Month: January 2025

Gaza women’s long wait for deliverance  Hindustan Times
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The first WHO Expert Group Meeting on the Development of an International Herbal Pharmacopoeia (IHP) was held from 5–7 November 2024 in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), China. The meeting was attended by representatives from all World Health Organization (WHO) regions and the Director of the Department of Health of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR.
Member States have repeatedly reiterated their desire for a WHO International Herbal Pharmacopoeia (IHP) to support making quality traditional medicine interventions accessible. A pharmacopoeia is a collection of standards and quality specifications for medicines used in a country or region. Such a resource can then be used to or referenced in national legislation, helping to ensure the quality and safety of medicines within their respective jurisdictions. The WHO IHP is envisioned to foster the harmonization and convergence of available pharmacopoeial standards, increasing access to affordable, safe and quality-assured herbs.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased need to explore potential interventions in traditional medicine systems as either adjuvant or stand-alone therapies to alleviate human ailments. During the Istanbul meeting of the International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines in April 2024 and the International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities in New Delhi in October 2024, Member States reiterated the necessity of formulating the IHP.
Dr Ronald Lam, Director of Health of Hong Kong SAR, commended WHO’s initiative to create a pharmacopoeial accord for herb standards, which would guide Member States in enhancing the quality of traditional medicine products. He pledged his full support for this important scientific initiative.
Dr Rudi Eggers, WHO Director of Integrated Health Services, emphasized the need for a WHO IHP to assist Member States in ensuring the quality of traditional medicine raw materials and, consequently, traditional medicine products. He explained that the IHP, like the WHO International Pharmacopoeia, is designed to offer international recommendations, which are especially beneficial for countries that lack established standards.
Dr Sungchol Kim, WHO’s Unit Head of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine Unit, outlined the multi-phased approach to developing the WHO IHP and thanked Hong Kong’s Department of Health and its Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute for their contributions to advancing traditional medicine research and quality assurance. He stated, “Our shared goal is to harmonize quality standards while respecting the unique herbal traditions of each Member State.”
The agenda for the three-day meeting focused on discussions regarding the roadmap, scope and structural framework of the WHO IHP. Experts, including representatives from established pharmacopoeias such as the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, European Pharmacopoeia, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Japanese Pharmacopoeia and United States Pharmacopoeia etc., shared their expertise to help shape a unified global standard.
In the next phase, an expert group and technical task force will be formed under the Strategic Technical Advisory Group for Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine to support the development of the WHO IHP. Through the IHP, WHO aims to support the health needs of diverse populations and create new opportunities for integrated, sustainable healthcare systems.

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Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCI)

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The College Football Playoff quarterfinals are over, which means bowl season is nearly complete.
There are a pair of non-CFP games on Friday, in matchups including Texas State, Minnesota, Virginia Tech and North Texas all in action on the second-to-last day of non-CFP games.
REQUIRED READING:College football postseason rematches: Ohio State-Oregon to face again in CFP
All four teams will hope to start off 2025 with a win to build momentum into the offseason.
Here’s a rundown of the day’s college football schedule and scores, including how to watch the entire 2024-25 college football bowl season:
All times Eastern
Friday, Jan. 3
Friday, Jan. 3
All times Eastern
Thursday, Jan. 2
Thursday, Jan. 9
Friday, Jan. 10
Monday, Jan. 20
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This story was updated to add a video.

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Over the last couple of years, technology stocks have captivated the investment world thanks in large part to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI).
Within the AI realm, semiconductor stocks in particular have benefited greatly. This is due to the fact that semiconductor companies such as Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Broadcom make important infrastructure such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and network equipment that are used in data centers, and without them, generative AI would be more of a lofty idea than a reality.
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While chip stocks should remain a popular choice for investors, I see a new theme emerging in the AI landscape. Over the last few months, quantum computing stocks have witnessed some outsized gains — putting them on the radar of curious investors.
Below, I’m going to explore what is driving this pronounced buying activity and assess if quantum computing is an area you should explore in 2025.
Quantum computing is an interesting concept, in theory. In very simple terms, quantum computers leverage technology known as quantum mechanics, which is believed to enhance applications such as machine learning to solve extremely sophisticated, time-consuming problems that today’s computers simply cannot do.
Some of the more notable quantum computing stocks that have become mainstream recently are IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), Quantum Computing (NASDAQ: QUBT), and Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI).
According to their websites, these companies have partnered with major technology enterprises including Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and even government operations such as NASA and leading healthcare systems such as Johns Hopkins.
Image source: Getty Images.
The chart below illustrates the stock price movements for IonQ, Quantum Computing, and Rigetti Computing during 2024. Before getting enamored by these market-beating gains, zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
IONQ data by YCharts
Do you see what I see? For almost the entirety of 2024, none of these stocks moved… at all! It wasn’t until around October and November that all three stocks started moving essentially in tandem. So, what happened?
As a long-term investor, I am more aligned with stocks that experience steady gains over time as opposed to more volatile “peak and valley” trends. Broadly speaking, I tend to think that stocks experiencing abnormally high levels of buying or selling make sense in a finite number of scenarios.
For example, if a small biotech company is granted approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a new, breakthrough medication, then I think it’s appropriate for the stock to rise significantly. The same can also be true if a pharmaceutical company experiences a setback during a clinical trial.
However, this is far from the case with the quantum computing stocks above. While I cannot point to one singular reason as to why these stocks are soaring, I do think I’ve uncovered some peripheral details that are playing a role in their ongoing price appreciation.
Back in 2020, you may remember that shares of GameStop began to unexpectedly soar. As it turns out, the surge in GameStop was a short squeeze, and the catalyst sparking this abnormal trading volume was traced back to a forum on Reddit called r/wallstreetbets. While the GameStop saga is ancient history, r/wallstreetbets remains fertile ground for investors to chat about stocks in an anonymous way. In my opinion, the overwhelming majority of stocks covered on r/wallstreetbets are extremely speculative.
In recent months, there have been numerous mentions of IonQ, Rigetti, and Quantum Computing all over Reddit. In fact, one post from a couple of months ago within r/wallstreetbets that was titled “My 100x companies” received over 400 responses — and the first company on this user’s list was (wait for it!) IonQ.
Outside of Reddit, there have also been some intriguing updates on quantum computing technology that have come out of big tech. Specifically, Google announced a major breakthrough in its new quantum Willow chip. Meanwhile, IonQ also announced that it is currently running tests on Nvidia’s CUDA-Q quantum software.
All of the activity detailed above has occurred within the last two months. I do not find it coincidental in the slightest that the pronounced buying activity in the quantum computing stocks I’ve explored in this piece overlaps with these news updates and heightened interest found in online communities.
While IonQ, Quantum Computing, and Rigetti present interesting opportunities, none of them have really scaled yet — despite their partnerships with big tech and the federal government. The reason for this is that quantum computing has almost no tangible use cases right now. This is precisely why I said in my introduction that the technology is interesting “in theory.”
To me, investors are finding reasons to buy quantum computing stocks that are disconnected from reality — speculatively labeling the technology as the “next big thing” in AI. However, it’s pretty clear that the trends seen in the chart above underscore the meme stock nature of names like IonQ, Rigetti, and Quantum Computing.
I think there is a good chance that the momentum fueling these names could carry over into 2025, but that doesn’t make these stocks a prudent investment opportunity.
If you’re interested in gaining exposure to quantum computing, I’d suggest investing in names such as Alphabet or IBM. While both companies are making headway in quantum computing, neither one is mortgaging the future of their respective businesses on this technology. Looked at in a different way, if IonQ, Rigetti, or Quantum Computing fail to progress in quantum mechanics, each company will be hard-pressed for growth. The same cannot be said for Alphabet or IBM, which dominate in several different fields — including advertising, cloud computing, IT infrastructure, and many more.
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It's a tearful goodbye coming from Kevin Love and the rest of the Miami Heat.
Following the news that Jimmy Butler publicly requested a trade from Miami Heat veteran forward Kevin Love took to Instagram to mourn the potential loss of a star who played a pivotal role in leading the Heat and helped them make two NBA Final appearances within the last year expressing emotions through 90s RnB.
A post shared by Kevin Love (@kevinlove)

Love posted a photo of Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and himself Photoshopped over a Boy II Men album cover and the song " It's So Hard to Say Goodbye," capturing the emotion of Butler's possible departure.

Jimmy Butler’s trade request has Kevin Love in his feelings

(h/t @HeatvsHaters) pic.twitter.com/Y0nEUB2rob
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Love's recent Instagram post might perfectly capture what many Heat fans are feeling right now. Butler, who signed with the Heat in 2019, fully embraced Heat Culture, helping to elevate the team into a juggernaut in the Eastern Conference is now ending what has been an epic five-year tenure in South Beach.
Butler recently revealed following the Heat 128-115 lost to the Pacer that he has lost his "joy" while playing for the Miami Heat.
"I want to see me getting my joy back playing basketball. Wherever that may be, we'll find out here pretty soon," Butler said. "I'm happy here off the court, but I want to be back to somewhat dominant, I want to hoop, and I want to help this team win, and right now I'm not doing it."
Though he isn't playing his best basketball this season, only averaging 17.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, he still has shown flashes of elite level play during. Once traded, he could possibly turn any situation he lands into a title contender based on his ability to elevate the ceiling of any team that he is on.
On Friday, the Heat suspended Butler for seven games for his public trade request, and will now be taking calls from interested teams to begin a move.
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In a spiritually vibrant evening, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Minister Dharmveer Prajapati took part in the daily Aarti at Ram Ghat, Prayagraj. The ceremonial ritual, conducted by the Harihar Ganga Aarti Committee, featured hymn chanting and oil lamp lighting, marking a significant prelude to the upcoming Mahakumbh.
Preparations for Mahakumbh, a significant Hindu pilgrimage that draws millions of adherents, are ramping up in Prayagraj. The city is undergoing comprehensive enhancements, including infrastructure and security upgrades, to accommodate the vast influx of visitors poised to gather at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Sarasvati rivers.
The ongoing bustle was complemented by a vibrant procession of Niranjani Akhara seers and sages, who arrived at Sangam Ghat on elephants and horses. Received by senior officials with garlands, the sages highlighted the meticulous arrangements, akin to royal camps, underscoring the administration’s diligence in facilitating a secure and spiritually uplifting environment for the festival.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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Man, woman score jackpots on $1 tickets in popular NC lottery game, officials say  Charlotte Observer
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Jan. 1 violence prompts new warnings, extra security for special events  The Washington Post
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