Jamie Raskin Launches Bid for Top House Judiciary PostWith shares up by 41% since Nov. 5, Palantir Technologies ( PLTR 8.54% ) straddles two massive stock market hype cycles: generative AI and the Trump presidency. Let's explore how these potential opportunities could play out for the data analytics company in 2025 and beyond. AI before it was cool While AI surged into the mainstream with the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022, Palantir has been working on a somewhat related technology, big data analytics, since its founding in 2003. This field involves processing vast amounts of information to uncover trends, patterns, and other actionable insights. It can help organizations detect fraud, optimize workflows, or detect potential threats. Big data analytics can be considered a precursor to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. And Palantir quickly added generative AI capabilities to its legacy platforms to help them work faster and deliver real-time insights. These features are particularly useful for military and law enforcement clients, where Palantir's software can help operators identify and get information about real-time threats during missions. Palantir is already using AI to assist the Ukrainian armed forces with military targeting during its war with Russia. And in June, the company partnered with Israel to work on combat-related technology. The Trump effect Palantir's high-stakes business model makes it easy to hype it. However, Donald Trump's victory seems to have sent things into hyperdrive. Judging by the stock's 41% rally since Nov. 5, many investors see the new administration as a potential growth catalyst. In the third quarter, Palantir earned $320 million (around 44% of all sales) from U.S. government clients, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. During the previous Trump administration, Palantir played an important role in immigration policy, assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with deportations. The new administration plans to ramp up these efforts, with Trump himself promising the largest deportation in U.S. history. That said, it remains unclear how much Trump's agenda will actually benefit Palantir, which works with ICE through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) contract called Falcon. According to the news website Business Insider, the company only earned $127 million from the contract between 2013 and 2022, coming out to roughly $14 million per year. That's a drop in the bucket for a company guiding for sales of around $2.8 billion this year. Business Insider also reports that ICE is working on replacing Falcon with a custom-built tool called RAVEn , which will mine publicly available data, unlike Falcon, which works with data already in the agency's possession. And while previous Republican presidents have generally pursued a hawkish foreign policy, Trump signaled that he would like to see the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East wind down. Palantir investors probably shouldn't bet on a surge in military spending in 2025. Do Palantir's fundamentals justify its price tag? Third-quarter revenue grew 30% year over year to $726 million, while adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization jumped 39% to $283.6 million (this figure adds back $142.4 million in stock-based compensation ). While these results are decent, they are not outstanding -- and certainly not good enough to justify the stock's forward price-to-earnings ratio of 158. For context, the S&P 500 has an average forward PE estimate of 24, while AI industry leader Nvidia trades for just 30 times expected earnings despite growing its top line by 94% in its most recent quarter. Palantir's valuation is out of touch with its fundamentals. And Trump's presidency probably won't juice the company's growth potential as much as the market seems to believe. Investors should expect its shares to come back down to earth in 2025.India and Kuwait Forge Strategic Partnership
US stocks experience mixed fortunes on quiet day of tradingMembership of Britain's upstart anti-immigration Reform UK party has overtaken that of the centre-right Conservative Party for the first time, the party said Thursday, as Tories disputed the numbers. Party leader and Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage hailed the figure as a "historic moment". Immigration was a major issue at the ballot box at the UK's July general election which saw the Conservatives ousted after 14 years in power. The digital counter on the Reform website showed a membership tally ticking past the 131,680 figure declared by the main opposition Conservatives during its leadership election earlier this year. "The youngest political party in British politics has just overtaken the oldest political party in the world," wrote Farage on X. "Reform UK are now the real opposition." Party chairman Zia Yusuf said the milestone showed the long "stranglehold on the centre-right of British politics by the Tories has finally been broken". The last declared Conservative Party tally was the lowest on record and a drop on 2022, when there were around 172,000 members. New Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, however, questioned the figures, accusing Farage of "fakery". She said Reform's counter was "coded to tick up automatically". Farage responded by saying he would "gladly invite" a firm to "audit our membership numbers" if the Tories did the same. Reform won five seats in the 650-seat UK parliament in July, though it received roughly 14 percent of total votes cast. Reform maximised the damage to the Conservatives by splitting the right-wing vote and picking up former Tory supporters in key constituencies. The Labour Party won by a landslide although Prime Minister Keir Starmer has had a bumpy first five months in power. An Ipsos opinion poll this month found that 53 percent of Britons said they were "disappointed" in what the Labour government had achieved so far. British politics has been dominated by the two main parties -- Labour and the Conservatives -- for decades but commentators have warned that major parties have seen irreversible downturns in their popularity in the past. In the years after World War I, a divided Liberal Party found itself supplanted by the Labour Party as the main opposition. The party of 19th-century political giant William Gladstone and World War I leader David Lloyd George never again regained its status as a party of government. Farage, a supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, said earlier this month that he was in talks with tech billionaire Elon Musk about donating to his hard-right party. har/jsis almost over, but if you hurry, you can still save hundreds (or thousands!) on brand-name tech, small kitchen appliances, beauty essentials and more. Even though Boxing Day is winding down, Amazon Canada shoppers can score epic savings on brands and items that rarely go on sale, including select , Apple devices, Ninja appliances and beauty bestsellers from brands like Dyson, Oral-B, Laneige and Clinique. Boxing Day is Amazon's last sale of the year, so if you want to treat yourself to something new ahead of 2025, now's your chance. While Amazon's Boxing Day sale isn't a Prime-exclusive event, it pays to be a Prime member. Members can access Prime-exclusive deals and Amazon's famous Prime shipping. Not yet a member? You can here. And FYI —these deals end on Friday at 11:59 p.m. PST — and stock is selling fast. 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With Thanksgiving approaching, the New York State Departments of Health and Agriculture and Markets are providing food safety tips to help prevent foodborne illness and ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday with family and friends. “The holiday season is a time for family, friends and food,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “The Thanksgiving meal is often the most elaborate meal cooked all year, which could be a contributing factor in mistakes that could lead to foodborne illness. We want to ensure that New Yorkers stay healthy by taking simple food safety precautions and encourage everyone preparing meals to follow this advice to keep your loved ones free from foodborne illness.” Department of Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said, “There’s no question that one of the best ways to spend the holidays is by sharing delicious meals with family, friends and loved ones, so taking the proper steps to keeping our food safe is important not just for you but for everyone around you. This holiday season, we urge you to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe by handling, storing, and preparing the delicious, festive foods that make the season so special with care!” The Departments urge consumers to become familiar with the following food safety tips to avoid potential illness: Tip 1: Don’t wash the turkey. Many people believe they should wash their turkey before cooking. However, washing the turkey can spread bacteria, contaminating kitchen surfaces as water may splash onto the counter, cutting boards and utensils that are being used for other food items. Cooking your turkey thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 165°F by baking, boiling, broiling, frying or grilling will kill any bacteria on the turkey, therefore, washing is unnecessary. Tip 2: Use the refrigerator, the cold-water method or the microwave to defrost a turkey. Defrosting a turkey should be done in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. The safest method for thawing food is the refrigerator because the turkey will defrost at a consistent, safe temperature. It will take 24 hours for every five pounds for a turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. To thaw in cold water, submerge the bird in its original wrapper in cold tap water, changing the water every 30 minutes. If using a microwave, check the manual for specific directions as they may vary depending on the unit. Cold water and microwave thawing can also be used if the turkey did not entirely defrost in the refrigerator. Tip 3: Keep work areas clean and don’t cross contaminate. Always wash hands, utensils and cutting boards in hot, soapy water before preparing food and after handling raw meat. Keep meat, chicken, turkey, seafood and eggs separate from all other foods during preparation and while in storage. Tip 4: Use a food thermometer. Use a food thermometer to check the meat’s internal temperature and make sure the turkey is fully cooked. Test three parts of the turkey: the innermost part of the thigh, the innermost part of the wing and the thickest section of the breast. Each of these should reach at least 165°F to confirm the turkey is safely and properly cooked. Cooking a home-stuffed turkey is riskier than cooking one that is not stuffed. Even if the turkey itself has reached the safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F, the stuffing may not have reached a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria that may be present. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165 °F, possibly resulting in foodborne illness. Because bacteria can multiply in the stuffing when the bird is stuffed and kept in the refrigerator before cooking, it’s best to stuff the turkey immediately before putting it in the oven. Tip 5: Never store food outside, even if it’s cold Leaving food outside is unsafe. Both wild and domestic animals can access food left outdoors, either eating it or contaminating it. Additionally, even in cooler weather, direct sunlight can cause food to warm up and enter the “danger zone” (above 40°F), which promotes bacterial growth. To keep leftover Thanksgiving food safe, store it at a temperature below 40°F, either in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice and be sure to carve and refrigerate the turkey within two hours after cooking. Tip 6: Turkey leftovers are good in the refrigerator for up to four days. Turkey leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days. For longer storage, freeze leftovers in airtight containers or freezer bags and use frozen leftover turkey within four months. When reheating leftovers, ensure they reach an internal temperature of 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Additionally, hunters who harvest, prepare and serve their own wild game should carefully follow the advice on the Department’s website ( https://on.ny.gov/494owZ1 ) to reduce foodborne illness and other health risks. For additional food safety tips visit the Department of Health’s Food Safety Information website, https://on.ny.gov/4g17ihu .What To Expect From Trump 2.0
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Home | Malema warns against factionalism, disunity ahead of EFF conference EFF President Julius Malema says factionalism, disunity and disloyalty will not be tolerated ahead of the party’s third National People’s Assembly (NPA) to be held in Johannesburg next month. Malema was speaking during the EFF Limpopo’s provincial assembly in Westernburg near Polokwane. Party delegates from various regions across the country will elect new leadership during the national conference. Formed in 2013, the EFF is facing what many call the most turbulent period since its inception. The last couple of months have seen party heavyweights such as Floyd Shivambu and Dali Mpofu leave the party for the Jacob Zuma-led MK Party. Recently, prominent party member and MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has also been said to be facing an uncertain future in the party. He has allegedly been barred from contesting leadership positions in the upcoming conference. Malema says members must refrain from engaging in behaviour that sow divisions in the party. “If you keep quiet when your name is used to divide and undermine the integrity of the organisation, your name shall be disqualified from contesting for any position in the organisation. While people do wrong things in your name you must be able to stand up and say not in my name,” says Malema. Malema also urged candidates to remain loyal to the party even if they are not elected during the NPA. “Loyalty to the organisation means that members will remain active members even when they are removed from their positions of responsibility; loyalty means members of the organisation will not join in the opposition and opponent forces who unfairly criticises the organisation and its leadership,” he says. Malema has further discouraged the use of social media platforms to lobby for votes and discredit fellow red berets. Further in his address, Malema indicated that the party may disband its Student Command to form a youth wing. Meanwhile, Limpopo EFF leader Lawrence Mapoulo says the provincial structure has several proposals that they will present to the executive leadership for consideration. According to Mapoulo, they want the EFF national leadership to address some serious issues that are affecting the party. “Our main focus currently, especially on the amendments of the constitution, and also the question of redesign of our structures. We have several proposals that we will be presenting to the delegates for their observations and rectification so that when we go to the NPA as a province, we can be able to make proper submissions which will be able to build the organisation,” he says. The EFF will hold its elective conference from the 13th to the 15th of December at Nasrec, in Johannesburg. SABC © 2024
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