
Who is Bianca Bustamante and what is the F1 academy driver’s role McLaren?
Ottawa mayor speaks on Sprung structures, challenges facing the city in year-end interviewMusk’s AI startup raises further $6bn PARIS: Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk’s startup xAI said it had raised $6 billion from investors in its latest funding round, as it battles stiff competition in the artificial intelligence market. The firm, whose flagship product is the Grok chatbot, garnered support from US venture capitalists, chipmakers NVIDIA and AMD, and investment funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar among others. Musk has repeatedly warned that AI poses a risk to human civilisation, but he is pushing hard for a bigger slice of investment in the sector and xAI already raised $6 billion in May. The company is now one of the world ́s most valuable startups with an estimated $50 billion valuation, though still dwarfed by chief competitor OpenAI’s estimated $157 billion. Despite the sky-high estimates, critics have pointed out that AI firms are burning through cash and still have no clear path to profitability. Announcing the funding on Monday, xAI said it would use the cash injection to “ship groundbreaking products that will be used by billions of people”. It would also “accelerate the research and development of future technologies enabling the company’s mission to understand the true nature of the universe”. Musk, who also acts as boss of SpaceX and Tesla and is a chief backer of US president-elect Donald Trump, wrote on his X account that “a lot of compute is needed” to power AI products. He launched the company in July 2023 shortly after he signed an open letter calling for a pause in the development of powerful AI models. Musk is currently taking legal action against ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, which he co-founded as a non-profit in 2015 before leaving in 2018, alleging that its conversion to a for-profit company breaks legally binding commitments.
As more research is conducted on the four wooden tablets, it is expected that further revelations about the ancient Korean society and its interactions with China will come to light. The findings from this archaeological discovery have the potential to reshape our understanding of the cultural exchanges and historical connections between Korea and China, opening up new avenues for scholarly exploration and cultural appreciation.The stock market has a well-documented tendency to deliver gains during the final trading days of December, a phenomenon known as the “Santa Claus rally.” This period of optimism has historically brought cheer to investors, with the S&P 500 gaining in 64 out of the last 96 years during the Dec. 24–Dec. 31 window, averaging a respectable 0.85% return, according to data from Seasonax. The Santa Claus rally's most memorable performance occurred in 2018, when the S&P 500 surged 6.6%, its strongest year-end rally on record. Close on its heels was 1933, which delivered a 5.5% rally. On the flip side, 1937 and 2000 stand out as exceptions, with losses of 4.6% and 2.4%, respectively, over the same period. The pattern holds true even during election years, offering hope to traders as 2024 wraps up. In the past 24 election years, the S&P 500 has posted gains in 15 instances, averaging a modest 0.7% return. Notable rallies occurred in 2008, with a 4% rise, and in 1928, when the index climbed 3.4%. 10 Santa Rally Hyper Responders For traders looking to capitalize on this seasonal tailwind, certain stocks have consistently outperformed during the Santa Claus rally window. Here are 10 notable S&P 500 stocks that have historically shone between Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 over the last 20 years: Company Avg. Return Median Return Max Profit Max Loss Win Ratio Newmont Mining Corporation NEM +1.68% +1.36% +10.76% -2.97% 65% Illumina, Inc ILMN +1.49% +1.25% +10.08% -2.64% 60% Western Digital Corporation WDC +1.42% +0.96% +10.96% -3.60% 60% Assurant, Inc AIZ +1.41% +0.56% +14.33% -4.07% 65% Mohawk Industries, Inc MHK +1.32% +1.22% +8.81% -3.94% 65% Global Payments Inc GPN +1.32% +0.95% +8.14% -1.51% 75% Walt Disney Co. DIS +1.28% +0.52% +9.27% -2.89% 60% Goldman Sachs Group, Inc GS +1.27% +0.39% +10.40% -1.41% 70% ON Semiconductor Corporation ON +1.25% +1.13% +9.63% -4.70% 60% Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE RL) +1.19% +0.51% +8.21% -2.36% 65% Read Next: Investors Aggressively Bought Stocks, ETFs In Volatile Fed Week: Bank Of America Reveals Largest Inflows Since 2017 Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
In the midst of adversity, Real Madrid is poised to rise again with the return of their 200 million euro superstar. His comeback symbolizes hope and determination in the face of challenges, as the team gears up for a decisive battle in the Champions League. With the superstar leading the charge, Real Madrid is ready to defy the odds and refuse to succumb to defeat for the third time in a row.
ATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramonMan City and Feyenoord fans clash in chaotic Champions League tie as objects thrown
NoneThe rise of fintech companies and digital banking platforms posed a dire threat to traditional private banks, forcing them to rethink their business models and strategies. The ease of access to financial services through mobile apps and online platforms had reshaped customer expectations, putting pressure on private banks to enhance their digital offerings and improve their overall customer experience. Faced with the choice of either innovating or becoming obsolete, many private banks opted to invest heavily in technology and digital transformation initiatives to stay competitive in the market.