jili slot game download apk

Ireland blamed Northern Ireland Office for ‘damaging leaks’, records show

Mysterious buck reveals potential AI fraud scheme targeting seniors

By Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald (TNS) MIAMI — As her students finished their online exam, Arlet Lara got up to make a cafe con leche . Her 16-year-old son found her on the kitchen floor. First, he called Dad in a panic. Then 911. “I had a stroke and my life made a 180-degree turn,” Lara told the Miami Herald, recalling the medical scare she experienced in May 2020 in the early months of the COVID pandemic. “The stroke affected my left side of the body,” the North Miami woman and former high school math teacher said. Lara, an avid runner and gym goer, couldn’t even walk. “It was hard,” the 50-year-old mom said. After years of rehabilitation therapy and a foot surgery, Lara can walk again. But she still struggles with moving. This summer, she became the first patient in South Florida to get an implant of a new and only FDA-approved nerve stimulation device designed to help ischemic stroke survivors regain movement in their arms and hands. This first procedure was at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Lara’s rehab was at at the Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, part of a partnership between Jackson Health System and UHealth. Every year, thousands in the United States have a stroke , with one occurring every 40 seconds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of strokes are ischemic, often caused by blood clots that obstruct blood flow to the brain. For survivors, most of whom are left with some level of disability, the Vivistim Paired VNS System, the device implanted in Lara’s chest, could be a game changer in recovery, said Dr. Robert Starke, a UHealth neurosurgeon and interventional neuroradiologist. He also serves as co-director of endovascular neurosurgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital, part of Miami-Dade’s public hospital system. The Vivistim Paired VNS System is a small pacemaker-like device implanted in the upper chest and neck area. Patients can go home the same day. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the stroke rehabilitation system in 2021 to be used alongside post-ischemic stroke rehabilitation therapy to treat moderate to severe mobility issues in hands and arms. Lara’s occupational therapist can activate the device during rehabilitation sessions to electrically stimulate the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain down to the abdomen and regulates various parts of the body’s nervous system. The electrical stimulation rewires the brain to improve a stroke survivor’s ability to move their arms and hands. Lara also has a magnet she can use to activate the device when she wants to practice at home. Her therapy consists of repetitive tasks, including coloring, pinching cubes and grabbing and releasing cylindrical shapes. After several weeks of rehabilitation therapy with the device, Lara has seen improvement. “Little by little, I’m noticing that my hand is getting stronger. I am already able to brush my teeth with the left hand,” she told the Miami Herald in September. Since then, Lara has finished the initial six-week Vivitism therapy program, and is continuing to use the device in her rehabilitation therapy. She continues to improve and can now eat better with her left hand and can brush her hair with less difficulty, according to her occupational therapist, Neil Batungbakal. Lara learned about the device through an online group for stroke survivors and contacted the company to inquire. She then connected them with her Jackson medical team. Now a year later, the device is available to Jackson patients. So far, four patients have received the implant at Jackson. Starke sees the device as an opportunity to help bring survivors one step closer to regaining full mobility. Strokes are a leading cause of disability worldwide. While most stroke survivors can usually recover some function through treatment and rehabilitation, they tend to hit a “major plateau” after the first six months of recovery, he said. Vivistim, when paired with rehabilitation therapy, could change that. Jackson Health said results of a clinical trial published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet in 2021 showed that the device, “when paired with high-repetition, task-specific occupational or physical therapy, helps generate two to three times more hand and arm function for stroke survivors than rehabilitation therapy alone.” The device has even shown to benefit patients 20 years from their original stroke, according to Starke. “So now a lot of these patients that had strokes 10-15 years ago that thought that they would never be able to use their arm in any sort of real functional way are now able to have a real meaningful function, which is pretty tremendous,” Starke said. Vivistim’s vagus-nerve stimulation technology was developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas’ Texas Biomedical Device Center and is being sold commercially by Austin-based MicroTransponder, a company started by university graduates. Similar devices are used to treat epilepsy and depression . For Lara, the device is a new tool to help her recovery journey. “Everything becomes a challenge so we are working with small things every day because I want to get back as many functions as possible,” Lara said. Patients interested in Vivistim should speak with their doctor to check their eligibility. The FDA said patients should make sure to discuss any prior medical history, including concurrent forms of brain stimulation, current diathermy treatment, previous brain surgery, depression, respiratory diseases and disorders such as asthma, and cardiac abnormalities. “Adverse events included but were not limited to dysphonia (difficulty speaking), bruising, falling, general hoarseness, general pain, hoarseness after surgery, low mood, muscle pain, fracture, headache, rash, dizziness, throat irritation, urinary tract infection and fatigue,” the FDA said. MicroTransponder says the device is “covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance with prior authorization on a case-by-case basis.” To learn more about the device, visit vivistim.com. ©2024 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.TORONTO — Bruce Brown intercepted a pass and streaked down the court, driving past some token defence from Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson for a one-handed slam dunk. Brown’s Toronto Raptors teammates burst off the home team’s bench, cheering for the veteran forward. “It’s just because they didn’t think I can jump, because I haven’t jumped really, or they haven’t seen it, and then they didn’t see it the last year,” Brown said, adding he knew he would dunk as soon as he crossed half-court. “I told them I could do it and I was like, ‘if I get the chance to, I’mma dunk it.'” It was Brown’s first dunk in eight months as he scored 12 points and had three rebounds off the bench in his season debut on Sunday as Toronto lost to Atlanta 136-107. He’d missed the first 31 games of the Raptors season as he recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery on Sept. 20, a process that took longer than he expected. “I thought I was gonna be out like six to eight weeks but some things didn’t go my way,” said Brown. “There was a lot of swelling in there for a while. “Things happened, and then I was supposed to come back, like, three, four weeks ago, but there was still swelling there, so they told me to take my time.” Brown averaged 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks over 34 games with the Raptors last season. He was traded from the Indiana Pacers to Toronto on Jan. 18 as part of a package for all-star forward Pascal Siakam. He’s averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists over his career in 416 games with the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana and Toronto. Brown’s return doesn’t just add depth to the Raptors’ lineup, but brings some much-needed energy to a struggling team that has lost 10 in a row. “You see him get out there and put his body on the line after being out for so long,” said Scottie Barnes, who led Toronto with 19 points, eight rebounds, and five assists but eight turnovers in the loss. “He’s making himself so tired out there just guarding, pushing himself. That’s what the team needs. “We’ve all got to match that energy every single night. That’s the effort we’re going to need in order to win games.” Head coach Darko Rajakovic said that fatigue is a major factor in the NBA’s longest active losing skid. He said that a lack of focus played a role in Toronto’s season-high 31 turnovers on Sunday. “We hit a wall. We look tired. We look drained,” said Rajakovic. “Guys are not in a rhythm. That’s the reality that we’re in right now. We’ve got to find a way to get out of it.” It was the third consecutive game where the Raptors had given up over 130 points, and second 29-point blowout in a row. “Getting beat by 30, man, at home — that’s unacceptable,” said Barnes. “We can’t be doing that. We got to go out there and play harder, be smarter. “We had a lot of turnovers today. We can’t allow this to happen.” Brown was more optimistic. “We just need some rest, and we’ll push through it,” he said, noting that a stomach flu had spread through Toronto’s locker room. “I mean, all teams have this at some point, even championship teams, so we’ll push through it. We’ll be fine.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2024. John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Suzanne McGee and Lewis Krauskopf NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Nasdaq Composite Index hit 20,000 for the first time on Wednesday, putting an exclamation point on a year in which excitement over artificial intelligence and expectations of falling interest rates fueled a searing rally in technology stocks. The tech-heavy index is up more than 33% on the year, driven by a cluster of giant technology-focused companies including Apple, Nvidia, Google-parent Alphabet and in recent weeks, electric carmaker Tesla. Wednesday’s gains came after a U.S. inflation report that cemented expectations of a Fed rate cut next week. The index closed on Wednesday at 20,034.89, up 1.8% on the day. While the rally has rewarded investors who went big on growth and tech, it has also stirred unease over rising valuations and the dominance of megacap stocks, which now have an increasingly heavier weighting in the index. “There is clearly an aspect of a chase into year-end, where the winners ... keep winning,” said Cameron Dawson, chief investment officer at NewEdge Wealth. “The question is if this momentum can persist into 2025, where stretched valuations, positioning, sentiment, and growth expectations could all present high bars to jump over to keep above-average returns going.” After plummeting in early 2020 when the pandemic brought global economic activity to a standstill, the index mounted a swift rebound as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to near-zero and the U.S. unleashed waves of fiscal stimulus to help the economy. It endured a sharp drop in 2022, falling 33% as inflation surged to 40-year highs and the Fed was forced to deliver a series of jumbo rate cuts. But higher rates did not bring on a widely-expected recession, and the index has soared by about 90% since then, stoked in part by increasing excitement over the business potential of AI. Shares of Nvidia, whose chips are considered the industry’s gold standard, are up more than 1,100% from their October 2022 low. “The AI story still rings true and appeals to investors,” said Alex Morris, chief investment officer of F/m Investments. “These are the go-go stocks.” While the Nasdaq’s valuation has climbed, it is still far from levels it reached during the dot-com bubble more than two decades ago. The index trades at roughly 36 times earnings today, a three-year high and well above its long-term average of 27, according to LSEG Datastream. That is still well below the roughly 70 times the index’s P/E ratio reached in March 2000, bringing a measure of comfort to investors comparing the two periods. “The Nasdaq Comp’s latest rally pales in comparison to the late 90s/early 2000 experience, rising more gradually and does not yet look unsustainable as a result,” Jessica Rabe, co-founder of DataTrek Research, said in a note on Wednesday. Megacap stocks increasingly dominate the index. The top 10 companies by market value account for 59% of the Nasdaq, compared to 45% in 2020. The three biggest companies by weight are Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia, which account for 11.7%, 10.6% and 10.3% of the index respectively. While their surging share prices have buoyed the Nasdaq, the heavy concentration could present a problem for investors should Big Tech fall out of favor. The selloff in 2022, for instance, saw shares of index heavyweights Meta and Tesla fall 64% and 65% for the year respectively. The Nasdaq has topped the other major U.S. stock indexes this year, propelled by big gains in heavily weighted names such as Nvidia, Amazon and Meta Platforms. The tech-heavy index’s 33% climb in 2024 compares with over 27% for the S&P 500 and 17% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Over the past decade, the Nasdaq has gained more than 320%, against a 200% rise for the S&P 500 and a 150% increase for the Dow. (Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Suzanne McGee and Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Rod Nickel) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} 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() );Ireland blamed Northern Ireland Office for ‘damaging leaks’, records show

(BPT) - The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle ... and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it's hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done! Here are 5 ideas for hot tech gifts for everyone on your list. Smartphones for the family T-Mobile is running a hot deal right now. Get four new smartphones at T-Mobile — this includes Samsung Galaxy S24 and other eligible devices — and four lines for just $100/month . It doesn't get better than that! These new Galaxy phones are tech-tastic, too, with features like AI, Circle to Search with Google, which can be used to help solve math problems and translate entire pages of text in a different language, and Note Assist with Galaxy AI, which lets you focus on capturing your notes and then Note Assist will summarize, format and even translate them for you. High tech spiral notebook for students We've got to admit, this is pretty cool. The Rocketbook looks (a bit) like a regular spiral, paper notebook. Here's the high tech twist: You can take notes, capture ideas, brainstorm, draw — whatever you do on paper — on the pad, and the Rocketbook digitizes your doodles and saves to the cloud device of your choice. Then you simply wipe the pad clean and it's good to go. Look for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at your favorite online retailer. Wrist-worthy smartwatches for athletes (or those who want to be) Everyone loves smartwatches (if you're not already tracking your sleep and heart rate, where have you been?) and the Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm & 45mm) takes it to the next level with features for athletes or anyone who may be setting fitness goals for the coming year. The watch has workout prompts like Real Time Guidance — audio and haptic cues for when to sprint, cool down or maintain pace. It gives you the ability to program your workouts and even monitors your cadence and stride. It also has Offline Maps, with driving navigation, search and maps. Here's the deal of the century: Get it for free at T-Mobile when adding a qualifying watch line. Cute wireless keyboard for people who are all thumbs Who else is annoyed by typing email or texts or social posts on a smartphone? The Logitech Multi-Device Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard solves that problem with style! It comes in sweet colors like lavender, it's wireless, it's small and portable, and it works with just about any device. Pop it into your backpack or purse and you'll never have to thumb-out a message again. Speakers perfect for hosting and giving Have a music lover in your life or need the perfect hosting gift? T-Mobile has you covered. For a limited time, you can get the JBL Clip 5 for free when you pick up a Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 9 . The JBL Clip 5 is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker perfect for those on the go and the Onyx Studio 9's sleek design and booming sound will take care of all your holiday hosting needs. For more tech-tastic holiday gift inspiration, check out T-Mobile's holiday gift guide at t-mobile.com/devices/tech-gifts .Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has repeatedly claimed that she won’t accept funds from lobbyists. Campaign finance records, however, show she has received nearly 100 separate donations from registered lobbyists since taking office. Ocasio-Cortez’s account description on X states that the congresswoman is “people-funded” and “takes no lobbyist [cash],” using a money bag emoji in place of the word “cash.” Despite her claim to the contrary, the representative has taken thousands of dollars in contributions from lobbyists since assuming office, according to federal records. The congresswoman has an extensive record decrying the influence of money on politics. In 2018, shortly after winning office for the first time, Ocasio-Cortez criticized her party’s “refusal to reject [corporate] lobbyist money.” Since then, she has called to ban members of Congress from working as lobbyists after leaving office, rebuked fellow Democrats for their close ties to lobbyists, and accused lobbyists of working to kill legislation that would benefit the public. While Ocasio-Cortez has harsh words for lobbyists, she has accepted donations from them every year since she first took office in 2018. Dave Koshgarian, a lobbyist with Ernst & Young, has been Ocasio-Cortez’s most consistent donor, sending her thousands of dollars beginning in 2020. Koshgarian has represented a number of corporate clients, including Duke Energy, MetLife, General Electric, Charles Schwab, and BlackRock, according to lobbying disclosures. Other clients represented by Ocasio-Cortez’s lobbyist donors include , among others, Nike, Delta Air Lines, healthcare trade associations, and the New Venture Fund , one arm of a massive Democratic-aligned dark money network managed by the Arabella Advisors consulting firm. Ocasio-Cortez has also been critical of the presence of dark money, funds that filter into the ideological causes without a clear original donor, in politics. She has argued that dark money groups sway the Supreme Court and unethically influence policy development. Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that she doesn’t take donations from lobbyists isn’t new, as the representative insists on social media that she swore off lobbyist cash from the very beginning. Cortez has, however, dialed down her public criticism of the lobbying industry in recent years, not making a single post on X with the words “lobby,” “lobbyist,” or “lobbying” since September 2022. The Washington Examiner reported in April 2023 that one of TikTok’s top lobbyists sat on the board of directors of a nonprofit group advised by Ocasio-Cortez. The congresswoman vigorously fought against proposed bans on the Chinese social media platform at the time, arguing that the United States shouldn’t ban TikTok but should instead impose blanket protections against data harvesting. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER “This is how corporate lobbying works,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in May 2019. “Lobbyists ID bills they need to kill to keep profits high (no matter the human cost), come up w/ ‘sensible’ talking points to mask intent + say policy is ‘misguided,’ then schmooze policymakers in secret into accepting said talking points.” Ocasio-Cortez’s office did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.