By JILL COLVIN NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote. Setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to maximize daylight during summer months, but has long been subject to scrutiny. Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. Lawmakers have occasionally proposed getting rid of the time change altogether. The most prominent recent attempt, a now-stalled bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act , had proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The measure was sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , whom Trump has tapped to helm the State Department. Related Articles National Politics | Trump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’ National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game “Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said as the Senate voted in favor of the measure. Health experts have said that lawmakers have it backward and that standard time should be made permanent. Some health groups , including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said that it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology. Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do, the date that clocks are changed varies, creating a complicated tapestry of changing time differences. Arizona and Hawaii don’t change their clocks at all.

Jets running back Breece Hall missed Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, but the team expects him back this week against Jacksonville. He officially is questionable after returning to practice Friday. “He looks good right now, so it’s promising ,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said after practice, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. Ulbrich had said Wednesday that Hall was “struggling a bit” with his injury. Hall likely has a reduced role in a committee with rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. Running back Kene Nwangwu (hand) is headed for season-ending injured reserve. Cornerback Brandin Echols (shoulder) is out, and cornerback D.J. Reed (groin) is doubtful. Cornerback Sauce Gardner (hamstring) will return after missing one game, and Qwan’tez Stiggers will start if Reed can’t play. Offensive lineman Xavier Newman (groin) is doubtful, and offensive linemen Morgan Moses (wrist) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) are questionable.Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoff

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By LOLITA BALDOR and FATIMA HUSSEIN WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social account, and said “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80 year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence , was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned. As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of troops as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. Trump has criticized the billions that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine. Washington has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. The incoming Republican president has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is a move to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” Trump’s proposed national security advisor U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg was a character in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President Joe Biden ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Google Gemini — everything you need to knowFundraising via IPOs in India hit another landmark as economic growth, favourable market conditions and improvements in the regulatory framework helped companies raise a record ₹1.6 lakh crore in 2024, while the pipeline for the next year holds out bigger promise. Share Market View All Nifty Gainers View All Company Value Change %Change This exceptional year not only reflected the confidence of issuers but also highlighted investors' eagerness to seize listing-day gains or back companies with strong long-term growth potential. The year was marked by Hyundai Motor India's historic IPO, the largest in the country's history, which raised ₹27,870 crore. Companies of varying market capitalisations — large, mid, and small — tapped into the IPO route in 2024, with the average issue size rising significantly from ₹867 crore in 2023 to over ₹1,700 crore in 2024. The exceptional vibrancy of the IPO market was evident, with December alone seeing at least 15 launches. "Rising retail participation, strong domestic inflows and active participation by FPIs (even though they have been net sellers in the secondary market), private capex increase and the government's strategic focus on infrastructure and key sectors have collectively laid a strong foundation for the fundraising momentum in India," V Prashant Rao, Director & Head – ECM, Investment Banking at Anand Rathi Advisors, said. Fundraising momentum is expected to accelerate further in the New Year, potentially surpassing 2024's record figures, market analysts said. "Based on the 75 IPO documents, which are at various stages of approval/ marketing and the deal pipelines, we expect issuance activity in 2025 to cross ₹2.5 lakh crore," Munish Aggarwal, Managing Director and Head of Equity Capital Markets at Equirus, said. The IPO pipeline for the next year is set to feature major offerings, including HDB Financial Services' proposed ₹12,500 crore issue, LG Electronics India's ₹15,000 crore public float, and Hexaware Technologies' ₹9,950 crore offering. According to data available with the exchanges, 90 maiden public issues were launched in 2024, collectively raising ₹1.6 lakh crore. This includes eight IPOs scheduled to conclude on December 23-24. Besides, the ₹500-crore IPO of Unimech Aerospace and Manufacturing is slated to open on December 23. Additionally, Vodafone Idea raised ₹18,000 crore through a follow-on public offer (FPO). About ₹1.6 lakh crore raised in 2024 far exceeded ₹49,436 crore garnered by 57 firms through IPOs in 2023. Saw 63 companies raising ₹1.2 lakh crore, marking the best IPO year in two decades, driven by abundant liquidity, increased retail investor participation, and sustained euphoria in the primary market. The resurgence in activity also extended to the SME segment, where a record 238 small and medium enterprises raised ₹8,700 crore, nearly doubling the ₹4,686 crore raised in 2023, according to the data provided by primedatabase.com. This growth reflects increasing interest in SME public offerings, although it comes with heightened risks for retail investors. In response, SEBI decided to introduce stricter regulatory frameworks, including profitability requirements, a cap on the offer-for-sale (OFS) component and a "draw of lots" system for non-institutional investors (NIIs) to safeguard smaller investors. Experts attributed this year's robust IPO activity to a stable economic environment, policy continuity at the central government level, and broad-based economic growth. "Stable economic environment, policy continuity at the central government level combined with broad-based growth have encouraged companies and investors to raise funds. Foreign portfolio investors have also been big buyers, especially in the larger IPOs," said Pranjal Srivastava, Partner-Investment Banking at Centrum Capital. Several factors, including private equity exits, sponsor-driven sales, and shifts in corporate funding strategies, have also driven the IPO activity. "The resurgence of manufacturing and increased private capital expenditure are key contributors as companies look to fund expansion and modernisation. Many businesses are also focusing on diversifying their funding sources by shifting from debt-heavy models to equity, ensuring stronger balance sheets and reduced leverage," said Neha Agrawal, MD & Head, Equity Capital Markets at JM Financial Institutional Securities. Among the year's largest main-board IPOs, Hyundai Motor India led the pack, raising ₹27,870 crore, followed by Swiggy (₹11,327 crore), NTPC Green Energy (₹10,000 crore), Bajaj Housing Finance (₹6,560 crore), and Ola Electric Mobility (₹6,145 crore). In contrast, Vibhor Steel Tubes launched the smallest IPO, raising just ₹72 crore, indicating the diversity of companies accessing the capital markets. For companies, going public provides crucial funds for expansion, working capital, and debt repayment while enhancing visibility and attracting new business opportunities. IPOs also serve as an exit strategy for long-term investors. Interestingly, the IPO subscription ratios have been exceptionally high this year. Vibhor Steel Tubes saw an impressive subscription of 320 times, while other offerings like KRN Heat Exchanger and Refrigeration, Manba Finance, and Gala Precision Engineering were each subscribed over 200 times. Additionally, IPOs of companies like One Mobikwik Systems, Unicommerce eSolutions, Diffusion Engineers, BLS E-Services, and Exicom Tele-Systems were subscribed more than 100 times. This strong demand translated into substantial listing gains, with over 60 companies delivering positive returns on their debut day. Vibhor Steel Tubes, BLS E-Services, Bajaj Housing Finance and KRN Heat Exchanger delivered more than 100% gain, reflecting robust investor demand. Meanwhile, India's equity markets also saw record-breaking performances, with the NSE Nifty 50 reaching an all-time high of 26,216 points on September 27 and the BSE Sensex peaking at 85,836 points on September 26, supported by the country's robust economic growth outlook.

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