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Germany has pledged to tighten its law to make it easier to prosecute people-smugglers enabling small-boat crossings to Britain, as the two countries signed a new deal aimed at tackling immigration crime. Berlin confirmed plans to reform its legal framework make it a clear criminal offence to “facilitate the smuggling of migrants to the UK” as part of the agreement, the Home Office said. The Home Office said the move would give German prosecutors more tools to tackle the supply and storage of dangerous small boats. Both countries will also commit to exchange information that may help to remove migrant-smuggling content from social media platforms and tackle end-to-end routes of criminal smuggling networks as part of the deal. It comes ahead of the UK and Germany hosting the so-called Calais Group in London, which sees ministers and police from the two countries, alongside France, Belgium and the Netherlands, gather to discuss migration in Europe. Delegates are expected to agree a detailed plan to tackle people-smuggling gangs in 2025 at the meeting on Tuesday. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For too long organised criminal gangs have been exploiting vulnerable people, undermining border security in the UK and across Europe while putting thousands of lives at risk. “We are clear that this cannot go on. “Germany is already a key partner in our efforts to crack down on migrant smuggling, but there is always more we can do together. “Our new joint action plan with deliver a strengthened partnership with Germany, boosting our respective border security as we work to fix the foundations, and ultimately saving lives.” Nancy Faeser, German federal minister of the interior said: “We are now stepping up our joint action to fight the brutal activities of international smugglers. “This is at the core of our joint action plan that we have agreed in London. “I am very grateful to my British counterpart Yvette Cooper that we were able to reach this important agreement. “It will help us end the inhumane activities of criminal migrant smuggling organisations. “By cramming people into inflatable boats under threats of violence and sending them across the Channel, these organisations put human lives at risk. “Many of these crimes are planned in Germany. “Together, we are now countering this unscrupulous business with even more resolve. “This includes maintaining a high investigative pressure, exchanging information between our security authorities as best as possible, and persistently investigating financial flows to identify the criminals operating behind the scenes.”NoneStock market today: Nvidia drags Wall Street lower as oil and gold rise

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PITTSBURGH, Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Duolingo, Inc. (Nasdaq: DUOL), the world's leading mobile learning platform, announced today that it has appointed Bonnie Ross as an independent board member. Ms. Ross is a pioneering visionary with 30 years of experience working in the gaming industry. Most recently, she served as Corporate Vice President for Microsoft and Head of the Halo franchise. In her leadership role, she was instrumental in advancing the Halo franchise, leveraging a dedicated and talented team to incorporate cutting-edge technology and storytelling. She led the expansion of Halo’s reach into transmedia, contributing to its evolution into a global phenomenon with over $6 billion in consumer spend, spanning games, live-action series, novels, and consumer products. “A core principle at Duolingo is ‘make it fun’, because learning shouldn’t be boring,” said Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of Duolingo. “Bonnie has deep experience in creating fun and innovative gaming experiences and building iconic global franchises. I couldn’t be happier to welcome her to our board.” "As an enthusiastic Duolingo user, I’m inspired by the platform’s ability to make learning entertaining and engaging. It fosters a competitive and social learning environment and challenges me to keep making daily progress, particularly in my quest to impress Lily,” said Ms. Ross. “I’m eager to contribute to Duolingo’s mission of making high-quality education fun and available to everyone." During her career at Microsoft, Ms. Ross developed or published many top titles, including Zoo Tycoon, Mass Effect and Gears of War . In 2019 she was inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame for her contributions to the gaming industry and for her efforts to promote STEM learning and diversity, as a co-founder of the Women in Gaming community. She currently serves on the Dean’s Leadership Council for the College of Natural Sciences at Colorado State University. About Duolingo Duolingo is the leading mobile learning platform globally. Its flagship app has organically become the world's most popular way to learn languages and the top-grossing app in the Education category on both Google Play and the Apple App Store. With technology at the core of everything it does, Duolingo has consistently invested to provide learners a fun, engaging, and effective learning experience while remaining committed to its mission to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. Contact Information Investors: Deborah Belevan, IRC, CPA ir@duolingo.com Media: Sam Dalsimer press@duolingo.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6411a015-afbc-4c08-8893-6f29bdd7924dSecretaries of State are being told that any outgoings which are not contributing towards one of Labour’s “priorities” must be cut as Rachel Reeves vows to wield “an iron fist against waste.” In letters sent by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, departments will be told to brace for “difficult” spending decisions in order to restore trust in the Government’s handling of the public finances. Every pound of departmental spending will be face a “line-by-line review” involving external finance experts from banks and think tanks in order to ensure it represents value for money, the Treasury said. The Chancellor will on Tuesday launch the next round of Government spending, and is expected to warn departments that they “cannot operate in a business-as-usual way when reviewing their budgets for the coming years”. She will insist that areas focused on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change”, which includes targets to improve living standards across the country and build 1.5 million homes, must be prioritised. Ms Reeves said: “By totally rewiring how the Government spends money we will be able to deliver our plan for change and focus on what matters for working people. “The previous government allowed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to go to waste on poor value for money projects. We will not tolerate it; I said I would have an iron grip on the public finances and that means taking an iron fist against waste. “By reforming our public services, we will ensure they are up to scratch for modern day demands, saving money and delivering better services for people across the country. That’s why we will inspect every pound of Government spend, so that it goes to the right places and we put an end to all waste.” Under the Treasury’s plans, departments will ensure budgets are scrutinised by “challenge panels” of external experts including former senior management of Lloyd’s Banking Group, Barclays Bank and the Co-operative Group. These panels, which will also involve think tanks, academics and the private sector, will advise on which spending “is or isn’t necessary”, the ministry said. The Treasury said work has already begun, with an evaluation of the £6.5 million spent on a scheme that placed social workers in schools finding “no evidence of positive impact on social care outcomes”. “Departments will be advised that where spending is not contributing to a priority, it should be stopped,” it said. “Although some of these decisions will be difficult, the Chancellor is clear that the public must have trust in the Government that it is rooting out waste and that their taxes are being spent on their priorities.” Ms Reeves had already announced efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments in her autumn budget as she seeks to put the public finances on a firmer footing. In a speech in east London, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden hinted at a further squeeze. “At the Budget the Chancellor demanded efficiency and productivity savings of 2% across departments – and there will be more to come,” he said. “As we launch the next phase of the spending review at its heart must be reform of the state in order to do a better job for the public.”

Abbott Laboratories stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitorsPittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein was carted off the field with 5:32 left in the first quarter with an apparent left ankle injury during Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game against host Louisville. The freshman was sacked at the Panthers' 49-yard line by Louisville's Ashton Gillotte, who rolled on the quarterback's ankle. Holstein was in a walking boot as he was helped to the cart. Holstein missed last week's game against Clemson after suffering a head injury in the loss to Virginia two weeks ago. Holstein was 3-for-5 passing for 51 yards and an interception before exiting. Nate Yarnell, who threw for 350 yards in the loss to Clemson, replaced Holstein. --Field Level MediaUtah Hockey Club bring 3-game losing streak into matchup with the Penguins Utah Hockey Club (7-9-3, in the Central Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (7-11-4, in the Metropolitan Division) Pittsburgh; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Penguins -111, Utah Hockey Club -109; over/under is 6. Canadian Press Nov 23, 2024 1:12 AM Nov 23, 2024 1:20 AM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Utah Hockey Club (7-9-3, in the Central Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (7-11-4, in the Metropolitan Division) Pittsburgh; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Penguins -111, Utah Hockey Club -109; over/under is 6.5 BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Hockey Club look to stop their three-game slide with a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh has a 4-5-2 record in home games and a 7-11-4 record overall. The Penguins have a -28 scoring differential, with 57 total goals scored and 85 given up. Utah has a 3-5-2 record on the road and a 7-9-3 record overall. The Utah Hockey Club have a -14 scoring differential, with 49 total goals scored and 63 allowed. The teams meet Saturday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Sidney Crosby has scored seven goals with 13 assists for the Penguins. Vasiliy Ponomarev has over the last 10 games. Nick Schmaltz has 13 assists for the Utah Hockey Club. Jaxson Stauber has scored goals over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 3-4-3, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.6 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game. Utah Hockey Club: 3-5-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.2 assists, 4.7 penalties and 14.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game. INJURIES: Penguins: None listed. Utah Hockey Club: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Hockey Central Division opponents meet when Predators host the Jets Nov 23, 2024 1:12 AM Sharks take on the Sabres after Wennberg's 2-goal game Nov 23, 2024 1:12 AM Connor and Hellebuyck shine as Jets defeat Penguins 4-1 Nov 22, 2024 9:59 PM