Suns vs. Jazz Best bets: Odds, expert picks and predictions, recent stats, and betting trends for December 13
Preview: Leyton Orient vs. Huddersfield Town - prediction, team news, lineups
ABUJA – The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), are to strengthen their collaboration in the interest of Nigeria’s continued socio-economic development. Speaking at a meeting at NGF’s Office in Abuja at the weekend, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, said that a formal relationship between the NGF and NiMet is in the best interest of the country as it will benefit the people. “It’s no longer news that we are seeing increasingly weather events that are affecting our communities. Every year we count losses of the number of our people that have been killed, families and communities displaced, and the economic damages. These extreme weather events also trigger human trafficking, disease outbreaks, and other negative impacts”. Professor Anosike said that NiMet and NGF believe strongly that something should be done to mitigate the impact of climate change, and would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide their relationship. “If we can proactively collaborate and coordinate our activities, we should be able to reduce the impact of climate change. This is why NiMet has come to the NGF. Our collaboration will ensure that weather and climate information get to the last mile – the Nigerian people”. Prof. Anosike said that weather and climate information are critical to the sustainable economic development of our people. “Early warning systems are systematic activities that will ensure that weather and climate information get to the Nigerian people and to the vulnerable to ensure that they would be able to respond accordingly. Not reactively, but proactively. Early warning saves lives but for it to work effectively, synergistic leadership has to be demonstrated by all the relevant stakeholders”. He also said that NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) is an early warning tool in support of the United Nations Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) initiative championed by the WMO. “The forecast is a painstaking and rigorous scientific exercise that involves the utilization of global and regional models and other atmospheric drivers with strong teleconnection with our region to arrive at the outlook”, he concluded. On his part, the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abdulateef O.T. Shittu, said that climate change is impacting economic well-being nationally and globally. “NiMet is a critical federal government agency, hence the NGF has agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NiMet so that we can support and partner with them to implement all the climate change initiatives that the agency has in the interest of the Nigerian people. “Climate change is all about mitigation and adaptation. We have discussed a lot about that and what needs to be done. We have to face the reality of climate change and see how we can mitigate it, especially about preventing food shortages and ensuring food security. These are critical”.
Benguet Corp. has secured the go-ahead from stakeholders to increase its authorized capital stock as the listed company gears up to expand its foothold outside the mining industry. In a stock exchange disclosure, Benguet said it secured the green light for an increase to P3.18 billion from P784.8 million, during the firm’s annual meeting of stockholders conducted via livestreaming. Benguet will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the application for a higher authorized capital stock. READ: Benguet Corp pushes expansion, diversification “The purpose of the capital increase is for the company to conduct a stock rights offer (SRO), stock option grants, and declare stock dividends in the future,” it said. A company such as Benguet carries out an SRO to provide existing shareholders an opportunity to purchase more shares at a discount. Proceeds from this transaction are used to settle debts or bankroll projects in the pipeline. In a stock option grant, an entity offers employees, consultants or executives the right to purchase a certain number of its shares at a predetermined price, subject to certain conditions. This developed as Benguet signified its intention to increase its activities not only in the mining sector but also in other industries such as renewable energy after settling its decades-long debt. Benguet disclosed it is focusing on its gold prospects as prices of the yellow metal soar. The company initiated the exploration of its gold concession area in Zamboanga Sibugay and is on the lookout for other copper-gold prospects. It is also studying a new technology for higher recovery of its gold tailing project in Itogon. Likewise, the firm continues to implement its drilling program at the Pantingan gold prospect in Bataan. It approved a budget of P50 million to support Phase Two of the drilling and exploration plan. Last October, Benguet secured the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ approval to extend its mineral production sharing agreement for another 25 years, which it expects will lead to the declaration for mining project feasibility. Benguet has an operating agreement with Balanga Bataan Minerals Corp. signed in March 1996. It covers 1,410 hectares situated in the towns of Bagac, Mariveles and Limay in Bataan. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . The mining firm unveiled its plans to expand its portfolio to include construction, real estate, water, agribusiness and renewables as it became debt-free with the settlement of all its outstanding debts in October. —Jordeene B. LagareAzerbaijani and US officials believe a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the deadly crash of an Azerbaijani passenger jet, media reports and a US official said Thursday, as the Kremlin cautioned against "hypotheses" over the disaster. The Azerbaijan Airlines jet crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub, on Wednesday after going off course for undetermined reasons. Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board died. The Embraer 190 aircraft was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya, southern Russia, but instead diverted far off course across the Caspian Sea. An investigation is underway, with pro-government Azerbaijani website Caliber citing unnamed officials as saying they believed a Russian missile fired from a Pantsir-S air defence system downed the plane. The claim was also reported by The New York Times, broadcaster Euronews and the Turkish news agency Anadolu. Some aviation and military experts said the plane might have been accidentally shot by Russian air defence systems because it was flying in an area where Ukrainian drone activity had been reported. A former expert at France's BEA air accident investigation agency said there appeared to be "a lot of shrapnel" damage on the wreckage. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the damage was "reminiscent" of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was downed with a surface-to-air missile by Russia-backed rebels over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "It would be wrong to make any hypotheses before the investigation's conclusions." Euronews cited Azerbaijani government sources as saying that "shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight". A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said early indications suggested a Russian anti-aircraft system struck the plane. Kazakhstan news agency Kazinform cited a regional prosecutor as saying that two black-box flight recorders had been recovered. Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the plane flew through a flock of birds, before withdrawing the statement. Kazakh officials said 38 people had been killed and there were 29 survivors, including three children. Jalil Aliyev, the father of flight attendant Hokume Aliyeva, told AFP that this was supposed to have been her last flight before starting a job as a lawyer for the airline. "Why did her young life have to end so tragically?" the man said in a trembling voice before hanging up the phone. Eleven of the injured are in intensive care, the Kazakh health ministry said. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations. "I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Aliyev said in a social media post Wednesday. The Flight Radar website showed the plane deviating from its normal route, crossing the Caspian Sea and then circling over the area where it eventually crashed near Aktau, on the eastern shore of the sea. Kazakhstan said the plane was carrying 37 Azerbaijani passengers, six Kazakhs, three Kyrgyz and 16 Russians. A Kazakh woman told the local branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) she was near where the plane crashed and rushed to the site to help survivors. "They were covered in blood. They were crying. They were calling for help," said the woman, who gave her name as Elmira. She said they saved some teenagers. "I'll never forget their look, full of pain and despair," said Elmira. "A girl pleaded: 'Save my mother, my mother is back there'." Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with Aliyev and "expressed his condolences in connection with the crash", Peskov told a news conference. bur/rlp/js Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.
Preview: Borussia Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim - prediction, team news, lineupsTrump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military didn't immediate respond to questions about the WHO chief's statement. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, dies aged 92 NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. The hospital said Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home.". He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and earned a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. What is known about a plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 of 67 people on board The crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan has killed 38 of 67 people on board. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijani capital Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons that aren’t fully clear yet. It crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea. Officials in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia haven't commented on a possible cause of the crash pending an official investigation. Some commentators pointed out holes in the plane's tail section pictured after the crash as a sign that it could have been fired upon by air defense systems. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.
Apraglutide is under clinical development by and currently in Phase III for Short Bowel Syndrome. According to GlobalData, Phase III drugs for Short Bowel Syndrome have a 50% phase transition success rate (PTSR) indication benchmark for progressing into Pre-Registration. GlobalData tracks drug-specific phase transition and likelihood of approval scores, in addition to indication benchmarks based off 18 years of historical drug development data. Attributes of the drug, company and its clinical trials play a fundamental role in drug-specific PTSR and likelihood of approval. Apraglutide overview FE-203799) is under development for the treatment of short bowel syndrome intestinal failure (SBS-IF) and gastrointestinal acute graft versus host disease (GVHD). It is administered through subcutaneous route in the form of powder and solution for injection. The drug candidate is a long-acting synthetic peptide analogue of glucagon-like-peptide-2 (GLP-2) which acts on GLP-2 receptor. It is developed by using peptide technology. It was also under development for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced gastro-intestinal mucositis. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals overview (Ironwood) is a healthcare company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of human therapeutics and innovative gastrointestinal product opportunities. The company’s pipeline products include linaclotide, and vascular or fibrotic programs. Ironwood offers its products under two brands- Linzess and Constella. The company generates a pipeline of early development candidates and discovery research programs in various therapeutic areas which include gastrointestinal (GI), central nervous system (CNS) and allergic disorders. The company’s portfolio includes CNP-104 and IW-3300. It has strategic partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies such as Inc, for the development and commercialization of linaclotide across the globe. The company operates in the US and Switzerland. Ironwood is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the US. For a complete picture of Apraglutide’s drug-specific PTSR and LoA scores, This content was updated on 12 April 2024 From Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors. , the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article. GlobalData’s Likelihood of Approval analytics tool dynamically assesses and predicts how likely a drug will move to the next stage in clinical development (PTSR), as well as how likely the drug will be approved (LoA). This is based on a combination of machine learning and a proprietary algorithm to process data points from various databases found on GlobalData’s .