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7xm withdrawal The House on Wednesday passed a $895 billion measure that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. The bill passed the House by a vote of 281-140 and will next move to the Senate, where lawmakers had sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill’s 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay has failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. “No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that’s exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “This bill goes a long way to fixing that.” The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation’s borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators had wanted to increase defense spending some $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a “tremendous loss for our national defense,” though he agreed with many provisions within the bill. “We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it,” Wicker said. House Republicans don’t want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many non-defense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a “very real problem.” He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have proven effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. “These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives,” Smith said. “And in this bill, we decided we’re going to bar servicemembers’ children from having access to that.” Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson’s office insisted upon the ban and said the provision “taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation.” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, “I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates.” Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, “and yet, here it is in this bill.” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team was not telling Democrats how to vote on the bill. “There’s a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well,” Jeffries said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration had requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January. U.S. stock indexes got back to climbing on Wednesday after Donald Trump used his image as a successful New York The House on Wednesday passed a $895 billion measure that U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Tuesday in the runup toSocial media influencer Paige Spiranac knows how to break the internet, that's for sure. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.

Young Boys players pay tribute to teammate Meschack Elia in Champions League game after his son died

Walmart’s DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump’s election victorycagkansayin I have written many times about WM Technology ( NASDAQ: MAPS ), and today I am downgrading it from Strong Buy to Hold. The stock is still quite cheap in my view, but it is up 66.6% in 2024 so far. I am very 420 Investor launched in 2013, just ahead of Colorado legalizing for adult-use. We have moved the service to Seeking Alpha. Historically, we have provided great coverage of the sector with model portfolios, videos and written material to help investors learn about cannabis stocks, and we are excited to be doing it here! Alan Brochstein, CFA, is one of the first investment professionals to focus exclusively on the cannabis industry. Alan got his start as a financial professional in the securities industry in 1986, managing investments in institutional environments until he founded AB Analytical Services in 2007 in order to provide independent consulting to registered investment advisors. He is also the managing partner of New Cannabis Ventures, a leading provider of relevant financial information in the cannabis industry since 2015. 420 Investor 420 Investor Learn More Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

As we approach the end of yet another year – a particularly turbulent year for the world – it is an obvious time to reflect on what 2024 has meant from an M&A and investment perspective for the biometrics and identity industries and take a peek in what 2025 has in store. It’s been a very busy year for us at and we have spent a significant amount of this time involved assisting companies in M&A activities. Much of this work remains under the covers and tightly bound by NDAs but what it does do is to provide us with insight into the health of the industry. I am sharing this insight with you. 2024 has been more about consolidation then investment with a significant increase in M&A activity. A lot of this activity has been about leveraging biometric and digital identity technology to support real business needs and to reflect digital transformation strategies. In particular, supporting composable platforms with flexible workflow solutions that align with business requirements and process – meeting the need for agile digital solutions to support modern digital life. For instance, our work in the travel industry has identified the need for end-to-end passenger services that support couch-to-gate solutions that the industry demands. The ability to book and manage travel tickets from home, present, and authenticate, your travel documents before you travel, and then seamlessly navigate the airport, train station, or port using enrolled biometrics where the security risk allows it. Travel digital identity has shown other industries that portable, standard-based, high security biometric-powered digital identity can be delivered at scale. In the Goode Intelligence market analyst report, “ ” we forecast that the market will grow to with a CAGR of 22 percent. It is no surprise that suppliers of biometric and digital identity technology are aware of this opportunity and are growing their business and product portfolio through acquisition. To meet this opportunity, we have seen some notable M&A activity. Notably, ’s acquisition of , a leading supplier of biometric solutions for airports, airlines, and border control customers in . ’s acquisition of , leading IDV supplier ’s of , and then Entrust in 2024, has turned the North American security company into a real contender for delivering biometric digital identity to the travel industry, albeit at a significant cost to the privately controlled group. It has been no secret that Advent International has been looking to break up and sell ’s business units and in September 2024 Idemia announced that French-based identity specialist had begun to acquire the Smart Identity business unit to enable them to expand their capabilities, on both a product and a regional-reach basis. Like Entrust, IN Groupe has been busy with M&A and also announced 2024 the acquisition of Denmark’s digital identity service, MitID. Not only is this a recurring business line for In Groupe but also a great opportunity for knowledge transfer, to exchange capabilities from MitID to other business lines within the IN Groupe. This could be a very timely acquisition in the context of a ramp up of activity in digital identity within the EU with its digital identity initiatives including the EU Digital Identity Wallet and eIDAS 2. Through acquisition, IN Groupe is quickly becoming a major player in the European identity sector and potentially beyond. There is no doubt that we are well down the path to migrating government-issued physical identity documents to digital identity solutions. This journey will include both physical identity documents and digital identity solutions coexisting. Identity suppliers, especially in the government sector, need to be able to operate in both the physical and digital worlds, including the support of hybrid models where physical identity document and digital identity issuance and management coexist. This strategy is being adopted by the major suppliers of government identity and is exemplified by many of the M&A examples that I have discussed in this article including ’s acquisition of ’s Citizen Identity division 2024. HID’s Citizen Identity division was itself acquired from UK-based in 2019. I worked for De La Rue at the turn of this century, as head of digital identity, with a brief of bringing the 200-year-old company into the 21st century with digital identity solutions to complement their document identity solutions. It was probably an exercise that was a little bit , pre-dating the availability of the modern mobile phone. It did provide me with much of the real-world experience that is so invaluable to my role as an analyst and futurist today. Companies are scaling their portfolio with acquisition to reflect the hybrid nature of government issued identity, supporting both traditional document-based identity with digital identity. Expect more of the same in 2025. Identity Verification (IDV) has been an amazing success story for supporting digital onboarding with double-digit year-on-year growth for suppliers in the market. Its success, and the desire to own IP, has meant that security and fraud management platform owners are looking to own this critical piece of technology. In addition to Onfido’s acquisition by Entrust we also have (LNRS) acquiring another leading IDV provider, , a provider of AI-powered automated document authentication and fraud detection solutions. The acquisition was announced recently 2024 and comes off the back of the company acquiring behavioral biometrics specialist, BehavioSec in 2022. For 2025, I predict further consolidation and also an uptick in investment – something that has seen relatively low activity in the last two years as a result of the credit crunch. Businesses are definitely seeing the benefit of embedding biometric technology to support the customer / citizen journey and this will reflect in more M&A activity in 2025 to support biometric-powered digital platforms across all major sectors. I also expect greater interest and activity in coupling biometrics with digital wallets. All eyes are on the EU and its digital identity wallet. What happens in 2025 in the EU will have significant impact in digital wallets around the world. Biometrics is seen as a critical enabler of Verifiable Credentials (VCs) and if the industry can resolve some of its chicken and egg conundrums, then expect plenty of investment and M&A activity here. I am excited to see what 2025 brings us and expect a busy year for Goode Intelligence and . Alan Goode is CEO and Chief Analyst at . Reach out via to discuss this article. | | | | | | | | | | |Supply chain software firm Logility explores sale, sources say

Beyond Bank Australia leverages Cognizant's expertise to modernize IT infrastructure and enhance operational resilience. SYDNEY and TEANECK, N.J. , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) has announced a collaboration with Beyond Bank Australia , one of Australia's largest customer-owned banks, to help revolutionize the digital banking experience. The collaboration aims to enhance operational resilience, streamline processes and improve customer experience through the implementation of innovative technology solutions. Beyond Bank's digital transformation focuses on several key workstreams, including cloud and API architecture modernization and an enterprise-wide Windows 11 migration. These integrations will be designed to be flexible, scalable and secure technology ecosystems that enable the introduction of new products with enhanced speed to market, further preparing Beyond Bank for future growth. Cognizant will also help develop a comprehensive data and information management strategy for Beyond Bank. Leveraging AI, this strategy aims to optimize structured data from core banking systems and organize unstructured data from knowledge management sources for organization-wide insights, enabling more tailored services for its customers. Leveraging Cognizant's deep banking expertise, Beyond Bank will introduce new products and services designed to better serve a younger demographic, while simultaneously enhancing the overall service experience for all customers. "Our partnership with Cognizant is pivotal in advancing our digital transformation," said Stevie-Ann Dovico , Chief Information Officer, Beyond Bank Australia. "Their expertise allows us to modernize our IT infrastructure and enhance security, aligning with our values as a customer-owned bank. Cognizant's comprehensive approach makes them the ideal partner to help us better serve our customers." "Beyond Bank is a lighthouse client for us in the customer-owned banking sector," said Rob Marchiori , Australia Country Manager at Cognizant. "By enhancing their digital capabilities, we will help them provide better services to their customers and support paving the way for a resilient banking model that addresses current and future market demands." The customer-owned banking sector is navigating increased regulatory burdens, economic pressures, and the need for digital transformation. With increased cost-to-income ratios and net interest margins, banks need to modernize operations and enhance customer engagement through innovative technology. The collaboration between Beyond Bank and Cognizant highlights the importance of strategic partnerships in supporting innovation and maintaining service standards in the evolving financial sector. About Cognizant Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology, reimagine processes, and transform experiences to stay ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant. About Beyond Bank Australia Beyond Bank is one of Australia's largest customer-owned banks with branches and offices in New South Wales , South Australia , Western Australia , ACT and Victoria . We partner with more than 6000 community organisations around the nation to create and return value for our customers and communities. Beyond Bank is a B Corp, a business that is certified as meeting high standards of social and environmental impact, ensuring their practices benefit people, communities and our planet. To learn more, visit beyondbank.com.au For more information, contact: [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/1794711/Cognizant_Logo_V1.jpg?p=medium600As Maharashtra braces for its assembly election outcomes, prominent political figures such as Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and Union Minister Raksha Khadse made a spiritual sojourn to the renowned Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple to seek blessings on Friday morning. Shrikant Shinde, who is the son of Maharashtra's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, holds the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat. Meanwhile, Raksha Khadse, a BJP MP representing the Raver constituency, also participated in this traditional pre-election ritual. Alongside them, BJP leader and National Commission for Backward Classes Chairman Hansraj Gangaram Ahir paid homage at the temple. In political manoeuvres, Shinde shared that post-election results, Mahayuti coalition leaders would convene to finalize Maharashtra's next Chief Minister. He emphasized the alliance's focus on development and shared his critique of the opposing Maha Vikas Aghadi's tenure, which he accused of being consumed by leadership tussles. Meanwhile, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat voiced optimism about the Maha Vikas Aghadi's electoral success. At a strategic meeting with alliance leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, Thorat conveyed their commitment to a victory and welcomed potential supporters. This election unfolds against the backdrop of significant splits within Shiv Sena and NCP, underscoring its crucial impact on Maharashtra's political fabric. (With inputs from agencies.)

KABUL (Ariana News): Turkish ambassador to Kabul Jang Onal on Saturday met with acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and said Ankara has a “positive view” on relations with Afghanistan, the ministry said in a statement. In the meeting, Jang Onal expressed hope that more progress will be made in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. The statement added that the two sides discussed Kabul and Ankara’s political and economic relations. Onal stated the acting minister of industry and commerce of Afghanistan is in Turkey and besides participating in the Halal Expo, Nooruddin Azizi also discussed with his Turkish counterpart about constructive bilateral trade. It is worth mentioning that Azizi left for Türkiye late Tuesday to participate in the opening program of the annual Halal Expo International Trade Exhibition.Wall Street mostly upbeat on GM’s decision to pull the plug on CruiseTrump Team Prepares to Announce Greer as US Trade Representative