ask Kidman questions about working with Stanley Kubrick and Lars Von Trier. But he also kept one shattering possibility between himself and his director. “There is a world in which Samuel doesn’t even exist. He’s just a sort of a device or a figment for her own story. And I like that because it kind of means you can take the character into a very unrealistic realm at times and be almost like a deity in the story,” Dickinson said. “We didn’t talk about it with Nicole.”
The New Mexican The Empty Stocking Fund is a 43-year-old project of The New Mexican . Each year, hundreds of people receive aid from the fund during the holiday season to help cover rent payments, medical bills, utility costs, car repairs, home improvements and other needs. Who it helps: Applicants, who must live within 50 miles of Santa Fe and must provide documents that prove their identity, are considered without regard to race, age, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. Applications for aid are currently on pause because of overwhelming demand. 2024 goal: $475,000; however, there are already over $500,000 in requests. This holiday charity project, which began in 1981, is administered by the Santa Fe Community Foundation. To donate: Make your tax-deductible donation online by visiting santafecf.org/funds/empty-stocking-fund . In person, visit the Santa Fe Community Foundation at 501 Halona St., or The Santa Fe New Mexican, 150 Washington Ave., Suite 105, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contributions can also be mailed to Empty Stocking Fund, C/O Santa Fe Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1827, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1827. Donors can request to remain anonymous. Anonymous: $103.09 Anonymous: $103.09 Anonymous: $103.09 Anonymous: $103.09 Anonymous: $103.09 Anonymous: $103.09 Anonymous: $103.09 Frank and Maria Gallegos: $200 Pete and Ann Garcia: $100 John Gee and Kathy Kronenberg: $500 Jonathan Goldstein: $1,000 Greene-Stahl Family: $206.19 Michael and Anita Griego — in memory of Edward Griego and Davey Griego: $100.00 Byron J. Gross and Ricky Tovim: $309.28 Kent and Kaki Grubbs: $257.73 Susan Gutheim: $500 Annabelle Gutierrez — in memory of Ray M. Gutierrez: $100 DiAna Gutierrez: $1,000.00 Elizabeth Gutierrez and Richard Schoegler: $1,000 Becca Haffenden: $515.46 Thomas Hall and George Xillas: $50 Harriett Harris: $200 David Henkel and Cleo Griffith: $515.46 Mark and Christine Hickman: $600 Mary Hilderbrand and Andy Ross: $500 Tom and Janet Hirons: $150 David and Barbara Hope: $103.09 Ann Hosfeld: $200 Lyndi Hubbell and Bruce Panowski: $100 Cumulative total: $242,910.03The Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.Eagles claim DE Charles Harris
Doctor at the heart of Turkey’s newborn baby deaths case says he was a ‘trusted’ physicianDisagreeing with the voters’ choice is a dead end. Let’s find ways to unite for change: Letter to the Editor
New Delhi: The BJP’s poor performance in Jharkhand’s ST-reserved seats despite a strong anti-incumbency is one of the main factors behind its failure to make a comeback in the state five years after it conceded defeat to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress combine. The BJP could win only one of the 28 ST seats, performing worse than the last assembly election. The JMM-led alliance is set to win 27 seats—the JMM 20 and the Congress seven. A major factor for the BJP’s defeat in the 2019 Jharkhand assembly election was that the JMM-Congress alliance won 25 of the 28 ST seats whereas the BJP could win only two. Tribals account for 26 percent of the population in Jharkhand, with their influence spreading across 21 of 24 districts in the state. In 2019, the Raghubar Das-led BJP government was toppled amid a tribal backlash. The Hemant Soren-led JMM consolidated the tribal votes in that election on the promise of implementing the 1932 Khatiyan Bill, which holds 1932 identity and land records as state domicile criteria, and Sarna, a separate religious code for tribals. With its promises striking a chord in the tribal belt in 2019, the JMM secured 19 ST seats. The Congress won six, taking the combine’s tally to 25. The BJP’s tally, on the other hand, plunged from 11 ST seats in 2014 to just two. Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM), which in 2020 merged with the BJP, won one seat in that election. Earlier in 2014, the BJP came to power by scoring big in the tribal belt. It won 11 ST seats while the JMM secured 13 ST seats and the All Jharkhand Students Union, which joined hands with the BJP before this election, got two. In this year’s Lok Sabha election, Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s arrest just ahead of the polls created a sympathy wave for the JMM, with the BJP losing all five ST-reserved LS seats. The JMM-led alliance won all five seats—the JMM three and the Congress two. In the assembly segment break-up, the JMM led in 10 segments, the Congress in 13, and the BJP in just five. The results on Saturday turned out to be worse than predicted by the LS polls. In the election campaign, the BJP was in overdrive to exploit the fault lines in the tribal belt. To create the Hindi-belt sort of polarisation among tribals, BJP leaders alleged “infiltration” by Bangladeshi Muslims into the tribal belt. BJP leaders, from election in-charge Shivraj Singh Chouhan to state president Babulal Marandi, promised to implement the National Register of Citizens to deport the “infiltrators” if voted to power. Even Home Minister Amit Shah indicated a shift in the BJP’s policy by promising the Sarna religious code for tribals amid the party’s insistence on a Uniform Civil Code across the country. None of that seems to have worked. Jharkhand BJP has traditionally been strong in the North Chotanagpur and Palamu belt, where migrants from Bihar have settled. Across the belt, there is only one ST seat in Palamu. In the past, the SC vote bank helped the BJP get a reasonable number of seats in the state. However, without the Kolhan and Santhal Parganas, which house 60 percent of the ST-reserved seats, the BJP lost Jharkhand in 2019. The JMM stronghold is Kolhan and Santhal Parganas. In 2019, the BJP could not bag a single of the 14 assembly seats in Kolhan while the JMM-Congress marked a decisive victory in the Santhal Parganas by winning 13 of the 18 assembly seats, with the BJP managing to win five. Seven of the 18 assembly seats in the Santhal Parganas, including the Deoghar, Dumka, Godda, Jamtara, Pakur and Sahibganj districts, are ST-reserved. Hemant Soren, Babulal Marandi and BJP’s Nishikant Dubey come from this region. Nine of the 14 assembly seats in Kolhan are ST-reserved. Four state chief ministers, Arjun Munda, Raghubar Das, Madhu Koda and Champai Soren, hail from this region. South Chotanagpur has 11 other ST seats. Also Read: How family members of Hemant Soren & 4 former Jharkhand CMs are faring this election The BJP banked on two different strategies for a comeback in the tribal belt. It tried to make a dent in the JMM’s Kolhan stronghold with a prize catch—veteran JMM torch-bearer and Shibu Soren’s trusted man Champai Soren, regarded as the ‘Tiger of Kolhan’. Soren, who won the Seraikella seat, brought the one win that the BJP has registered this election. However, the BJP had been relying on him to do much more. After his short stint as CM when Hemant Soren was in jail, Champai Soren joined the BJP, saying the JMM had disrespected him. He contested the Seraikella seat, which he has won for the JMM six times, on a BJP ticket. Given his influence in Kolhan, the BJP also fielded his son, Babulal Soren, from the Ghatsila seat and his protege, Sonaram Bodra, from Kharsawan. However, Babulal Soren lost to JMM’s Ram Das Soren while Bodra lost to JMM’s Dashrath Gagrai. In 2019, not only did the BJP not win any seat in Kolhan but also then-CM Raghuvar Das lost from the region. So, the BJP did not leave any stone unturned to ensure a turnaround this time. The party fielded former CM Arjun Munda’s wife, Meera Munda, from Potka, but she lost to JMM’s Sanjib Sardar. It also fielded former CM Madhu Kora’s wife, Geeta Kora, from Jagannathpur, but she lost to Congress’s Sona Ram Sinku. BJP leader Sudarshan Bhagat, former Union minister of tribal affairs, lost to JMM’s Bhushan Tirkey in the Gumla assembly constituency. BJP ST Morcha national president Samir Oraon lost to JMM’s Chamra Linda in the Bishnupur assembly constituency. To expand its footprint in the Santhal Parganas, which adjoins West Bengal and has a significant Muslim population, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Nishikant Dubey first raised the “infiltration” issue in the Parliament based on a Union home ministry-filed affidavit in the Jharkhand high court in September. Since then, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP leaders have kept their focus on “infiltration” in the election campaign in the Santhal Parganas. The tribal population in Jharkhand, the MHA affidavit says, declined from 44.67 percent in 1951 to 28.11 percent in 2011, but the state government has denied such claims. Speaking to ThePrint before the election results, a Jharkhand BJP leader said that the BJP lost the tribal belt in 2019 because of the Raghuvar Das government’s 1985 domicile policy that diluted land policy, keeping the focus on OBCs. “On realising its mistake, the party sent Raghuvar Das to the Raj Bhavan, inducted Babulal Marandi into the BJP in 2020, made Droupadi Murmu President, made two tribal community leaders CMs of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, made Marandi BJP Jharkhand president, inducted Arjun Munda into Modi’s Cabinet, PM visited Bisra Munda’s birthplace in 2023, and the Centre announced Janjatiya Gaurav Divas to bring back lost tribals,” the leader said on the condition of anonymity. “BJP used ‘love jihad’ and ‘infiltration’ issues to gain lost ground in the tribal belt, and we focused on ‘ roti, mati, aur beti ‘ campaign to make tribals aware of growing dangers from outsiders. JMM introduced the ‘ maiya ‘ scheme for women. Aware of its impact, we too announced a cash scheme for women. We also promised to look into the Sarna code for tribals to bring them into the party fold,” he said. The JMM, in its election campaign, hit back at the BJP for creating Hindu-Muslim polarisation. However, it seems the campaign of polarisation has failed. The JMM-led alliance is winning all seven ST seats in Santhal Parganas, eight of the nine ST seats in Kolhan, all 11 in South Chotanagpur, and the one ST seat in Palamu. The BJP’s performance in the tribal belt of Maharashtra has improved, helping the Mahayuti come back to power in Maharashtra despite a setback in the tribal-dominated seats in the Lok Sabha election. The BJP is set to win 10 of the 25 ST seats, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena six seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP six seats, taking the Mahayuti’s tally to 22. Meanwhile, the Congress is leading in two seats, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in another. In Maharashtra, Scheduled Tribes, which account for 10 percent of the population, are spread across 21 districts, with 25 seats of 288 assembly seats reserved for the community. In the 2019 state assembly polls, the BJP’s tally came down to eight seats from 11 in 2014. The undivided Shiv Sena won three seats, the undivided NCP six, and the Congress four. Smaller parties won the remaining four seats. Earlier, in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won all four ST seats, with the BJP winning three and Sena one. However, after a political realignment following the split in the NCP and Shiv Sena, the BJP, as part of the Mahayuti, could secure only one tribal seat in the 2024 LS polls. The MVA won three ST seats, with the Congress winning two and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) one. The assembly segment break-down showed a BJP lead in nine ST seats while the Congress lead was in nine seats, Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) in four, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) in two, and Independent in one. The results of this assembly election, however, shows that the Mahayuti has since gained ground in the tribal belt. In North Maharashtra, which has a high density of tribals, the BJP lost its advantage during the Lok Sabha polls due to Dalit and tribal polarisation in favour of the MVA, according to a survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. The survey says that nearly 55 percent of tribals backed MVA in Maharashtra—more than the 46 percent of Dalits who backed MVA. On the other hand, 35 percent of tribals and 35 percent of Dalits supported Mahayuti. However, according to a pre-assembly poll CSDS survey, Mahayuti could increase its lead by 10 percentage points in the tribal belt since the LS polls. A Maharashtra BJP leader said, “Mahayuti learnt from its Lok Sabha mistake when it was over-confident. The Mahayuti performance among Maratha voters was good in the LS polls. However, cross-polarisation among OBCs helped the MVA, and BJP’s micro-management in the tribal belt had a negative impact. Since then, we have restored the confidence of tribals in the party. The women’s cash scheme became a game-changer among tribal and Dalit women.” (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Maharashtra sees low voter turnout of 6.61%, Jharkhand records 12.71% in 2nd phase Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );
The potential for mass deportations and travel restrictions has spurred more than a dozen U.S. universities to tell international students to return to the United States before Jan. 20. President-elect takes the oath of office on Jan. 20 and has threatened to immediately initiate mass deportations of migrants who illegally entered the United States over the past four years and international students who have engaged in sometimes violent protests. "The immigration landscape is likely to change under the new presidential administration," officials at Cornell University said in a . "This guidance is intended to inform and assist international students, faculty and staff at Cornell University." Cornell sent the notice to students and faculty from Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,Tanzania, Venezuela, Yemen and other nations. Cornell officials chose to warn students and faculty from those nations because Trump targeted those nations with visa restrictions during his first term in office. "New countries could be added to this list, particularly China and India," Cornell officials . Brown, Southern California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other universities, likewise, cautioned international students to return prior to Trump's inauguration in January. USC officials sent emails to its students with special visas and cautioning them to be in class when the new semester starts on Jan. 13, reported. "[It's] especially important given that a new presidential administration will take office on Jan. 20, 2025, and ... may issue one or more executive orders impacting travel to the U.S. and visa processing," USC officials said. "While there's no certainty such orders will be issued, the safest way to avoid any challenges is to be physically present in the U.S. before the spring semester" is scheduled to start, the email said. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst, likewise, cautioned students as well as staff and faculty who have immigration sponsorships from the university to "strongly consider returning to the United States" before Trump takes the oath of office. U.S. colleges and universities have about 1.1 million international students registered for classes, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Trump imposed travel restrictions targeting mostly Muslin nations, including Iraq, Syria and Iran, during his first term in office, but Biden rescinded those travel restrictions in 2021. Trump's travel bans triggered more than 40,000 during his first term, which has officials at many universities concerned their international students, staff and faculty might be affected if Trump imposes similar restrictions after being sworn in.London honored for supporting student mental health and eliminating barriers to care NATICK, Mass. , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Business Journal honored Uwill founder and CEO Michael London as part of its 2025 Innovators in Healthcare list . Honorees represent a cross-section of Boston -based innovators addressing some of the most urgent and pressing challenges in the health care industry. London is the founding CEO of Uwill , the leading mental health and wellness solution proudly supporting more than 3 million students at 400 institutions globally. Utilizing its proprietary technology and counselor team, Uwill pioneered the first student and therapist matching platform. The solution offers an immediate appointment with a licensed counselor based on student preferences, all modalities of teletherapy, a direct crisis connection, wellness programming, realtime data, and support. "It's truly an honor to be recognized among this incredible group of innovators," said Michael London , Uwill founder and CEO. "At Uwill, our mission is to break down barriers to mental health care, delivering immediate and accessible support to students worldwide. This recognition reflects more than innovation—it underscores our unwavering commitment to addressing a vital need for students everywhere." London is a recognized thought-leader and pioneer within social impact entrepreneurship, having created more than one billion dollars in company value throughout his career. In 2013, he founded Examity, a leader in learning validation and online proctoring. Prior, London led Bloomberg Institute, an EdTech start-up funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg . Earlier in his career, he founded College Coach and co-founded EdAssist, both acquired by Bright Horizons Family Solutions. In 2019, he was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award and held a position on the Massachusetts Governor's Commission for Digital Education and Lifelong Learning. Michael is a current Trustee at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is a Member of the Advisory Board at Babson College where he graduated with honors. He also received his MBA from Boston University . About Uwill: Uwill is the leading mental health and wellness solution for colleges and students. As the most cost-effective way to enhance a college's mental health offering, Uwill partners with more than 400 institutions, including Princeton University , the Ohio State University , Santa Fe Community College , and University of Alabama - Online. Uwill is also the exclusive teletherapy education partner for the Online Learning Consortium and teletherapy education partner of NASPA. For more information, visit uwill.com . Contact: Brett Silk bsilk@uwill.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/uwill-founder--ceo-michael-london-named-innovator-in-healthcare-302338655.html SOURCE Uwill, IncDES MOINES — Iowa K-12 students would be barred from having their cellphones in the classroom under a proposal that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to present to state lawmakers. Reynolds mentioned her proposal Thursday during an interview with the Gray TV stations’ Washington, D.C. bureau. “Gov. Reynolds believes Iowa students deserve the opportunity to learn free from the distraction of personal electronic devices. Iowa kids should have the freedom to focus and be fully engaged in their education,” Reynolds’ spokesman, Mason Mauro, said in an email Friday night. Proponents of such bans say they prevent students from being distracted during school instruction time and also help address concerns about students’ mental health. Eight states had banned cellphones in classrooms as of Nov. 4, according to KFF, a nonprofit health care news and advocacy organization. The states with statewide bans on phones in the classroom are Minnesota, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana and California, according to KFF. Another 12 states — including Iowa — have introduced legislation that would ban or restrict cellphone use in classrooms, and education departments in nine more states have recommended policies or pilot programs designed to ban or restrict cellphones in schools, according to KFF. It is unclear whether state lawmakers would support a ban on cellphones in the classroom, even with Reynolds’ fellow Republicans holding majorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. State Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella who chairs the Senate’s Education Committee, said he has not considered introducing a ban on cellphones in classrooms, nor has anyone contacted him about the issue. “I believe cellphone usage is a very significant problem in our schools, but I’m not convinced that this is something that should be governed by the state,” Rozenboom said. A spokeswoman for Iowa House Republicans pointed to legislation considered in that chamber during the 2024 session that would have required school districts to adopt a policy that restricts the use of cellphones during classroom instruction, but did not ban phones from the classroom. That bill did not advance far enough to be passed into law. Melissa Saitz, the spokeswoman for Iowa House Republicans, said she believes the topic will come up during the 2025 legislative session, and that House Republicans will be seeking feedback from Iowans on the topic. She said it is too early to say whether House Republicans will support a full ban on phones in the classroom, but it will “definitely be a discussion” during the session. “We have heard from so many teachers that cellphones are a huge distraction preventing kids from learning,” Saitz said. A spokeswoman for the Iowa State Education Association, the statewide union that represents public schoolteachers, said the union will not comment at this time since there is not yet a “specific proposal.” The 2025 session of the Iowa Legislature begins Jan. 13. Gov. Kim Reynolds likely will give her annual Condition of the State address on Jan. 14. Many Eastern Iowa schools are exploring policies about cellphones in the classroom, mirroring a national trend of school districts and states restricting students’ cellphone use in schools. Hillcrest Academy, a private school in Kalona, is one of the first Iowa districts to become phone-free this academic year to reduce distractions in the classroom and out of concerns for students’ mental health. Grace King of The Gazette contributed to this report. We all know that staring at screens constantly is bad for our health. So here are some easy ways to reduce screen time. At Bullard High School in Fresno, California, it's easy to see the benefits of banning students' cellphones. Bullying is down and socialization is up, principal Armen Torigian said. Enforcing the smartphone restrictions? That's been harder. Instead of putting their devices in magnetically locked pouches, like they're supposed to, some kids will stick something else in there instead, like a disused old phone, a calculator, a glue bottle or just the phone case. Others attack the pouch, pulling at stitches, cutting the bottom, or defacing it so it looks closed when it's really open. Most students comply, but those who don't create disproportionate chaos. "You should see how bad it is," Torigian said. "It's great to say no phones, but I don't think people realize the addiction of the phones and what students will go to to tell you 'No, you're not taking my phone.'" Bullard, which began restricting phones two years ago, is a step ahead of other schools around the state that have moved recently to prohibit cellphones in classrooms, CalMatters reports. Bullard and other pioneering schools offer a preview of how such bans might play out as they become more common. Educators who have enacted the smartphone restrictions said they help bolster student participation and reduce bullying but also raise challenges, like how to effectively keep phones locked up against determined students and how to identify and treat kids truly addicted to their devices. Citing Bullard as an example, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 13, urged school districts statewide to "act now" and adopt similar restrictions on smartphone use, reminding them that a 2019 law gives them the authority to do so. Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district, recently approved plans to ban phones in January. One bill before the state legislature would impose similar limits statewide while another would ban the use of social media at school . Another would prevent social media companies from sending notifications during school hours as part of a broader set of regulations intended to disrupt social media addiction. Calls to limit how students use smartphones are driven in part by concerned educators. A Pew Research Center survey released in June found that one in three middle school teachers and nearly three in four high school teachers call smartphones a major problem. During school hours in a single day, the average student receives 60 notifications and spends 43 minutes — roughly the length of a classroom period — on their phone, according to a 2023 study by Common Sense Media. There is growing pressure to protect young people from excessive screen time generally: The moves to limit smartphone use in California put it near the forefront of an increasingly national trend. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul has reportedly been mulling a statewide school smartphone ban for several months . Florida, Ohio and Indiana have all imposed some degree of statewide restrictions on phones in schools, and several other states have introduced similar legislation. Education Week in June said 11 states either restrict or encourage school districts to restrict student phone use. Teachers have had classroom phone policies for years; what's new at schools like Bullard are that their bans are blanket, campuswide restrictions. Many of the schools that moved early to adopt such bans are smaller and charter schools, like Soar Academy, a TK-8 charter school with 430 mostly low-income students in San Bernardino, California. Like Bullard, it also found enforcement of its ban was tough. Suspending students wasn't an option. Neither was yanking phones from students' hands. That left an honor system, which relied on students' willingness to accept that smartphones and social media are harmful to their mental health and a distraction from learning. "The key was that we needed 100% buy-in from teachers. There couldn't be a weak link," said Soar principal Trisha Lancaster. "It was scary, because we weren't sure it was going to work. But we were determined to try." Lancaster said it also helped not to give parents or students a choice in the matter. The school simply presented the new policy, alongside ample research on the harmful effects of cellphones and social media on young people, and made it clear what the punishments would be. For the first violation, staff would keep a student's phone for the day and call their parents. Punishments would escalate until the sixth offense, when a student would have to meet with the school board, whose members might suggest the student enroll elsewhere. At Soar, the idea originated at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, when teachers said they were fed up with distracted students and an overall dispiriting school climate. Students, Lancaster said, "had lost their social skills." So the staff decided to ban phones during class, at recess, at lunch and after school — essentially, all times except when in a special area where parents or others can pick them up from school. Students must keep phones off and in backpacks when they are not permitted. The first year of the ban went smoother than expected, Lancaster said. Some students and parents protested, but most understood the policy was in students' best interests. Test scores didn't budge much, but at the end of the school year, a survey of teachers showed much higher job satisfaction than they recorded previously. And walking across campus, the improvements are obvious, Lancaster said. "Everyone on campus is so much happier. You see kids actually socializing, problem-solving, enjoying themselves," Lancaster said, choking up as she described the school atmosphere. "It's true, it's one more thing to enforce. But education matters, and now kids are learning. That's the No. 1 reason we did this." Soar's experience has been mirrored on a larger scale in the San Mateo-Foster City School District, which serves 10,000 students at 21 TK-8 schools south of San Francisco. After a full-time return to campus in 2022, teachers in the district found many students were "interacting intensely with cellphones in a way we didn't see before the pandemic," said superintendent Diego Ochoa, and so the school district adopted a smartphone ban for four middle schools in 2022. Administrators were convinced to do so following a trip to a nearby high school with a smartphone ban. There, they saw students speaking to each other and looking at one another during break time instead of their phones. Ochoa said the benefits of locking smartphones away is evident from improved test scores and an anonymous annual student survey that found a decline in depression, bullying and fights in the 2023-2024 school year relative to prior years. But saying the smartphone ban led to those benefits is tricky because they could have also been caused by other policy changes that happened at the same time, including a "restorative" approach to discipline that relied less on detention and suspension and more on support from counselors. Still, when students were surveyed specifically about the policy and the biggest difference in their education since it was put into place, they said that they pay more attention in class. Ron Dyste also implemented a smartphone ban and, like Ochoa, recommends them. Dyste is principal at Urban Discovery Academy, a TK-12 charter school in San Diego, which banned cellphones during the 2023-2024 academic year amid an uptick in bullying, harassment and anxiety among students, staff told CalMatters. Nearly 90% of discipline cases, across Urban Discovery Academy and a school where he worked previously, could be traced to misuse of phones or social media, including students filming fights, spreading nude photos of classmates and encouraging students to kill themselves. "I may never get some of those images out of my head. It's horrible, what kids can do to each other," Dyste said. "The damage to our kids and our communities is real." Dyste got the idea to ban phones when he and his wife went to a Dave Chapelle performance where audience members were required to secure their phones in locked pouches. "My wife said, why don't we do this in schools?" he said. "We knew we had to do something." Over last summer, the school sent out notices to families about the new policy, explaining the rationale. Some students complained, but parents were thrilled, Dyste said. And the improvements in campus climate were almost immediate. Instead of "hiding away with their screens," said Jenni Owen, the school's chief operations officer, students spent their breaks talking, dancing, playing volleyball and having fun. They developed empathy and a sense of community, she said. At the end of the academic year, the school logged zero fights. The previous year, the school's suspension rate was 13.5%, almost four times the state average. "For schools that are wondering if they should take this on, I think the answer is, we have to," Dyste said. "If we don't educate kids on how and when to use this technology, we're going to continue seeing a rise in suicide, sexual harassment and anxiety." State legislators have recognized the importance of healthier technology use among children. California students are supposed to learn about "appropriate, responsible and healthy behavior... related to current technology" under a media literacy law passed in October . To enforce smartphone bans, some schools rely on smartphone lockers or locked pouches like the kind Dyste saw in use at the Dave Chappelle show. He tried using locked pouches from the Los Angeles-based company Yondr, but encountered numerous issues. Some kids were breaking and smashing the pouches to open them, or they'd listen to music all day by connecting their earbuds to their locked-away phones using Bluetooth. "We had to return what was left of the equipment," he said. Instead of going with Yondr, which wanted $6,000 to cover 110 kids, Dyste found clear, plastic phone lockers on Amazon that cost $50 each and put one in each classroom. Yondr told CalMatters: "Our pouches are designed to withstand heavy-duty usage, and we are continuously working to improve the durability of our solution. However, there will always be students who try to push boundaries, especially when policies are initially rolled out. For this reason, it is critical that our team works directly with districts and administrators in rolling out the Yondr Program, to ensure that the most effective policies and procedures are implemented for successful schoolwide adoption. Without adherence to strong policies, schools may struggle with student compliance." Soar Academy also considered purchasing Yondr phone pouches, but was discouraged by the $19,000 price tag. The San Mateo-Foster City School District paid $50,000 to obtain Yondr pouches for roughly 3,000 students. To use them, staff hand out pouches at school entryways each morning, then students swipe the pouch over a demagnetizer to unlock the pouch at the end of the day. Kids who want an exception to the rule — for a family emergency for example — must come to the school front office and ask for permission. Yondr pouches come with a hefty price tag, Ochoa said, but he thinks it's worth it to improve student focus. "Call up five random superintendents, I don't care where they're at and ask them, 'How much would you spend to have your students pay more attention?' It's worth millions," he said. Whether phones get locked in a clear box or a silver pouch, Oakland High School senior Leah West said she finds it punitive to require students to lock their phones away before they have broken any rules with the devices. While California's Oakland High School does not have a blanket smartphone ban, West's former English teacher sometimes locked student phones in Yondr pouches. "We should be given a chance to prove ourselves," she said, adding that such an approach can motivate a rebellious streak in students like her who like freedom and don't like when she isn't trusted to make a responsible decision. Louisa Perry-Picciotto, who graduated from high school in Alameda, California, in June, said students with jobs rely on their phones for work updates and all teens use their phones to communicate with their friends. Still, she's grateful her parents didn't get her a smartphone until she was in eighth grade. "I get distracted easily, and without a phone I was a lot more connected to the world," she said. Edamevoh Ajayi, who is a junior at Oakland Technical High School, said there's no question some students don't pay attention in class because they're busy texting or playing games. Those students would definitely benefit from rules surrounding cellphone use like the kind being implemented at her school this year. But she feels like she has a strong sense of self-control and a desire to learn, and doesn't need a phone ban. "When they take away my belongings, I feel like I'm being treated like a child," she said. At her school, policies vary by classroom. In general, students are free to use their phones between classes and at lunch. When students use their phones in class it can be frustrating for everyone else, said Fremont High School science teacher Chris Jackson. It puts teachers in a tough position: Either ignore that student and carry on for the sake of the students who are listening or disrupt learning for all students and confront them. In the long run, Jackson said he's worried that students of color, who have historically faced higher rates of punishment than other students , will again bear the brunt of disciplinary actions related to smartphone bans. Rather than punishment, Jackson would prefer to see solutions that address root issues, like addiction, that lead students to use their devices in violation of the rules. So no matter what policy school districts adopt, he wants the focus to remain on teaching students digital literacy and how social media can be a risk to their health. Some schools who helped pioneer smartphone bans have reassessed their initial approach. This year, Bullard is changing its policy to allow students to access their smartphones at lunch time. Torigian said school administrators wanted to make room for important communications, for example by allowing students who pick up younger siblings to text with their parents. They also hoped the looser rules would encourage more students to comply with the ban. If kids don't comply, teachers call parents, and if they still refuse, they're sent to what the school calls the re-engagement center. Starting last month, California began prohibiting suspensions for "willful defiance ." Torigian believes that schools need an exemption from the policy in order to enforce smartphone restrictions. He wants it back because he said he needs a way to hold kids accountable. "That's why the governor's got to give us some leeway on this willful defiance; you can't do one [smartphone restrictions] without the other." Ochoa said if he had to do it over again in San Mateo-Foster City he would devote more time to explaining to students why they adopted such a policy before putting it into place. Getting a smartphone is a big deal for middle school students, a milestone for adolescents that represents more freedom and autonomy, and it's counterproductive for the school environment if they feel punished or something they value is taken away with little explanation. "Our teenagers told us, 'You forgot to explain why we're doing this,'" he said, adding that even if a small percentage of kids violate the policy it can be really harmful academically and to school culture. "Even with your conviction to implement a policy like this, spend the time developing the language around the policy and explaining it to your students." Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer, whose nonprofit is focused on how children use media and technology, agreed that it works best to explain to kids why a rule to limit smartphone access at school is necessary. Parents and teachers need the same explanation so that they can help enforce some restrictions in order to keep kids safe and healthy. "Any even remotely engaged parent is going to want their kid to do well in school, and is going to want them to understand why phones and social media platforms get in the way of learning and can be really distracting and can affect your mental health," he said. This story was produced by CalMatters and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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