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Dr Annuar (seated, centre) takes one for the album during the workshop. MIRI (Dec 3): The Sarawak Education Enhancement Programme (SEEP) would be a game-changer in raising the education standards of schools in Sarawak with data-driven approach and collective efforts of schools monitored by a special task force. In stating this, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said as an early start, the Sarawak government is engaging stakeholders for feedback from the 185 schools earmarked for this programme, which will be allocated with RM20 million, on top of RM15 million set aside this year for the provision of free tuition for Form 3 and Form 5 students. “We are taking this programme very seriously, and all issues regarding its implementation are to be ironed out before February when the new school session commences. “We want all this to be done before February as the new students will be coming and we want to start it early,” he said when met yesterday at a workshop on SEEP for the state’s northern region, where Sarawak Education Department deputy director (Learning Sector) Dr Les Met was also present. It was informed that the resolutions attained in the workshop here would be presented to the ministry, and similar sessions would take place in Sibu, Betong, Kuching and Bintulu. The session yesterday involved school principals and senior administrative assistants, as well as representatives of parent-teacher associations and district education officers in northern Sarawak. Adding on, Dr Annuar said a special taskforce involving his ministry and the Sarawak Education Department would be set up to ensure the smooth rollout of SEEP. “I can tell you that this programme will be a game-changer if done properly, being data-driven and targeted with good KPI (key performance indicators) with regard to the average score grade.” He also stressed about the importance for SEEP to gain solid support from all stakeholders, including the heads of schools, in ensuring that this data-driven and close monitoring approach would achieve success. He pointed out that in the past two decades, the results of past programmes in rural schools were below par, either due to issues in implementation or lack of monitoring. “The Hipers (High Performance Rural Schools) programme, which was initiated by Yayasan Sarawak in 1996, was a noble programme, but the question arises whether or not we have analysed all the 26 schools (involved), with not many having achieved the objectives. “I have to throw this question to the workshop participants, whether it has to be continued, or incorporated into SEEP. We have to review this – I do not want duplication of any programme that does not give good results, as it would be a waste of time and money.” Launched at SMK Beladin in Pusa last month, SEEP has registered a total of 56,000 students.“The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few metres from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. He added that he and UN colleagues were safe. “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave,” he said. UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay later said the injured person was with the UN Humanitarian Air Service. Our mission to negotiate the release of @UN staff detainees and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in #Yemen concluded today. We continue to call for the detainees' immediate release. As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport... pic.twitter.com/riZayWHkvf — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 26, 2024 Israel’s army later told The Associated Press it was not aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. The Israeli strikes followed several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel. The Israeli military in a statement said it attacked infrastructure used by the Iran-backed Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports in Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib, along with power stations, asserting they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. Israel’s military added it had “capabilities to strike very far from Israel’s territory — precisely, powerfully, and repetitively”. The strikes, carried out over 1,000 miles from Jerusalem, came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned” as his military has battled those more powerful proxies of Iran. The Houthi-controlled satellite channel al-Masirah reported multiple deaths and showed broken windows, collapsed ceilings and a bloodstained floor and vehicle. Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes. The US military has also targeted the Houthis in recent days. The UN has said the targeted ports are important entry points for humanitarian aid for Yemen, the poorest Arab nation that plunged into a civil war in 2014. Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, while other missiles and drones have been shot down. Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor in what it says is an act of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The UN Security Council has an emergency meeting on Monday in response to an Israeli request that it condemn the Houthi attacks and Iran for supplying them with weapons.Health experts call for a return of social distancing as cases surge across UK this Christmasbet 999.bet 。

President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son, Hunter, is throwing a bomb in his party's post-election soul-searching. Democrats are still sifting through the rubble of their loss to President-elect Donald Trump last month, with some in the party blaming a reputation -- justified or not -- as elitists out of touch with everyday voters' concerns while cozying up to other wealthy and well-connected allies. Now, after months of vows that he wouldn't do so and arguing the justice system treated Trump appropriately, Biden is scrapping his son's supposedly politicized convictions on tax and gun charges, sparking a warning the move fortifies perceptions that the party doesn't keep its word and is playing by its own set of rules. "This literally reinforces the very challenge that Democrats confronted in the election, which is elites talking to elites convincing each other that they're right. Well, you can't get any more elite than this," said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. "It's not the question of pardoning the son. What about everybody else's son?" Kofinis added. "If you're going to take this kind of a dramatic action that's going to benefit a single person in your family, you have a responsibility to go out there and say why. But you can't say the reason why is because the justice system is rigged, because you just spent the last four years saying it wasn't rigged. So, it's not rigged for Trump, but it's rigged for your son?" Hunter Biden had been convicted on federal gun charges after lying about his drug use on an application for a firearm and had pleaded guilty to nine tax-related charges, including three felonies. MORE: How President Biden came to the decision to pardon his son Hunter The president's announcement Sunday evening marked a bombshell at the tail end of a holiday weekend. In it, Biden insisted that his son had been "treated differently" after "several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election." The pardon is also particularly broad, covering all "offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in" from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024, beyond the gun and tax charges. Republicans swiftly cried foul at the move, lambasting it as a manipulation of justice, particularly after Biden for months said he wouldn't use his power to intervene in his son's legal troubles. "Joe Biden has lied from start to finish," House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., wrote in a post on X . "It's unfortunate that, rather than come clean about their decades of wrongdoing, President Biden and his family continue to do everything they can to avoid accountability." "Tonight's pardon is wrong. It proves to the American people that there is a two-tier system of justice," added Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Senate Republican in the next Congress. Democratic lawmakers were tighter-lipped over the pardon late Sunday but were more vocal in their opposition by Monday afternoon. "Democrats should have been for reforming and curtailing pardon power from Day 1 of the Biden Presidency. As a father, I empathize with President Biden, but we must be the party of reform whether it's about the archaic pardon power, opposing super PACs or broad war powers," Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said on X . "President Biden's decision to pardon his son was wrong. A president's family and allies shouldn't get special treatment. This was an improper use of power, it erodes trust in our government, and it emboldens others to bend justice to suit their interests," Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich, added . Now, some party operatives warned to ABC News, Democrats risked being seen as executing the same behavior they'd been warning against from Trump ahead of his inauguration, making their campaign rhetoric about the justice system's integrity apply to only one side of the political divide. "It is somewhat toying with [voters]," one Democratic pollster said. "The takeaway, to the extent that there are any left, for the average, independent voter is, is that, both sides are just playing games with each other. They don't mean any of this rhetoric." The White House Monday sought to play damage control, laying blame at the feet of Republicans who will have unified control of Washington starting later next month and have hammered away at Hunter Biden's legal travails and business ties for years. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden issued the pardon in part "because they didn't seem like his political opponents would let go of it." "They would continue to go after his son. That's what he believed," she added, declining to speculate on the political fallout of the move. "Two things could be true. You can believe in the department of justice system, and you could also believe that the process was affected politically," she insisted. MORE: Washington DC reacts to President Biden pardoning son Hunter in shock decision The pardon controversy is coming as some Democrats partly blame Biden's decision to run for reelection in the first place as a reason for Harris' defeat. While many Democrats expressed empathy for Biden's position as a father, they suggested it marked another reason to put the president in the rearview mirror as the party puts together a new playbook for the future -- a separation that, some hoped, could minimize any long-term fallout. "I think the party is already going to move on from him so deeply and so completely that I don't know that this severs that connection between Biden and the future the Democratic Party any more or any less than it already would have been. If anything, it may quicken it," one senior Democratic strategist said. "I think it's politically stupid," the person said. "It makes us look bad, and it makes us look like we don't have the moral high ground, and we either need to own that, or we need to own that we need to stop being so preachy. I think it's bad politics, but it's not clear to me what exactly the repercussions will be." Still, that doesn't mean Democrats who are skeptical of any long-term implications are pleased with the move. Nearly every Democrat who spoke to ABC News worried that Biden's pardon kicked the door open for Trump to protect people they predicted will be unworthy of pardons. And to fend off any prolonged fallout amid a broader makeover, even theoretical, some suggested that a robust denouncement from party leaders could go a long way. "It's not going to eliminate it, because Biden is the president of the United States," the Democratic pollster said. "But if Democrats ever hope to reinvent themselves in a post-Biden future, they're going to need to start by denouncing Biden now when it's hard, not in the future, when it'll be easier."Nico Iamaleava passed for four touchdowns and Dylan Sampson rushed for 77 yards and set a school-record for TDs as No. 11 Tennessee rolled to a 56-0 victory over UTEP on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn. Sampson scored on a 14-yard TD run early in the second quarter for the game's first points to deliver his 22nd TD of tje season to break the Tennessee single-season mark set by Gene McEvers in 1929. Iamaleava was 15 of 20 for 173 yards for Tennessee (9-2), while Bru McCoy caught a pair of TD passes and Squirrel White and Ethan Davis each had a TD reception. Tennessee moved its all-time record to 2-0 against the Miners, also having blanked the Conference USA school 24-0 in 2018. Jermod McCoy and John Slaughter had interceptions for the Volunteers, while Dominic Bailey recovered a fumble to set up a score. Skyler Locklear was 10-of-19 passing for 50 yards with an interception for UTEP (2-9), while rushing for 37 yards on eight carries. JP Pickles also had a turn at QB for the Miners and was 10 of 15 for 72 yards. Kenny Odom had eight receptions for 70 yards. Both defenses set the tone in the first quarter. The UTEP defense allowed just one first down to the Southeastern Conference team in three ugly series in the opening quarter and only 22 yards. In the second quarter, Sampson ended a 68-yard drive by dashing up the middle for 14 yards for the record-setting score to take a 7-0 lead with 13:22 remaining before halftime. After Bailey's fumble recovery, Iamaleava flipped a screen pass that White took 9 yards to the end zone nearly six minutes later. Davis put the Volunteers up 21-0 when he grabbed a short pass for a 1-yard TD. Iamaleava then found Bru McCoy from 18 yards with eight seconds left in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead. McCoy caught his second TD and Peyton Lewis rushed for a pair for a 49-0 lead in the third quarter, but the biggest roar from Volunteers fans came when it was announced Florida beat No. 9 Ole Miss 24-17, to enhance the Volunteers' College Football Playoff hopes. Cameron Seldon's 3-yard run capped the scoring as the Volunteers finished the season undefeated at home for the second time in four years. --Field Level Media

More than 650,000 Mexicans got a little something extra in their Christmas stockings this year when President Claudia Sheinbaum signed into law labor reforms benefitting gig workers on digital platforms such as Uber, DiDi and Rappi. The new landmark regulations in the Federal Labor Law were published Christmas Eve in the Official Gazette of the Federation, which serves to inform the public and ensure transparency. They take effect June 22, 2025. Congrats to our partners @UNTA_Mexico on delivering a victory for #appworkers 🎉 #Mexico ’s Congress unanimously approved legislation providing labor rights & protections for #platformworkers . UNTA’s organizing, advocacy & win will be a major reference for app workers around the🌎 pic.twitter.com/8IY6NSvh5o — Solidarity Center (@SolidarityCntr) December 24, 2024 The news of the labor law reform protecting gig workers was celebrated both here and outside Mexico by labor advocates. The reform recognizes, for the first time in Mexico, gig workers as employees, making them entitled to worker benefits and protections under Mexican law — as long they generate a monthly net income equivalent to at least one daily minimum wage in Mexico City. For 2024, the daily minimum wage throughout most of Mexico is 248.93 pesos (US $12.31) per day, but it will increase by 12% to 278.80 pesos (US $13.78) starting Jan. 1. (The same increase will lift the daily minimum wage in Mexico’s northern border free zone to 419.88 pesos per day, or US $20.70.) Gig workers earning below the threshold will remain classified as independent workers but still receive some protections. Key provisions of the new regulations include: All calculations will be based on time actually worked — which can vary greatly for gig workers. The time clock will start when a task is accepted and end when it is completed. There will also be proportional benefits, such as vacation pay and Christmas bonuses, although tips are excluded from salary calculations. The law also requires digital platforms to issue unambiguous worker contracts and to submit payment receipts on a weekly basis. Platform operators will bear legal responsibility as employers, while users of the apps will face no obligations. Companies can dismiss workers without reinstatement obligations unless collective rights — such as unionization or the right to strike — are violated. Labor advocates hailed the reform as a milestone. “This initiative maintains flexible working hours, a fundamental aspect that we have always fought for,” said Sergio Guerrero, head of the National Union of App Workers (UNTA). “The possibility of each worker to decide his or her own schedule remains intact — and this does not deny them from obtaining labor rights, as some have tried to make us believe.” Over 658,000 platform workers in Mexico are expected to benefit, Guerrero said, adding that the reform will help curb job insecurity. “This reform is a victory for the workers,” he said. Sheinbaum noted that the initiative was worked on jointly by her office, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), IMSS and the homebuyers’ savings plan Infonavit, as well as workers and the digital platforms. “This does not exist in most other countries,” she said of the new regulations, adding that their enactment is “part of what we conceive in the Fourth Transformation.” With reports from Infobae , El Universal and América Economía

Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market to See Stunning Growth with Nedap, Gateway Security, Agon Systems 11-23-2024 12:42 PM CET | IT, New Media & Software Press release from: HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market The latest study released on the Global Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market by HTF MI evaluates market size, trend, and forecast to 2030. The Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market study covers significant research data and proofs to be a handy resource document for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people to have ready-to-access and self-analyzed study to help understand market trends, growth drivers, opportunities and upcoming challenges and about the competitors. Key Players in This Report Include: Checkpoint Systems (United States), Tyco Retail Solutions (United States), Nedap N.V. (Netherlands), Gunnebo Gateway AB (Sweden), Ketec, Inc. (United States), Hangzhou Century Co., Ltd. (China), WG Security Products, Inc. (United States), Sentry Technology Corporation (United States), ALL-TAG Corporation (United States), Universal Surveillance Systems LLC (United States), Sensormatic Electronics (United States), Agon Systems Ltd. (United Kingdom), Amersec (Czech Republic), Gateway Security (Sweden) According to HTF Market Intelligence, the global Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market is valued at USD 2.5 Billion in 2023 and is estimated to reach a revenue of USD 5 Billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 8% from 2023 to 2030. Get inside Scoop of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market: https://www.htfmarketintelligence.com/sample-report/global-electronic-article-surveillance-eas-system-market?utm_source=Krati_OpenPR&utm_id=Krati Definition: EAS systems are security systems designed to prevent shoplifting in retail stores. These systems use tags attached to merchandise and detection equipment at store exits to prevent unauthorized removal of goods. Market Trends: ●Integration of EAS systems with advanced data analytics for better tracking. Market Drivers: ●Rising need for retail loss prevention and inventory control. Market Opportunities: ●Expansion in non-retail sectors like libraries, pharmaceuticals, and logistics. Market Challenges: ●High initial installation and maintenance costs for retailers. Fastest-Growing Region: APAC, MEA Dominating Region: North America, Europe, APAC Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @: https://www.htfmarketintelligence.com/enquiry-before-buy/global-electronic-article-surveillance-eas-system-market?utm_source=Krati_OpenPR&utm_id=Krati The Global Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below: Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market is Segmented by Type (Radio Frequency (RF) Systems, Acousto-Magnetic (AM) Systems, Electromagnetic (EM) Systems, RFID-Based EAS Systems, Others) by Component (EAS Tags, EAS Antennas, Deactivators/Detachers, Controllers) by End User (Supermarkets & Hypermarkets, Apparel & Fashion Stores, Electronics Stores, Pharmaceutical Stores) and by Geography (North America, LATAM, West Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Oceania, MEA) Global Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market report highlights information regarding the current and future industry trends, growth patterns, as well as it offers business strategies to helps the stakeholders in making sound decisions that may help to ensure the profit trajectory over the forecast years. Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share, and growth rate of the following regions: •The Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Egypt, etc.) •North America (United States, Mexico & Canada) •South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, etc.) •Europe (Turkey, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.) •Asia-Pacific (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia). Objectives of the Report •-To carefully analyze and forecast the size of the Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market by value and volume. •-To estimate the market shares of major segments of the Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System •-To showcase the development of the Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market in different parts of the world. •-To analyze and study micro-markets in terms of their contributions to the Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market, their prospects, and individual growth trends. •-To offer precise and useful details about factors affecting the growth of the Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System •-To provide a meticulous assessment of crucial business strategies used by leading companies operating in the Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market, which include research and development, collaborations, agreements, partnerships, acquisitions, mergers, new developments, and product launches. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study: https://www.htfmarketintelligence.com/report/global-electronic-article-surveillance-eas-system-market Major highlights from Table of Contents: Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market Study Coverages: •It includes major manufacturers, emerging player's growth story, and major business segments of Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market, years considered, and research objectives. Additionally, segmentation on the basis of the type of product, application, and technology. •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market Executive Summary: It gives a summary of overall studies, growth rate, available market, competitive landscape, market drivers, trends, and issues, and macroscopic indicators. •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market Production by Region Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market Profile of Manufacturers-players are studied on the basis of SWOT, their products, production, value, financials, and other vital factors. Key Points Covered in Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market Report: •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Overview, Definition and Classification Market drivers and barriers •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market Competition by Manufacturers •Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Market •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2023-2030) •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2023-2030) •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type {Radio Frequency (RF) Systems, Acousto-Magnetic (AM) Systems, Electromagnetic (EM) Systems, RFID-Based EAS Systems, Others} •Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System Manufacturing Cost Analysis, Industrial/Supply Chain Analysis, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Marketing •Strategy by Key Manufacturers/Players, Connected Distributors/Traders Standardization, Regulatory and collaborative initiatives, Industry road map and value chain Market Effect Factors Analysis. Check for Best Quote: https://www.htfmarketintelligence.com/buy-now?format=1&report=14369?utm_source=Krati_OpenPR&utm_id=Krati Key questions answered •How feasible is Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market for long-term investment? •What are influencing factors driving the demand for Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System near future? •What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) System market growth? •What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are? Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Middle East, Africa, Europe or LATAM, Southeast Asia. Nidhi Bhawsar (PR & Marketing Manager) HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited Phone: +15075562445 sales@htfmarketreport.com About Author: HTF Market Intelligence Consulting is uniquely positioned to empower and inspire with research and consulting services to enable businesses with growth strategies, by offering services with extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events, and experience that assist in decision-making. This release was published on openPR.

SEATTLE (AP) — Great Osobor and Zoom Diallo each scored a dozen points and Washington rolled to a 90-53 win over NJIT Sunday in its final tune-up before diving full-time into the Big Ten season. The Huskies bounced back from an upset loss at the hands of Seattle U that snapped a 19-game win streak against the cross-town rival. Osobor opened the game with a three-point play in the first minute and followed it with a layup and the Huskies raced to a 20-point lead by intermission, 46-26. Washington's bench saw plenty of playing time with four players scoring at least nine points. Diallo led the bench effort with 12 points, five assists and a pair of steals. Wilhelm Briedenbach finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Sebastian Robinson was 5 of 22 from the field, including 0-for-4 from distance, but led the Highlanders (2-12) with 16 points. Tim Moore Jr. added 14 points and Ari Fulton contributed 11. The Huskies will look look for their first Big Ten Conference victory after an 0-2 start when they play host to Maryland on Thursday and No. 24 Illinois on Sunday. NJIT returns home to host Medgar Evers on Saturday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballPune: On a bustling street, a massive garland hangs from a crane as hundreds of party workers await their leader's arrival. When he finally appears, the crowd showers him with flowerss and smaller garlands, while the 20ft tribute becomes a colourful centerpiece of the celebration. Kaluram Thorat, the creator of the jhendu-sevanti-gulab masterpiece, is proud. "It takes an entire day to craft these garlands. From the design of the garland to the choice of colors and flowers, every detail is the result of our collective creativity. I have orders from two parties for 25ft garlands after the election result is out," said Thorat, a farmer and an artisan based in Alandi. Each garland is made by combining 5-6ft garlands into a 20ft creation. It requires four to five people to lift. Once completed, the garlands are transported to rallies in tempos, added florist Rahul Tamhane. This year, elections coincided with the wedding season, keeping florists, flower farmers and artisans on their toes. Amol Sarpale, who is in the flower business, said five years ago, elections were not such a grand affair. "We use 200kg marigold, chrysanthemum, and Ashoka leaves. Each garland is around Rs30,000-Rs35,000. It takes five hours to craft the final product," he said. Sarpale's team made five such garlands for leaders like Bhor's Congress candidate Sangram Thopte and BJP's Pune candidate Hemant Rasne and others. Once the rally ends, Sarpale's team collects and disposes of the flowers. Congress state vice-president Mohan Joshi said nearly 100 large garlands were crafted across the district this year for various parties. "New ideas spread quickly through social media. One popular trend is ‘phulancha varshav' (raining of flowers)," he said. MNS general secretary Ajay Shinde said, "The trend of large garlands has given a boost to the market and benefitted farmers. Social media helps promote it," he said. BJP city president Dheeraj Ghate said citizens welcome candidates with garlands, rangoli, and ‘pushpa vrushti' (showering of flowers). Prashant Kade, a wholesaler in Market Yard, said he had sold over 30,000kg flowers. Dadasaheb Kade, head of the flower section in Gultekdi Market Yard, said there is a slight increase in sales, between 10-15%, during the election period. "Each big garland requires about 150-200 kg of cut flowers like marigold, chrysanthemum and roses. Flowers are also used for stage decorations, bouquets and for showering candidates. But these are only for big politicians. Wholesalers sell flowers to the rally organisers and they place orders either for garlands or to shower them. These flowers are taken in trucks," he added.

Saudi Arabia's network of spending and influence detailed before getting 2034 World Cup from FIFA

US equities are stuck in a holding pattern as trading volumes dry up following the holiday break, and Europe is largely absent from the action. Liquidity remains razor-thin, and market moves appear more about year-end housekeeping than aggressive positioning. With the calendar year winding down and little in the way of tier-one , the market is content mainly to drift until something shakes it from its slumber—likely a late-year squeeze or perhaps a Trump-driven shift in global economic sentiment. In the meantime, key rates tied to the US overnight funding market are creeping higher, despite the Federal Reserve’s best efforts to tame volatility. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), a key benchmark for one-day lending in the repo market, surged to 4.40% on December 24, up from 4.31%, according to the New York Fed. This move brings SOFR into alignment with the interest on reserve balances rate (IORB) of 4.40%, signalling that year-end balance sheet constraints are starting to weigh on overnight funding costs. But here’s the kicker—this isn’t just your typical holiday bump. Funding costs are climbing due to this year’s ever-expanding US equity and derivative positions on banks' balance sheets. With these positions sitting at record highs, banks are struggling to fund them into year-end, putting added strain on the repo market. In a recent interview, New York President John Williams cautioned that repo market volatility could mirror what was seen in late September, when funding costs surged, making it significantly more expensive for financial institutions to borrow cash for short-term liquidity needs. As this funding noise fills the backdrop, investors are left to parse the mixed signals coming from the US labor market. Initial jobless claims dipped below 220,000 for the first time in a month, a potential sign of resilience in the labor market. However, the continuing claims—tracking those receiving ongoing unemployment benefits—rose by 46,000 to 1.91 million for the week ending December 14, significantly above expectations and the highest since November 2021, when the labour market was still working through the pandemic-induced downturn. The rise in continuing claims and the uptick in long-term unemployment (those searching for jobs for 15 weeks or more) suggests that while the labour market is holding up, it’s far from as bulletproof as some headline numbers might imply. The long-term jobless rate is still hovering above 40%, the highest level outside of a recession, underscoring the ongoing structural issues in the US labour market. This mixed bag of data sets the stage for a volatile data-driven push and pull on the Fed’s policy stance well into Q1 2025 as the market assesses whether the economy is truly on solid footing or just treading water. With year-end positioning ramping up and the pressure on the repo market intensifying, this is a pivotal stretch for markets. Investors will watch closely as the jobs data continues to inform the Fed’s next moves. At the same time, the broader market contemplates whether the tightening liquidity environment will lead to another liquidity crunch—much like the one seen in September—or whether the market can ride the coattails of a potential year-end rally. Sometimes, it’s better to cut and run than face the dread of year-end funding, especially as the market waits for the next trigger—a Trump tariff tweet or a late-year squeeze.Loads of hoops action fill week of Thanksgiving