Sam Darnold leads game-winning drive in OT and Vikings beat Bears 30-27 after blowing late leadThe Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) is warning of “downside and upside’ to Fiji’s economy, that includes increased crime rates and illicit drug use. In their November Economic Review, the RBF states risk to the outlook continues to exist on both the downside and upside. “The downside risks include escalating geopolitical tensions, an economic slowdown in major TPEs (trading partner economy), the Trump administration’s trade protectionism policies, the persistent threat from natural disasters, ageing infrastructure, and increased crime rates and illicit drug use,” said the RBF. “However, new flight routes, the slowdown in emigration, productivity gains from imported labour, and advancements in technology can bode well for growth prospects.”’ The RBF states on the domestic front, the economy maintains momentum and is projected to grow by 3.8 percent this year, following the 7.5 percent expansion in 2023. “The projected growth is reflective of the better-than-expected visitor arrivals, increased consumption spending, and improved sectoral performance.... PACNEWS/FIJI TIMES49 jili 777 。

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, has said the Federal Government’s students’ loan programme is designed to boost productivity and happiness among Nigerian students. According to the NELFUND boss, the inability of students to meet their financial needs to fund their educational pursuits often leads to broader societal issues. The managing director stated this when he visited Borno State to engage with students, educators, and government officials. The Guardian reports that NELFUND, an initiative of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aims to provide all higher institution students with access to financial resources, enabling them to pursue their educational goals and aspirations with ease. Sawyerr underscored President Tinubu’s commitment to revitalising education in the country, stating that the loan programme is also designed to reduce unproductivity and unhappiness among Nigerian students. He explained the loan’s modalities, which include creating an online profile as a prerequisite for application, clarifying that the credit facility is interest-free and does not require a fixed repayment period, making it accessible and flexible for students. Responding, Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Lawan Wakilbe, reiterated the state government’s commitment to facilitating student access to the loan. He announced the establishment of a dedicated desk officer for NELFUND in the state, Ali Sheriff, to work in collaboration with the Special Adviser to Governor Zulum on Higher Education and other educators. This initiative, Wakilbe added, will guide students throughout the application process and ensure they fully understand the benefits of the loan, which he described as a low-risk grant, and encourage all eligible students to take advantage of the programme. The session also included a Question and Answer segment, where attendees posed questions to seek additional clarification, and the Managing Director provided thorough and insightful responses, offering further illumination on the programme’s details and advantages. The Fund has disbursed over N11 billion to 98 tertiary institutions, benefiting 105,844 students across the country.

BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neuphoria Therapeutics Inc. NEUP (" Neuphoria " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce that its previously announced scheme of arrangement in relation to Bionomics Limited's proposed re-domiciliation from Australia to the United States, under which Neuphoria will become the ultimate parent company of Bionomics Limited, has been implemented today, December 23, 2024 New York time (December 24, 2024 Sydney time). The shares of common stock of Neuphoria (" Neuphoria Shares ") issued today in connection with the re-domiciliation are expected to commence trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol "NEUP" on December 24, 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. In addition, Neuphoria will issue options to acquire shares of common stock in Neuphoria (" Neuphoria Options ") to holders of options to acquire shares in Bionomics (" Bionomics Options ") that were issued by Bionomics, in exchange for their Bionomics Options. Neuphoria will also issue a warrant to purchase 1,054,381 shares of common stock in Neuphoria (" Neuphoria Warrant ") to an institutional investor that holds a warrant to purchase 12,652,572 American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") of Bionomics (" Bionomics Warrant "), in exchange for the Bionomics Warrant. Further details regarding the implementation of the redomiciliation can be found in a Current Report on Form 8-K that will be filed by Neuphoria with the SEC. For further information, please contact: General Investor Relations Investor Relations Spyridon (Spyros) Papapetrolpoulos Kevin Gardner Chris Calabrese info@neuphoriatx.com kgardner@lifesciadvisors.com ccalabrese@lifesciadvisors.com About Neuphoria Therapeutics Inc. Neuphoria NEUP is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing therapies that address the complex needs of individuals affected by neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuphoria is advancing its lead drug candidate, BNC210, an oral, proprietary, selective negative allosteric modulator of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, for the acute, "as needed" treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD) and for chronic treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). BNC210 is a first-of-its-kind, well-tolerated, broad spectrum anti-anxiety experimental therapeutic, designed to restore neurotransmitter balance in relevant brain areas, providing rapid relief from stress and anxiety symptoms without the common pitfalls of sedation, cognitive impairment, or addiction. In addition, Neuphoria has a strategic partnership with Merck & Co., Inc. (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada) with two drugs in early-stage clinical trials for the treatment of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease and other central nervous system conditions. Neuphoria's pipeline also includes the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor next generation and the Kv3.1/3.2 preclinical programs, both in the lead optimization development stage. Forward-Looking Statements Neuphoria cautions that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "could," "will," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," "predict," "seek," "contemplate," "potential," "continue" or "project" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Neuphoria that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business and other risks described in the Company's filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, and its other reports. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Neuphoria undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties and other factors is included in Neuphoria's filings with the SEC, copies of which are available from the SEC's website ( www.sec.gov ) and on Neuphoria's website ( www.neuphoriatx.com ) under the heading "Investor Center." All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Neuphoria expressly disclaims all liability in respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all the contents of this press release. Not an offer of securities This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in any jurisdiction. The Neuphoria Shares, Neuphoria Options and Neuphoria Warrant have not been registered under the US Securities Act and may not be offered or sold except in a transaction registered under the US Securities Act or in a transaction exempt from such registration requirements and applicable US state securities laws. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.One of the country's largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from "significant widespread misinformation" about the policy. "To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services," the statement said. "The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines." Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used "physician work time values," which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it's unclear how CMS derives those values. In mid-November, the American Society for Anesthesiologists called on Anthem to "reverse the proposal immediately," saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, Connecticut and Missouri. It's not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were posted in Virginia and Colorado . People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged. Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the "nuanced, unpredictable human element" of surgery and was a clear "money grab." "It's incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care," he said. "If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we're delighted that they came to their senses." Prior to Anthem's announcement Thursday, Connecticut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the "concerning" policy wouldn't affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened. The insurance giant's policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare , another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City.

TORONTO (AP) — Embattled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not expected to announce a decision on his future over the Christmas holidays, a person familiar with the matter said Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The prime minister will be traveling to British Columbia with his family from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2. Concerns about Trudeau’s leadership were exacerbated last week when Chrystia Freeland, Trudeau’s finance minister and deputy prime minister, abruptly resigned from the Cabinet after she was told she would no longer be finance minister. A growing number of Liberal Members of Parliament want Trudeau to step aside fearing the party is headed for an historic defeat. It remains an open question whether Trudeau will lead the Liberal party into next year’s elections. Parliament is now shut for the holidays until late next month. The leftist New Democratic Party said Friday it would vote “no confidence” after lawmakers reconvene on Jan. 27. When Trudeau returns from the holidays he could move to suspend Parliament for months while a party leadership race is held. Or he could delay an opposition day when a "no confidence vote” could be scheduled in Parliament. Because Trudeau’s Liberals do not hold an outright majority in Parliament, they have for years depended on the support of the NDP to pass legislation and stay in power. But that support has vanished — NDP leader Jagmeet Singh made clear Friday the NDP will vote to bring down the government. Trudeau, who has led the country for nearly a decade, has become widely unpopular in recent years over a wide range of issues , including the high cost of living and rising inflation. There is no mechanism for Trudeau’s party to force him out in the short term. He could say he will step aside when a new party leader is chosen, or his Liberal party could be forced from power by a “no confidence” vote in Parliament that would trigger an election that would very likely favor the opposing Conservative Party. The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and drugs in the United States — even though far fewer of each cross into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico. Trudeau has not addressed his future or taken questions from the media since his finance minister resigned. But he has said his government is preparing for Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20. Trudeau is scheduled to participate virtually in a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations on Monday.Almonty Receives Firm Commitments Under a Proposed Equity Placement