Not a few tears were shed during the touching retirement ceremony in honor of Rene Almendras, who is stepping down as senior managing director and group head of public affairs of Ayala Corp. Almendras joined the Ayala Group in January 2001 when he was appointed chief executive officer of Cebu Holdings Inc. and Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp. He took on different roles in the succeeding years, including CEO of Manila Water Co. He did take a six-year break from 2010 to 2016 as he was called up to join the administration of his friend, the late former President Benigno Aquino III. He took on different roles there as well, among them secretary to the Cabinet. READ: Ayala earnings up 5% to P34B But even if he had held top posts in both the government and in the private sector, the proud Cebuano has been known to be among the most approachable of the top Ayala executives, able to relate to everyone up and down the corporate ladder. This is not difficult for Almendras who believes that “You can be significant no matter how lowly your position or how simple your role when you affect others positively.” Informed sources told Biz Buzz that Almendras’ retirement—to be followed by the retirement next year of Globe Telecom CEO Ernest Cu— means that the changing of the guard at the country’s oldest conglomerate is almost complete. What will Almendras do next? For now, what is sure is that he will join the boards of the Center for Family Ministries of the Ateneo de Manila University and the Institute for Regional Security in Canberra, Australia. He has also been asked to stay on at Ayala as a part-time consultant. But will he eventually join corporate boards outside the Ayala Group? Only time will tell. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao It is, indeed, the holiday season. And we’re not saying this just because of the hellish traffic we’ve been seeing in Metro Manila lately. For the first time, budget carrier Cebu Pacific surpassed 80,000 passengers flown in a single day on Dec. 20, when 81,243 people boarded its aircraft toward home or a vacation. READ: Cebu Pacific receives delivery of 16th aircraft for 2024 The celebration was brief but made better the next day: according to Cebu Pacific chief operating officer Javier Massot, they flew 83,100 passengers on Saturday, Dec. 21. “As we approach the Christmas season, we’re proud to help reunite families and friends for the holidays,” Massot said in a LinkedIn post. This, of course, should no longer come as a surprise, especially as nearly everyone we know will spend their holidays in other parts of the country, or, for some, the world. Cebu Pacific has likewise been launching new routes left and right. Earlier this year, it began offering direct flights to Chiang Mai and Don Mueang in Thailand, Osaka in Japan, and announced additional flight schedules to local destinations. Just to make sure that they have enough planes in their fleet to accommodate the booming travel demand, Cebu Pacific also recently took delivery of its 16th aircraft for the year. Maybe we can expect another breach of its daily record before the year ends. After all, we still have the New Year holiday. —Meg J. Adonis When an official of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines spoke about the “rejection” of the P29.82-billion proposal of Comclark Network and Technology Corp. to upgrade the country’s air navigation facilities, it came as a surprise to the proponent, tech tycoon Dennis Anthony Uy of Pampanga. Discussions are still ongoing but the project is shaping up now to be a joint venture (JV) with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) — and not a PPP, Uy said in a recent media chat. As such, it’s the DOTr that knows more about the progress of the project, he said. Uy said he’s willing to invest because nobody else will do it. Why JV and not PPP? It’s because there are equipment that had already been purchased by the government that officials wish to fold into the venture. Meanwhile, Comclark’s outlays will go down a bit from the P29.82-billion estimate earlier given, because the government would have an equity contribution. However, Uy said ComClark would still get majority control. “We see that the country needs to be faster to move forward,” Uy said. “Our air traffic is totally outdated technology. Turnaround is 35 to 40 minutes so the plane is burning gases.” Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . “This is only technology intervention.” he said. — Doris Dumlao-AbadillaANDOVER, Mass. , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TransMedics Group, Inc. ("TransMedics") (Nasdaq: TMDX), a medical technology company that is transforming organ transplant therapy for patients with end-stage lung, heart, and liver failure, today announced that it will host an Investor & Analyst Day in New York City on Tuesday, December 10, 2024 , at 10:00 AM ET . Waleed Hassanein , MD., President and Chief Executive Officer, and members of the leadership team will present an overview of TransMedics' growth strategy, clinical pipeline, and operations. A live and archived webcast of presentations and Q&A sessions will be available on the "Investors" section of the TransMedics website at https://investors.transmedics.com . Please note management will only take questions from the live audience during the question-and-answer session following the formal presentations. In-person attendance at the event requires advanced registration. Please email Laine Morgan at laine@gilmartinir.com by December 4, 2024 , for further information. About TransMedics Group, Inc. TransMedics is the world's leader in portable extracorporeal warm perfusion and assessment of donor organs for transplantation. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts , the company was founded to address the unmet need for more and better organs for transplantation and has developed technologies to preserve organ quality, assess organ viability prior to transplant, and potentially increase the utilization of donor organs for the treatment of end-stage heart, lung, and liver failure. Investor Contact: Brian Johnston Laine Morgan 332-895-3222 Investors@transmedics.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transmedics-to-host-investor--analyst-day-on-december-10-2024-302316931.html SOURCE TransMedics Group, Inc.

The Host Communities of Nigeria producing oil and gas ( HOSTCOM) , has commended President Bola Tinubu for attracting $5billion Bonga North Deep Offshore Field. This is as it claims that efforts of the President on security across the various oil communities and that of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), have facilitated increase in daily oil production to 2.06million barrels per day. The National President, HOSTCOM, Benjamin Tamaramiebi, stated these in Abuja on Monday at an interactive session with journalists in his Asokoro office. He said: “HOSTCOM as the umbrella body of oil and gas producing communities in Nigeria , commend President Bola Tinubu for recently atteacting $5billion to the Bonga North Deep offshore. “This underscores the transformative impact of President Tinubu administration’s policies in revitalising Nigeria Oil and Gas sector”. He also commended the Honorable Minister of state, Petroleum Resources Oil, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri his counterpart Honorable Minister of state Gas, Chief Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo , for also working tirelessly in achieving the dream. According to him, “The enabling environment created by the federal government and strict monitoring of implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act ( PIA) by NUPRC, has made daily oil production to hit 2million barrels”. “Today Host Communities can boast of billions of naira for self developmental projects in Niger Delta region. ” When Engr Gbenga Komolafe, took over martle of leadership of NUPRC , the oil production was 1.6 to 1.7 million barrels of Crude per day but today it has increased to 2.06 million barrels per day. “With a deep sense of responsibility, we have observed with keen interest and observed the transparency demonstrated by the Commission in the conduct and adherence to established protocols and regulations to ensure effective conduct of their practices and accountability. “Following the reassurances of the Commission to continue to engage the Host Communities of Nigerian Producing Oil and Gas, we rates the score card of the Commission by passing a vote of Confidence on the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the management team ably led by the Commission Chief Executive, Engr Gbnega Komolafe – FNSE CFR for an award of excellence for its commitment to Petroleum Communities’ sustainable development and protection of their participatory rights. “With regards to the aforementioned strides of the NUPRC for delivering within record time, we call on all meaningful stakeholders to join hands with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to facilitate the speedy implementation of the 3% OPEX which is overdue by some settlors”, he added .Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz Friday ruled out a possible return to Congress after dropping his bid to become President-elect Trump’s attorney general. The former Florida lawmaker told a right-wing podcast that he wouldn’t try to walk back his resignation from the deep-red seat that he recently won in a reelection landslide despite the implosion of his nomination amid sex-and-drug accusations. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch but I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told podcast host Charlie Kirk on Real America’s Voice. Gaetz, 42, praised the Republicans jostling for a chance to take his spot on Capitol Hill and called it “a pretty poetic time to allow that great new blood to come in.” The four-term Republican said he has “other goals in life,” without elaborating. “I’m going to be fighting for President Trump,” Gaetz said. “I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.” Gaetz, one of Trump’s most vocal supporters, resigned from Congress last week at the same day as Trump nominated him to be attorney general. Many interpreted the unusual move as a ploy to avoid the planned release of a damning House Ethics Committee report into drug and sex abuse allegations. At least two young women told the panel they were paid by Gaetz for sex at drug-fueled parties in Florida and during vacation jaunts. One was only 17 and a high school student at the time. He pulled the plug on his bid as more lurid allegations surfaced and GOP senators told him he couldn’t win confirmation. It’s unclear whether the report will ever be released now that he is no longer a member of Congress and no longer vying to be attorney general. Trump quickly moved to nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in his place, a pick that drew favorable responses from GOP lawmakers and analysts. Gaetz could make a run for governor of the Sunshine State in 2026 when Gov. Ron DeSantis will be barred by term limits from running again. Some of Gaetz’s supporters have mentioned him as a possible candidate to be appointed to fill the soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat now held by Marco Rubio, who has been nominated for Secretary of State. DeSantis, who will make that pick, has kept quiet about who might be on his short list.

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NEW DELHI: The number of states/UTs falling with high malaria burden in India has come down from 10 in 2015 to two in 2023, latest data shared by the health ministry shows. A state/UT is considered to have 'high burden', also referred to as category 3, if it has more than one malaria case per 1,000 population under surveillance. According to the health ministry, from 2015 to 2023, numerous states have transitioned from the higher-burden category to the significantly lower or zero-burden category. In 2015, the ministry said, 10 states and UTs were classified as high burden (Category 3), of these, in 2023 only two states (Mizoram & Tripura) remain in Category 3, whereas four states such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Meghalaya, have moved to Category 2. A state/UT is considered to fall under 'category 2' if it has less than 1 malaria case per 1,000 population under surveillance, but some districts have higher disease prevalence. Latest data shows four states, namely, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, MP, Arunachal, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli have moved to Category 1 - when a state has less than 1 case across all districts. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .

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Kurtis Rourke has made the Jon Cornish Trophy a family affair. The Indiana quarterback received the award Monday, which is presented annually to the top Canadian playing football in the NCAA. Rourke's older brother, Nathan, currently with the CFL's B.C. Lions, won the award twice in 2017 and 2018 at Ohio. "It's awesome," Rourke said. "Kind of getting introduced to the Jon Cornish Trophy back when Nathan won it a couple of times, I wanted to be able to have a shot and it was one of my goals to be in the conversation, be in the running. "It just means a ton to be recognized just because Canadian athletes don't get recognized too often. I'm just so glad we're able to get that recognition and continue to do it for our country." Rourke finished first in voting ahead of Montreal's Dariel Djabome, a junior linebacker at Rutgers. Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, last year's winner, was third, followed by Vancouver's Ty Benefield (sophomore safety, Boise State) and Jett Elad of Mississauga, Ont., a senior safety at UNLV. Cornish, of New Westminster, B.C., was a standout running back at Kansas who went on to have a decorated CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders (2007-15) before being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Rourke transferred to Indiana last December to boost his NFL draft stock after five years at Ohio, where he began as a backup to his older brother. The junior Rourke then captured the '22 MAC offensive player of the year award despite suffering a season-ending knee injury before heading to Indiana after the 2023 season. Rourke was instrumental in Indiana — traditionally known as a basketball school — emerging as a Big Ten contender in head coach Curt Cignetti’s first season. After winning 11 of their first 12 games, the Hoosiers' stellar campaign ended with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the opening game of the expanded U.S. college football playoff bracket. Rourke finished 20-of-33 passing for 215 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in that contest. Overall, Rourke completed 222 of 320 passes (69.4 per cent) for 3,042 yards with 29 TDs and five interceptions. "What a privilege, opportunity to come join a program that had so much to prove," Rourke said. "It kind of aligned with what I was wanting to do, which was prove I could play at a higher level." The six-foot-five, 223-pound Rourke was named a finalist for the Manning Award, presented annually to the NCAA's top quarterback. He was also ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy as U.S. college football's outstanding player. "College football has been everything to me," Rourke said. "Starting off my freshman year to be able to watch Nathan grow and play in his senior year and just learn from him in both how to live a college life but also be a college quarterback as well. "I won't forget my time at Ohio at all, it really created me and moulded me into the person, player I am. I’m extremely grateful for the entire college football experience." The former Holy Trinity star becomes just the second Canadian high school graduate to claim the Jon Cornish Trophy. Chuba Hubbard, of Sherwood Park, Alta., and currently with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, did so in 2019 while at Oklahoma State. The six-foot-two, 240-pound Djabome recorded 102 tackles (48 solo), three sacks and two forced fumbles this season. Rutgers faces Kansas State in the Rate Bowl on Boxing Day. The six-foot-two, 210-pound Ayomanor, a redshirt junior, was one of the few bright spots this season for Stanford (3-9). He registered 63 catches for 831 yards and six TDs after recording 62 receptions for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns in 2023. Last week, Ayomanor declared for the '25 NFL draft. The six-foot-two, 204-pound Benefield led Boise State in tackles (73), solo tackles (53) and interceptions (two) while also registering five tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two recoveries. The Broncos are the third seed in U.S. college football's expanded playoffs and face Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Elad registered 55 tackles, an interception and six pass knockdowns during the regular season. He added 12 tackles (nine solo) and a sack in the Runnin' Rebels' 24-13 win over Cal in the Art of Sport LA Bowl to finish with an 11-3 overall record. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024. The Canadian Press

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Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened weekManmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms and former prime minister, expressed deep concerns over India's heavily regulated economy in a 2019 interview. He highlighted government overreach and identified regulators as having turned into controllers, predicting a potential economic slowdown. Singh served two terms from 2004 to 2014 and was known for his candor. He criticized the Narendra Modi administration's approach to economic policy, citing 'disruptive' decisions such as demonetisation, which he once described as 'organised loot and legalised plunder.' As news breaks of his death at 92, Singh leaves behind a legacy of reform and political candor, consistently advocating for scrutiny and transparency while warning of unaccountable governance. (With inputs from agencies.)Who are the three federal death row inmates whose sentences were not commuted?ST. PAUL — Kris Bolle is living the “van life” these days with Annie, his mini Australian shepherd. Bolle, 46, bought a 2020 Dodge Ram ProMaster cargo van this past fall. The Hayfield resident planned, essentially, a studio apartment inside. The van with a high roof has room for a full bed, a small kitchen area and a writing desk. ADVERTISEMENT He saves money by forgoing rent, but there is a cost — isolation. It’s a lifestyle he’s grown accustomed to since he had to hide his sexuality over the years, including in the Navy under the now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which allowed gay and lesbian service members to stay in the military as long as they weren’t out, he said. “I had to be very, very tight-lipped about me ... so I’m used to it,” Bolle said. “But yes, it wears on you. It wears you down, and you feel isolated and you feel left out.” About 48% of Minnesotans feel left out some of the time or often, according to the “Minds of Minnesotans” survey conducted by APM Research Lab. The poll also finds that about half of Minnesotans feel lonely, at least some of the time. More specifically, 13% say they “often” lack companionship and another 35% lack companionship “some of the time.” Results were similar when Minnesotans were asked how often they feel left out and isolated from others. Bolle was one of 3,399 participants surveyed by the firm Lumaris. He said he often feels a lack of companionship as well. He hasn’t been in a relationship since 2009. He often feels left out and sometimes feels isolated. “I’m isolated in the sense where I really can’t find a suitable partner,” he said. His social connections are at his nursing assistant job, which he looks forward to, Bolle said. He’s never thoroughly enjoyed a job as much as his role at a skilled nursing facility, he said. ADVERTISEMENT “Work is great. I get to see people, I get to interact with people. I get to chat and talk and all the things that you know, that people do,” Bolle said. “That’s really hard to find.” The loneliness epidemic The APM Research Lab included these questions in the survey, conducted this year between July 20 and Nov. 22, to better understand what the U.S. Surgeon General has called “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” The three questions used in the APM Research Lab survey were replicated from the widely used UCLA Loneliness Scale to help assess Minnesotans’ state of mind in the post-pandemic era, and possibly to help identify groups of Minnesotans that are faring better or worse with feelings of loneliness and isolation. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report calling loneliness an epidemic, posing significant health risks akin to tobacco usage, obesity and addiction. Loneliness intersects with various aspects of people’s lives, said Carrie Henning-Smith, an associate professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “Social isolation and loneliness have profound impacts on health, on mortality risks, on all of the ways that our lives play out within health, within that sphere, but in so many other ways, too,” said Henning-Smith, who conducts research on rural populations as the co-director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center and the Rural Health Program. According to the U.S. Surgeon General report, “the physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29 percent increased risk of heart disease, a 32 percent increased risk of stroke, and a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia for older adults.” ADVERTISEMENT A lack of social connections increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%, the report added. Mary Jo Kreitzer, the founder and director of the Earl Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, said the report is significant. “Just by him [Murthy] touching that subject, everybody remembers that he did,” she said. “People remembered that. Because I’m sure that everybody has somebody like that in their life, or they themselves are feeling lonely.” There’s also a stigma surrounding the idea of loneliness. “People are reluctant to admit that they feel lonely. It somehow means like that you’re unlikable or unlovable or there’s something wrong with you,” Henning-Smith said. “It’s important to have these conversations, because the truth is, just about everyone will feel lonely at some point in their life.” she added. “It's a universal part of being human.” Kreitzer said the data reported by APM Lab is comparable to other global and U.S. data on the subject. ADVERTISEMENT “Other studies, like this one found that loneliness peaks in younger age groups,” she said, calling it “a very interesting finding.” The survey found that the Gen Z cohort of 18 to 27, were the most lonely. “That surprises a lot of people, but I think it’s consistent with other data,” Kreitzer said. She said people assume that older people suffer from loneliness because they lack the social connections they once had earlier in their lives. The survey data, instead, showed that baby boomers, currently aged 60-78, are the least lonely of adult-age generations in Minnesota: 63% score as “rarely lonely” and only 7% indicated frequent loneliness. “Sometimes, like in the boomer generation, when people have retired, they actually have more time to build and strengthen connections,” Kreitzer said. “Boomers can be great at joining groups, pursuing interests, be that hobbies or fitness activities or book clubs or volunteering, and all of those are ways that can really help us build social connections.” She said her local YMCA in Grand Rapids is a hub of activity with engaged older folks. She sees them playing cards, working out, swimming and more. Gen Zers, however, are experiencing numerous life transitions. “During that age, they’re expected to separate from their family, to find a partner, to launch a career,” Kreitzer said. “So there’s been a lot of disruption in social connections that they probably have had in their life for a long, long time.” ADVERTISEMENT Henning-Smith called the loneliness rates among young adults “concerning.” Social media and technology may explain part of the higher rates. “People who live their lives online, people who are digital natives and were born into a world where they’re living their lives online, have fundamentally different ways of connecting with other people,” Henning-Smith said. “I worry that some of those skills and some of the infrastructure for connecting with people in meaningful ways and in-person connections might be lacking for some folks in younger generations.” Kreitzer suggests to those who may have frequent bouts of loneliness to acknowledge the feelings. Don’t ignore them. She advises them to reach out to family and friends to try to build or rebuild social connections. She also encourages people to join groups based on their interests. Kreitzer highly recommends volunteering because of the health benefits associated with it. “There’s actually research on that that, like, volunteering helps improve our own well-being,” she said. “It can actually improve our overall positive outlook, our mental health and well-being.” ADVERTISEMENT Rugged yet lonely individuals Back in Hayfield, Bolle said he tries to find community to fend off his loneliness. His location is a challenge because he finds groups in the Twin Cities some 90 miles away. He belongs to a spiritual group that meets once a week in Rochester, but that’s a 52-mile round trip, so he only goes from time to time. Bolle also prepares himself to encounter situations that bring on feelings of loneliness when he goes to Rochester on his weekends to run errands. “When I see families out having fun together, or groups of people, groups of young people, you know, out together and having fun, that can trigger pangs of loneliness,” he said. “I just feel like I’m missing out on human connection.” He said when he was younger, he bought into society’s emphasis on rugged individualism. “But it just doesn’t work, because you will almost ultimately, always end up feeling lonely,” he said. When he traveled the world with the Navy, Bolle said he saw community and family as top priorities in other countries as well as in the Mexican and Latino communities of Southern California where he grew up. “You really do need that connection with other people,” he said. “It’s almost as important as food and shelter, you know?” The data and the heart appear to agree. This story was originally published on MPRNews.org ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .

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