mnl168/ph NoneMinnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was fined $75,000 by the NBA for public criticism of officiating and using inappropriate and profane language, the league announced on Monday. Edwards made the remarks that drew the punishment following Minnesota's 113-103 home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. The 23-year-old playmaker, who helped the United States capture gold at the Paris Olympics, has averaged 25.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists a game for the T-Wolves this season. Edwards used profanity in describing what he considered a poor performance from the referees, calling it "terrible" and saying he and teammate Julius Randle are penalized "for being stronger than our opponent every night. "We don't get no calls. That's how I feel about the officials every game we play." Edwards was whistled for four fouls against the Warriors and shot four free throws himself. At 14-13, the Timberwolves are 10th in the Western Conference, ahead of Phoenix on tie-breakers. js/mw

Recently, the government responded to the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide. It adopted most of the recommendations designed to better support defence personnel. It comes four years after other defence news hit the headlines. The Afghanistan Inquiry Report (most commonly known as the Brereton report ) detailed credible evidence of 39 murders of Afghan civilians and prisoners by (or at the instigation of) Australian Special Forces members. The inquiry’s findings rightly sent shockwaves through Australia’s military and Australian society as a whole. Such actions are clearly at odds with the expectations of the Australian Defence Force and the vast majority of Australians. Understandably, most of the public focus since then has been on the question of accountability. The report, however, also looked at how soldiers can be supported to make better decisions. One way the report proposed was to strengthen military ethics training and education. This could not only lead to sound actions, but has the knock-on effect of contributing to protecting soldier’s mental health , the focus of the royal commission. This training has been improved in recent years, but we can do better. Read more: The government's response to the royal commission into veteran suicide gets a lot right – but makes a couple of missteps What did training look like? Military ethics should be regarded as a core skill that requires regular updates and reinforcement to remain effective. The Brereton report noted examining the training and education Australian Defence Force personnel receive was key to understanding how soldiers operate. In the case of Special Forces units, they operate with a very flat structure. Life-and-death decisions in extreme and ambiguous situations are often made by the most junior people in the unit. Despite this, ethics education aimed at dealing with complexity and ambiguity was focused almost exclusively on leaders with rank, known as officers. They were largely absent from the events focused on in the report. For everyone else, including soldiers, training was largely limited to very specific legal guidance. This training was roundly criticised by those on the receiving end in the Brereton report. They said it was confusing and didn’t reflect real operational experience. The report recommended military ethics training should draw on the experiences of military personnel “from the same services and country as themselves” so they understand how and why the “good guys” can also do bad things. But to make this effective, it needs to be taken outside of the traditional classroom environment to make it both realistic and relevant. Genuine educational opportunities must be available to everyone so they can explore situations that are not black and white or do not easily lend themselves to straightforward answers. What improvements have been made? As detailed in the recent report of the Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel, the Australian Defence Force has made important changes in response to the recommendations of the Brereton report. It published an ethics doctrine for all members of the ADF. There’s also been extensive development and implementation of a coherent and consistent ADF-wide ethics education and training curriculum, which reflects the content of the ethics doctrine. Some of this learning takes place in small groups dealing with different scenarios. Other content is taught in modules, explaining ethics theory with case studies. This replaces the earlier ad hoc measures that were in place. In many respects, the ADF now reflects international best practice in this regard. But this training can be made more practical. It can also be better incorporated so considering ethical implications becomes second nature. It can be, and should be, embedded into the very bloodstream of the ADF. Ethics through simulation The ADF is one of the largest users of simulation-based training in Australia. This can be relatively simple, like simulators for infantry shooting training. It can also be highly sophisticated, including simulating operating advanced weapons systems, like the F35 Joint Strike Fighter. There is potential to leverage this for ethics education and training in a way that avoids it becoming another form of “add-on” mandatory training. For example, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can simulate high-stakes scenarios, allowing personnel to practice applying ethical principles in realistic, pressure-filled situations. Research has shown the effectiveness of immersive simulation training in saving lives and reducing injury in the mining sector by a remarkable 65%. These techniques are now being employed for firefighter training . It’s also been trialled in medicine with promising results. Interactive decision-making tools can generate adaptive scenarios that change and evolve based on a trainee’s choices. This enhances personalised learning. Gamified ethics training , through serious games, engages learners while providing real-time feedback and analytics to track decision-making patterns. These technologies can simulate diverse locations and cultures. The cost of procuring them has also steadily declined in recent years, making them more accessible. Of course it will be necessary to proceed in a responsible way and build a comprehensive evidence base. Considerations in the use of these tools, such as avoiding psychological harm, must be properly managed and be backed by careful and thorough research. But this is an investment well worth making. The Brereton report made it uncomfortably clear just how painful military ethical failure can be.Christmas customers clamour for fresh, local seafood at Newcastle co-op

Storm dumps record rain and heavy snow on Northern California, many in Seattle still without powerThis year saw a battle for influence in eastern Europe between the West and Russia as elections were held in several states that were once under Soviet rule. Moscow is widely accused of meddling in European democracy amid tensions that have run high since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Georgia In April, tens of thousands of Georgians staged demonstrations in Tbilisi against the government’s so-called “foreign agent” law, which requires all organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register and submit to detailed investigations. The legislation was dubbed the “Russian law” by its opponents, after similar laws long used by President Vladimir Putin’s government to silence political opposition and free media. The protests evolved into a battle for Georgia’s future: to be aligned with the West or with Russia. It is a fight that continues to this day on the streets of Tbilisi. Georgia’s opposition parties pinned their hopes on ousting the government in the October general election; however, the ruling Georgian Dream party won with more than 53% of the vote. Election monitors accused Georgian Dream of overseeing widespread vote rigging, including “ballot box stuffing, physical assault on observers attempting to report on violations, observer and media removal from polling stations, tearing up of observers' complaints, intimidation of voters inside and outside polling stations,” according to the head of the European Parliament monitoring delegation, Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White. Georgian Dream insisted it won a fair election. The government suspended accession talks with the European Union. The United States in turn suspended its strategic partnership with Georgia. Many Georgians fear their hopes of a future tied to the West are being lost. Protesters returned to the streets in November, demanding another vote. “I just want us to look towards Europe and not back to the hole where we just got out,” said student Salome Bakhtadze. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was unrepentant. “We are absolutely committed to fully neutralizing the radical opposition,” he said at a press conference on December 6. Moldova Moldova, another former Soviet republic, held a bitterly fought presidential election in October. Despite widespread evidence of meddling by Moscow, which it denied, pro-European incumbent Maia Sandu won the November second-round vote after Moldovans voted by a thin margin to embed the desire for EU membership in the nation’s constitution. “Today, dear Moldovans, you have given a lesson in democracy,” she said after her victory. Romania In neighboring Romania, far-right candidate Calin Georgescu, who opposes Western aid for Ukraine, scored a shock first-round win in November’s presidential election with 23% of the vote. Polls taken ahead of the vote suggested support for Georgescu was in the single digits. Romania’s top court annulled the result after security services uncovered an alleged disinformation campaign to promote Georgescu on social media, which was widely blamed on Russia. Moscow again denied meddling in the vote. “This candidate’s campaign was supported by a state foreign to Romania’s interests,” Romania’s incumbent president, Klaus Iohannis, said in a televised address on December 6. The country has yet to choose a new date for an election rerun. Election interference Russia is conducting a campaign of interference in European democracy — but the picture is complex, argues Costin Ciobanu, a political analyst at Aarhus University in Denmark. “There is evidence that Russia tried to use its tools to favor Georgescu, but we don't know yet whether there was a direct coordination between the Georgescu campaign and Russia,” Ciobanu told VOA. “Russia is exploiting vulnerabilities within our democracies. They are leveraging the way in which social networks function in today's democracies. But I would not say that all that is happening within our societies, that all the grievances and fury that we see is a result of Russia leveraging its hybrid warfare techniques.” “I would always emphasize the local vulnerabilities, the fact that sometimes you have this kind of gap between the elite and the population. And sometimes Russia is just trying to make those gaps wider,” Ciobanu said.

TEANECK, N.J. , Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GC Biopharma USA , the commercial operations and distribution company of GC Biopharma, has announced the appointment of industry veteran, Sean Zam , to its senior leadership team as Head of Sales and Marketing. He comes to GC Biopharma USA with a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including extensive experience in plasma therapeutics. Sean has a proven track record of growing business and building lasting partnerships for companies such as Grifols, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer. Lisa Betts , Chief Operating Officer at GC Biopharma USA , says the following about Sean: "He's everything we'd hoped to find in a sales and marketing leader. He's authentic, earnest, experienced, and passionate about the IG industry. His core values align perfectly with the unique leadership team we are building." Sean shares his excitement: "When I joined the GC Biopharma USA leadership team, I was inspired by how differently they approach the business. It's not just about business; it's about relationships and the communities they serve. It was something I knew I wanted to be a part of." He adds: "I'm always struck by the strength and resourcefulness of patients who take the initiative to find answers, especially those living with rare diseases. It propels me to push harder. That's partly why I joined this growing team. It's a great opportunity to have a real impact." Sean Zam's appointment further contributes to GC's vision of establishing excellence within its US-based operations. About GC Biopharma GC Biopharma USA , headquartered in Teaneck, NJ , established its sales, marketing, and business operations in 2018 to serve customers and patients throughout the US. Our foundation is built on the expertise of our parent company GC Biopharma, a leading biopharmaceutical company delivering plasma therapies and vaccines worldwide for more than 50 years. With GC Biopharma USA , GC Biopharma will further extend its footprint, bringing its expertise and legacy to the US. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that express the current beliefs and expectations of the management at GC Biopharma and GC Biopharma USA . Such views do not represent any guarantee by either entity or its government of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. GC Biopharma and GC Biopharma USA undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements they may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. ©2024 GC Biopharma USA , Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ALY-C-0074 11/2024 View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sean-zam-named-head-of-sales-and-marketing-at-gc-biopharma-usa-302314539.html SOURCE GC Biopharma USA Inc.Commerce Dept. Grants $6 Billion to Micron for Memory-Chip Manufacturing

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Last week, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death on a New York City sidewalk in what was clearly a thoroughly planned-out attack. Over the next few days, as authorities hunted for the killer, online progressives did not try hard to hide their delight that a millionaire health insurance executive like Thompson was killed. Social media was flooded with posts and videos—with different ranges of subtlety—suggesting that Thompson, at the very least, did not deserve to be mourned because of all the health care his company has denied to poor and working people. Progressives framed the shooting as an act of self-defense on behalf of the working class. Before the alleged killer was caught Monday, they promised not to snitch if they saw the shooter themselves and fantasized about a working-class jury nullifying all charges, leading to other CEOs getting gunned down with impunity if they oversaw price increases. The narrative that these online progressives clearly subscribe to and perpetuate is one where, in the United States, healthcare is a totally unfettered, unregulated industry; where—because of a total lack of government involvement—wealthy CEOs charge whatever prices they want and then refuse to provide customers what they already paid for without facing any bad consequences. The characterization of healthcare and health insurance companies charging absurdly high prices while treating their customers terribly without the risk of losing them is spot on. But the idea that what caused this was a lack of government involvement in the healthcare system is completely delusional. And this delusion conveniently removes all the responsibility progressives bear for the nightmare that is the US healthcare system. Today, healthcare is one of the most heavily government-regulated industries in the economy—right up there with the finance and energy sectors. Government agencies are involved in all parts of the process, from the research and production of drugs, the training and licensing of medical professionals, and the building of hospitals to the availability of health insurance, the makeup of insurance plans, and the complicated payment processes. And that is nothing new. The US government has been intervening heavily in the healthcare industry for over a century. And no group has done more to bring this about than the progressives. It really began, after all, during the Progressive Era, when the American Medical Association maneuvered its way into setting the official accreditation standards for the nation’s “unregulated” medical schools. The AMA wrote standards that excluded the medical approaches of their competitors, which forced half of the nation’s medical schools to close. The new shortage of trained doctors drove up the price of medical services—to the delight of the AMA and other government-recognized doctor’s groups—setting the familiar healthcare affordability crisis in motion. Around the same time, progressives successfully pushed for strict restrictions on the production of drugs and, shortly afterward, to grant drug producers monopoly privileges. After WWII, as healthcare grew more expensive, the government used the tax code to warp how Americans paid for healthcare. Under President Truman, the IRS made employer-provided health insurance tax deductible while continuing to tax other means of payment. It didn’t take long for employer plans to become the dominant arrangement and for health insurance to morph away from actual insurance into a general third-party payment system. These government interventions restricting the supply of medical care and privileging insurance over other payment methods created a real affordability problem for many Americans. But the crisis didn’t really start until the 1960s when Congress passed two of the progressive’s favorite government programs—Medicare and Medicaid. Initially, industry groups like the AMA opposed Medicare and Medicaid because they believed the government subsidies would deteriorate the quality of care. They were right about that, but what they clearly didn’t anticipate was how rich the programs would make them. Anyone who’s taken even a single introductory economics class could tell you that prices will rise if supply decreases or demand increases. The government was already keeping the supply of medical services artificially low—leading to artificially high prices. Medicare and Medicaid left those shortages in place and poured a ton of tax dollars into the healthcare sector—significantly increasing demand. The result was an easily predictable explosion in the cost of healthcare. Fewer and fewer people could afford healthcare at these rising prices, meaning more people required government assistance, which meant more demand, causing prices to grow faster and faster. Meanwhile, private health “insurance” providers were also benefiting from the mounting crisis. In a free market, insurance serves as a means to trade risk. Insurance works well for accidents and calamities that are hard to predict individually but relatively easy to predict in bulk, like car accidents, house fires, and unexpected family deaths. Health insurance providers were already being subsidized by all the taxes on competing means of payment, which allowed their plans to grow beyond the typical bounds of insurance and begin to cover easily-predictable occurrences like annual physicals. And, as the price of all of these services continued to shoot up, the costs of these routine procedures were becoming high enough to resemble the costs of emergencies—making consumers even more reliant on insurance. With progressives cheering on, the political class used government intervention to create a healthcare system that behaves as if its sole purpose is to move as much money as possible into the pockets of healthcare providers, drug companies, hospitals, health-related federal agencies, and insurance providers. But the party could not last forever. As the price of healthcare rose, the price of health insurance rose, too. Eventually, when insurance premiums grew too high, fewer employers or individual buyers were willing to buy insurance, and the flow of money into the healthcare system started to falter. The data suggests that that tipping point was reached in the early 2000s. For the first time since the cycle began back in the 1960s, the number of people with health insurance began to fall each year. Healthcare providers—who had seemingly assumed that the flow of money would never stop increasing—began to panic. Then came Barack Obama. Obama’s seminal legislative accomplishment—the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare—can best be understood as a ploy by healthcare providers and the government to keep the party going. Obamacare required all fifty million uninsured Americans to obtain insurance, and it greatly expanded what these “insurance” companies covered. Demand for healthcare shot back up, and the vicious cycle started back up again—which is why the bill enjoyed so much support from big corporations all across the healthcare industry. Before it was passed, economists were practically screaming that the Affordable Care Act would make care less affordable by raising premiums and healthcare prices while making shortages worse. Progressives dismissed such concerns as Reagan-era “free market fundamentalist” propaganda. But that is exactly what happened . Now, the affordability crisis is worse than ever as prices reach historic levels. And, because Obamacare brought American healthcare much closer to a single-payer system, the demand for healthcare far exceeds the supply of healthcare—leading to deadly shortages. There are literally not enough resources or available medical professionals to treat everyone who can pay for care. Also, the tax code and warped “insurance” market protect these providers from competition—making it almost impossible for people to switch to a different provider after their claims are unfairly denied. If it were simply greed, denying customers who already paid would be a feature in all industries. But it’s not. It requires the kind of policy protections progressives helped implement. And on top of all that, despite paying all this money, Americans are quickly becoming one of the sickest populations on Earth. This is one of the most pressing problems facing the country. A problem that requires immediate, radical change to solve. But it also requires an accurate and precise diagnosis—something that, this week, progressives demonstrated they are incapable of making. Related Articles Commentary | John Stossel: Your tax dollars not at work Commentary | After so many years of failure, time’s up for California Democrats Commentary | Vince Fong: We don’t need Newsom to lecture us. We need him to listen to us. Commentary | Deregulation rather than fossil fuel controls needed to fix California insurance market Commentary | The FBI has been political from the start The American progressive movement is responsible for providing the political class the intellectual cover they needed to break the healthcare market and transform the entire system into a means to transfer wealth to people like Brian Thompson. Now, they want to sit back, pretend like they’ve never gotten their way, that the government has never done anything with the healthcare market, and that these healthcare executives just popped up and started doing this all on their own—all so they can celebrate him being gunned down in the street. It’s disgusting. Brian Thompson acted exactly like every economically literate person over the last fifty years has said health insurance CEOs would act if progressives got their way. If we’re ever going to see the end of this century-long nightmare, we need to start listening to the people who have gotten it right, not those who pretend they are blameless as they fantasize online about others starting a violent revolution. Connor O’Keeffe ( @ConnorMOKeeffe ) produces media and content at the Mises Institute. This commentary is republished with permission from the Mises Institute.TOKYO, Dec. 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. MRM , "MEDIROM", a holistic healthcare company that operates over 300 wellness salons across Japan and provides healthcare services, today announced the closing of its public offering of 2,860,000 American Depositary Shares at a public offering price of $1.75 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $5,000,000 before deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses. In addition, MEDIROM has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 429,000 American Depositary Shares to cover over-allotments at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount. MEDIROM intends to use the proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes, which may include investments, acquisitions, or strategic collaborations to expand its customer base, as well as marketing of new services. ThinkEquity is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering. A registration statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-281771) relating to the shares was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and became effective on December 9, 2024. This offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus may be obtained from ThinkEquity, 17 State Street, 41 st Floor, New York, New York 10004. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies Inc. MEDIROM, a holistic healthcare company, operates over 300 wellness salons across Japan, Re.Ra.Ku® being its leading brand, and provides healthcare services. In 2015, MEDIROM entered the health tech business and launched new healthcare programs using an on-demand training app called "Lav®", which is developed by MEDIROM. MEDIROM also entered the device business in 2020 and has developed a smart tracker "MOTHER Bracelet®". In 2023, MEDIROM launched REMONY, a remote monitoring system for corporate clients, and has received orders from a broad range of industries, including nursing care, transportation, construction, and manufacturing, among others. MEDIROM hopes that its diverse health-related product and service offerings will help it collect and manage healthcare data from users and customers and enable it to become a leader in big data in the healthcare industry. For more information, visit https://medirom.co.jp/en . Forward-Looking Statements Regarding MEDIROM Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates or expectations about MEDIROM's possible or assumed operational results, financial condition, business strategies and plans, market opportunities, competitive position, industry environment, and potential growth opportunities. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "design," "target," "aim," "hope," "expect," "could," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "predict," "project," "potential," "goal," or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements relate to future events or to MEDIROM's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MEDIROM's actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond MEDIROM's control and which could, and likely will, affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects MEDIROM's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to MEDIROM's operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. Contact: Investor Relations Team E-mail: ir@medirom.co.jp © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji , has said he is not worried over agitations from politicians ahead of the 2026 governorship election in the state. Naija News reports that Oyebanji spoke in Ado Ekiti on Friday night at the monthly Evening of Praise and Worship at the Jibowu Hall, Government House Ground. Oyebanji said he would not lose sleep over the election and advised politicians to stop sending him such text messages, stressing he was committed to good governance and fulfilling his electoral promises. He expressed confidence in God’s ability to work out things in his favour, maintaining that God, who did it for him in 2022, would do it again in 2026. Oyebanji, who attributed the significant progress that his administration recorded across critical sectors in the state to divine intervention despite the economic realities, said, “My focus remains on delivering good governance and fulfilling the promises I made to Ekiti people.” He said, “My belief is that God’s plan supersedes any human agenda. I will not lose sleep over the development as God is in control, my political future is in the hands of God, who has never failed me. “What God does not give a man, he cannot have it and when God makes up his mind, nobody can stop him. So, I am just saying this so that you can stop sending me text messages expressing anxieties about 2026. “God is in charge of everything including the 2026 that many people are anxious about. He will take care of everything. For now, let us concentrate on the work that has been given to us and let us do it very well. “For those that are worried about 2026, sending me text messages every day, don’t bother yourselves. God that did the last one will do it again. Don’t bother yourselves. Some complain that I am not a politician and that I don’t understand politics. I am not bothered about this, nothing is going to stop my peace because I serve the God of peace.”