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By KELVIN CHAN, Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Looking for a new social media platform because X, Threads and Mastodon just aren’t cutting it? You could try Bluesky . People seeking to avoid chaos, noise and political bluster in the aftermath of the U.S. elections are noticing a different mood on the Bluesky social platform, where the vibe is seemingly welcoming and there are noticeably fewer trolls. The site announced it had rapidly added more than a million new users in the week after Election Day, and has emerged as one of the fastest growing rivals to Elon Musk’s X and similar platforms. If you’re tempted to check out the new space, here’s a guide on how Bluesky works: Maybe you’re not ready to commit to adding yet another social media account. No problem — you can still look around on Bluesky without signing up because all posts and profiles are public. You might get a sense of deja vu because the platform’s look and feel are very similar to X. That should be no surprise because Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was an early Bluesky champion. (Dorsey’s no longer involved with Bluesky, which is owned and run by its executive team as a public benefit corporation.) If you take the plunge and get an account, you’ll need a username. You’ll notice Bluesky handles are a little bit different because they end by default in the site’s domain, .bsky.social. You can personalize your handle to make it more memorable, by using your own website’s domain or buying a custom one through Bluesky. But it might not be something most newbie users need or want to do right away. Bluesky boasts that it gives users “algorithmic choice” to tailor the content they’re shown instead of leaving it up to the whims of a centralized system. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see,” it says . Related Articles What it means is that you can follow custom feeds set up by other users, or design your own. If you tap #Feeds in the menu on the left, you’ll see some default offerings like Cat Pics and Gardening. My Bangers is a list of your most popular posts by likes and Catch Up shows the site’s most popular posts from the past 24 hours. You can find more by doing a search and tapping the Feeds button. There’s also the usual “Discover” feed of suggested posts and a chronological feed of accounts that you follow. To help new users settle in, Bluesky has starter packs of recommended feeds and accounts to follow, which anyone can create and share. They don’t show up in Bluesky’s search results but can be found in directories online . Or someone might share one with you. After I signed up, a colleague pointed me to one for major news outlets . There are tens of thousands of starter packs, ranging from broadly appealing topics like Taylor Swift to niche interests like cargo bikes or U.K. comedians . You can follow the whole pack or scroll down the list to choose individual accounts. What about people you followed on X? There’s a browser extension tool called Sky Follower Bridge that will help you find X users who’ve migrated to Bluesky. But check before clicking the follow button to make sure it’s not a different user using the same display name or handle. Ready to join the conversation? You can write posts or reply to others but keep it short because there’s a limit of 300 characters — 20 more than on X. You can also upload photos and videos, though videos can’t be longer than 60 seconds. GIFs and emojis are, of course, available too. You can still @ people by typing in their username, like posts by tapping a heart icon or use hashtags to highlight a theme. Bluesky has added a menu to hashtags, so when you click on one you’ll get different options for seeing, or muting, posts on that topic. Bluesky’s decentralization ethos extends to the content control options it offers. For starters, users can choose in their settings menu whether to see replies, reposts or quote posts in their feed. Specific words or tags can be muted temporarily, or forever, while accounts can be muted or blocked individually, or in bulk by adding them a moderation list. You can even fine tune the level of adult content that shows up in your feed. Related Articles Bluesky has a team of content moderators to police the site for material that’s illegal or breaks the rules. But it’s also taking a different approach by open sourcing its content moderation system in an attempt to resolve problems with traditional moderation services which it says “lack transparency and user control.” So, individuals or groups can set up their own content filters, or labelers, that go beyond what Bluesky offers. These labelers can be used to categorize content or users, which can then be blocked or hidden. But they could also be used for informational or creative purposes, like curating or verifying content. There are labelers to identify images generated by artificial intelligence or to fact check news posts. You can find lists of labelers online. After I subscribed to a U.S. politics labeler, some posts in my feeds were flagged “!Donald Trump” or “!Democrat politician” and hidden unless I click Show. Follow Kelvin Chan on Bluesky Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.Dubai, UAE, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The WikiEXPO Dubai 2024, hosted by WikiGlobal , successfully concluded on November 27, attracting wide attention from the global financial technology sector. The event was co-organized by WikiFX and the Australian Computer and Law Association (AUSCL), with strong support from the Mauritius Financial Services Institute (FSI) and the government of Liberland. Through an innovative hybrid model of online and offline participation, WikiEXPO Dubai 2024 achieved an impressive 1,267,886 online views and gathered 3500+ on-site participants, bringing together 550+ industry leaders and attracting close coverage from over 1300+ global media outlets. Focusing on Fintech Frontiers, Discussing Safe Trading Practices This expo centered around the theme “Seeing Diversity, Trading Safely,” attracting 3500+ industry decision-makers, innovators, and investors from around the globe. Key discussions included new forms of financial crime and cutting-edge practices in anti-money laundering, the financial derivatives market in the UAE, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the financial technology landscape in the UAE. The content covered a wide range of topics including financial regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering, forex, digital currency, blockchain, DeFi, Web3, RWA, artificial intelligence, ESG, climate risk, banking, and digital assets CBDC, providing attendees with a unique platform to gain insights into future trends in financial technology. Industry Leaders Gather to Discuss New Industry Trends The event featured several industry leaders and speakers, including Braden Perry from Kennehertz Perry, Dr. Mohamed Damak from S&P Global Ratings, Justin Sun from TRON, Naushad Khadun from FSI Mauritius, John Riggins from BTC Ltd., Reeve Collins from WeFi and Tether (EX), Kamran Khan from FinTech Professional, Hasnae Taleb from Minultiy Capital, Gustavo Antonio Montero from Carter Capital, Hafedh Ajmi from PwC Middle East, and Myriam Ben Sayeh from Mastercard. These respected guests shared their insights on hot topics such as financial regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering, and blockchain trends. Guests expressed that WikiEXPO Dubai 2024 provided them with a rare platform for exchange. Mr. Naushad Khadun noted that he learned about the perspectives of experts and investors from around the world regarding future investments and expectations for forex investment regulation. Dr. Mohamed Damak believed that the expo built a bridge for global financial investors, contributing to maintaining safety in financial trading and promoting robust development in financial technology. Mr. Braden Perry emphasized that the expo not only connected global financial investors but also established a safety barrier for forex trading. Top Forex Influencers Selection Announced, Leading Industry Trends Additionally, the expo revealed the results of the WikiEXPO 2024 Top Forex Influencers Selection, honoring the most popular 30 influencers in the forex sector. These industry leaders, recognized for their exceptional contributions and wide influence in the financial technology field, have earned the trust and recognition of over 1,000,000 global investors, making them some of the most prominent figures in the industry. In the context of diversified investment development trends, WikiGlobal launched several events focused on trading safety, bringing together renowned influencers and industry elites in the global investment community to share professional insights and experiences within the WikiFX Business community, helping investors better grasp market dynamics and investment opportunities. Since its launch, the WikiFX Community has garnered significant attention from industry professionals. The successful conclusion of WikiEXPO Dubai 2024 is not the end; the community will continue to host a variety of enriching online and offline activities, providing participants with more business opportunities and channels, creating a more open industry ecosystem, and jointly building a healthier and more trustworthy financial market environment. WikiEXPO: A Communication Platform in the Fintech Field WikiEXPO Dubai 2024 not only provided industry participants with a platform to gain deeper insights into future trends in financial technology but also facilitated exchanges and collaborations on cutting-edge technologies. Through this event, attendees could delve into the latest developments in financial technology and explore new opportunities for win-win cooperation. The successful hosting of this expo marks a significant milestone in the financial technology sector. In the future, WikiEXPO will continue to leverage its leading role in the Fintech field, providing more opportunities for exchange and cooperation for global industry participants, jointly promoting the robust development of the Fintech industry and enhancing the safety of the trading environment. About WikiEXPO WikiEXPO , established in 2019, is a fintech expo focused on trading environment safety. By creating a leading global fintech expo and integrating various industry resources, it promotes healthy competition and orderly development. It is a grand event that combines authoritative information, industry wisdom, networking, and business opportunities. To date, WikiEXPO has successfully hosted dozens of expos across more than ten countries.
Objectively, the Baltimore Orioles are one of the best teams in baseball. They won 101 games in 2023 and 91 games in 2024, and their 192 combined wins from 2023-24 are third most in baseball behind the Dodgers (198) and Braves (193). FanGraphs projections peg the O's as a top five team in baseball , essentially on par with Steve Cohen's big-spending Mets . So why then do they feel so underwhelming? Early Saturday morning, the Orioles lost ace Corbin Burnes to free agency. To the Diamondbacks , specifically. Arizona gave Burnes a six-year, $210 million contract with an opt out after Year 2 . The O's were said to have interest in retaining Burnes, who threw 194 1/3 innings with a 2.92 ERA and finished fifth in the Cy Young voting in his lone season in Baltimore, but obviously it did not happen. With Burnes now a D-back, Baltimore's rotation depth chart currently looks like this: RHP Zach Eflin RHP Grayson Rodriguez RHP Kyle Bradish (will miss most or all of 2025 with Tommy John surgery) RHP Dean Kremer RHP Tomoyuki Sugano LHP Trevor Rogers RHP Albert Suárez Again, underwhelming. I would even take it a step further and say you have to do better than that if your goal is winning the World Series. GM Mike Elias needs to do better by building a rotation capable of supporting a lineup loaded with young talent. New owner David Rubenstein needs to do better investing in his team. Baltimore's estimated 2025 payroll ranks 18th in baseball . Why so low? Earlier this month, Pitcher List's Ben Palmer reported Rubenstein gave Elias to green light to spend , but Elias doesn't want to. My read on that is the GM is falling on the sword for an owner who doesn't really want to spend. The alternative is Rubenstein is feckless, and unwilling to take charge of the team he owns. The owner wants to spend but the big bad GM won't let him 😕. To be fair to the Orioles, they did not make the Burnes trade until Feb. 1 last offseason, so there is plenty of time between now and spring training to do something that really moves the needle. This is a very passive approach to team building, though. The O's went through the ugly rebuild and came out the other side with a boatload of young position players but are timid on the pitching market. I get it: pitchers break, and modern pitch design and analytics allow teams to find quality arms almost anywhere. On waivers, in minor league free agency, in the late rounds of the draft, etc. Why sink $210 million dollars into Burnes' age 30-35 seasons and assume all that risk when you can dig up a Suárez or trade for a lower-salaried Eflin and coach them up? The reason is good players win games and championships, not good value. Also, there is a social contract here. Fans stick with the team through the rebuild because the promise is the team will try its hardest to win a championship down the road. Are Elias, Rubenstein, and O's going all-out to win a title? They aren't with an 18th-ranked payroll and that rotation. The Orioles have been one of the best teams in baseball the last two years and I expect them to again be one of the best teams in baseball next year. But as good as they could be? No, probably not, barring a surprise rotation addition. I mean, forget Burnes. Why weren't the O's in on Juan Soto ? He fits their contention window perfectly, yet there wasn't a shred of interest, reportedly. At some point, the Orioles need to put their foot on the gas. The AL is the leanest it's been in a long time -- Burnes is merely the latest high-end player to leave the AL for the NL -- and that should be an invitation to go for it, not hold back and bank on things going your way. The O's are very good, but an underwhelming winter to date leaves them not as good as they could be.LONDON (AP) — Looking for a new social media platform because X, Threads and Mastodon just aren’t cutting it? You could try . People seeking to avoid chaos, noise and political bluster in the aftermath of the U.S. elections are noticing a different mood on the Bluesky social platform, where the vibe is seemingly welcoming and there are noticeably fewer trolls. The site announced it had rapidly added more than new users in the week after Election Day, and has emerged as one of the fastest growing rivals to Elon Musk’s X and similar platforms. If you’re tempted to check out the new space, here’s a guide on how Bluesky works: Maybe you’re not ready to commit to adding yet another social media account. No problem — you can still look around on Bluesky without signing up because all posts and profiles are public. You might get a sense of deja vu because the platform’s look and feel are very similar to X. That should be no surprise because Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was an early Bluesky champion. (Dorsey’s no longer involved with Bluesky, which is owned and run by its executive team as a public benefit corporation.) If you take the plunge and get an account, you’ll need a username. You’ll notice Bluesky handles are a little bit different because they end by default in the site’s domain, .bsky.social. You can personalize your handle to make it more memorable, by using your own website’s domain or buying a custom one through Bluesky. But it might not be something most newbie users need or want to do right away. Bluesky boasts that it gives users “algorithmic choice” to tailor the content they’re shown instead of leaving it up to the whims of a centralized system. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see,” . Related Articles What it means is that you can follow custom feeds set up by other users, or design your own. If you tap #Feeds in the menu on the left, you’ll see some default offerings like Cat Pics and Gardening. My Bangers is a list of your most popular posts by likes and Catch Up shows the site’s most popular posts from the past 24 hours. You can find more by doing a search and tapping the Feeds button. There’s also the usual “Discover” feed of suggested posts and a chronological feed of accounts that you follow. To help new users settle in, Bluesky has of recommended feeds and accounts to follow, which anyone can create and share. They don’t show up in Bluesky’s search results but can be found in . Or someone might share one with you. After I signed up, a colleague pointed me to one for . There are tens of thousands of starter packs, ranging from broadly appealing topics like Taylor Swift to niche interests like or . You can follow the whole pack or scroll down the list to choose individual accounts. What about people you followed on X? There’s a browser extension tool called that will help you find X users who’ve migrated to Bluesky. But check before clicking the follow button to make sure it’s not a different user using the same display name or handle. Ready to join the conversation? You can write posts or reply to others but keep it short because there’s a limit of 300 characters — 20 more than on X. You can also upload photos and videos, though videos can’t be longer than 60 seconds. GIFs and emojis are, of course, available too. You can still @ people by typing in their username, like posts by tapping a heart icon or use hashtags to highlight a theme. Bluesky has added a to hashtags, so when you click on one you’ll get different options for seeing, or muting, posts on that topic. Bluesky’s decentralization ethos extends to the content control options it offers. For starters, users can choose in their settings menu whether to see replies, reposts or quote posts in their feed. Specific words or tags can be muted temporarily, or forever, while accounts can be muted or blocked individually, or in bulk by adding them a moderation list. You can even fine tune the level of adult content that shows up in your feed. Related Articles Bluesky has a team of content moderators to police the site for material that’s illegal or breaks the rules. But it’s also taking a different approach by open sourcing its in an attempt to resolve problems with traditional moderation services which it says “lack transparency and user control.” So, individuals or groups can set up their own content filters, or labelers, that go beyond what Bluesky offers. These labelers can be used to categorize content or users, which can then be blocked or hidden. But they could also be used for informational or creative purposes, like curating or verifying content. There are labelers to identify images generated by artificial intelligence or to fact check news posts. You can find online. After I subscribed to a U.S. politics labeler, some posts in my feeds were flagged “!Donald Trump” or “!Democrat politician” and hidden unless I click Show.As the shock of Donald Trump’s victory sinks in, pundits and politicians are mulling what it means for the future of the United States and global politics. Understanding why such a divisive, unqualified figure won again is crucial for the Democrats. Did they go too far left and lose the moderate Americans who make up a majority? Or did centrist neoliberalism – pursued by Democratic presidents since Bill Clinton – fail to deliver, thus creating a demand for change? The answer may lie in 40 years of neoliberalism that has left the US with unprecedented inequality, stagnation in the middle of the income spectrum (and worse for those below), and declining average life expectancy (highlighted by mounting “deaths of despair”). The American Dream is being killed, and although President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris distanced themselves from neoliberalism with their embrace of industrial policies, as representatives of the mainstream establishment, they remained associated with its legacy. The economics of the moment mattered, but monthly employment and inflation indicators need to be understood in a broader historical context. As the Biden administration stressed on the eve of the election, the economy looks strong, especially compared to others in the G7. But this wasn’t good enough. Americans haven’t forgotten that the Democrats let loose the financial sector (Clinton), then bailed out the banks while homeowners and workers who lost their jobs in the Great Recession carried the cost (Barack Obama). Moreover, it was Clinton who unleashed globalisation, tacitly believing in a trickle-down economics that would ultimately benefit everyone. The only real difference between Democrats and Republicans on this score is that Democrats claimed to feel the pain of those who were losing out. The tragedy is that Americans seem to have voted for mere disruption more than anything else. Stalked by economic precarity and the spectre of downward social mobility, tens of millions of Americans voted for Trump as a way of “sticking it to the establishment,” and because many seem to believe that he has their back. He doesn’t. Trump’s first term and his 2024 election campaign made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of enacting the types of policies that ordinary Americans need. He favours tax cuts for billionaires and corporations; an end to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare); and sweeping tariffs, which are effectively a tax on US consumers and businesses. Most likely, the tariffs will be riddled with corrupt exceptions bought by campaign contributions; and in any case, they are sure to provoke retaliatory measures and a loss of American jobs. Trump will also generate massive budget deficits, which will lead to high interest rates and less investment in America’s future. If he and congressional Republicans follow through on repealing the Inflation Reduction Act (which includes provisions to reduce prescription-drug prices) and Obamacare, Americans will find themselves with less access to medical care and higher costs. This is all worse than neoliberalism, which at least purported to promote competitive, undistorted markets. Trumponomics is ersatz capitalism, run for and by the powerful, and according to the principle that money matters above all else. Americans, it seems, have lost trust in their institutions and the belief that government will deliver for them. It is the predictable result of 45 years of Republican (and neoliberal Democratic) campaigning, starting with Ronald Reagan’s famous quip that “the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” The culture wars also played a big role in Trump’s victory. His campaign successfully pushed the message that Democrats are obsessed with gender, race, and other social issues at a time when most Americans are just trying to get by. Many voters concluded that Trump would reverse or at least slow the pace of disorienting changes that have challenged long-established social hierarchies and roles. Like nationalists everywhere, Trump blames America’s problems on outside forces, from immigration to “unfair” trade. But while it is true that neither issue has been managed very well, his proposed solutions would be disastrous for the US economy and the world. The extent to which his voters understood this is unclear. Most seem to have been drawn to the political theatre. They wanted to send a message of dissatisfaction, and now they have done so. For the Democrats, that message should be clear: abandon neoliberalism and return to your progressive roots in the presidencies of Franklin D Roosevelt and Lyndon B Johnson. The party needs to provide a new vision of a society that offers education and opportunity to all; where markets compete to produce better products that enhance living standards, rather than to devise better ways of exploiting workers, customers, and the environment; where we recognise that we have moved on from the industrial age to an economy oriented around services, knowledge, innovation, and care. A new economy needs new rules and new roles for government. Related Story 61 countries to compete in 8th Katara Award for Reciting Holy Qur’an Sheikha Al Mayassa unveils 'The Race Is On' exhibition
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that wide receiver Treylon Burks , who's been on injured reserve since mid-October with an injured knee, recently had surgery to fix a partially torn ACL. “It was a loose ACL that wasn’t fully torn, and so they had to go see a specialist, so some weeks went by after he went on IR and he eventually had to have ACL surgery,” Callahan said. “The surgery was a couple of weeks back, and the time from when he went to IR until he had the surgery was also a couple of weeks.” Burks was hurt in practice the week after the Titans lost to Indianapolis on Oct. 13 and placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19. The 2022 first-round pick is no stranger to injuries. He suffered concussions in both 2022 against Philadelphia and last year against Pittsburgh. Burks missed six games in each of his first two seasons with the Titans and played in just five games this season before being placed on injured reserve. He finished 2024 with four receptions for 34 yards. For his three NFL seasons, Burks has 53 receptions for 699 yards and one touchdown catch. The Titans (3-9) host Jacksonville (2-10) on Sunday. The Titans opened the three-week practice window for offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan to return from injured reserve. Duncan has started two games, the second against Buffalo on Oct. 20 at right tackle and lasted four snaps before hurting his hamstring. He was placed on injured reserve Oct. 26. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflI have always thought of elections as messy stories: big, sprawling narratives with plots and subplots and thousands of characters, told in bits and pieces by narrators far from omniscient — never unified, scattered across media platforms, history books, and the vagaries of memory. Journalists piece together such stories. With visuals, out in the field, in newsrooms, and in broadcast studios. Their storytelling often borrows from fiction to add depth and nuance. But today, journalism stands on the brink of something stranger... something perilous but also potentially richer: the creative possibilities offered by AI. What do I mean by that? AI is no longer merely a tool for automation. It is emerging as a canvas for journalistic creativity, offering ways to tell stories we hadn’t quite imagined. What if journalism could wear a digital face? Or sing? These are no longer fanciful questions. During the recent US election, I worked with a team of young multimedia journalists at Bournemouth University exploring how AI might enhance storytelling. We called it Project L. We tested digital avatars — animated versions of real experts delivering sharp, engaging election commentary that felt at home on social media. We used AI-generated music to report on the tension in the swing states and the resumption of polling after bomb scares in Georgia and Michigan. Trump’s victory speech and Kamala Harris’s concession? We turned those into animated music videos, blending verse and visuals. (See an overview of Project L here.) This is where you might be wondering: why? Why go to such lengths? These experiments weren’t about jumping onto the grand bandwagon of gimmicks that accompany every disruptive technology. Nor were they about producing more content. Project L was about creating different content — stories designed to resonate, connect, and reach audiences in ways traditional formats may not. While much of the conversation around AI focuses on automating news production to cut costs, we wanted to explore how this disruption could reimagine storytelling itself. AI doesn’t just change how stories are told; it redefines what they can be. But there’s a catch. Isn’t there always? Every technological disruption brings opportunities and challenges. With AI, the most immediate concern is job displacement — automation that replaces, rather than enhances, human storytellers. Take the AI avatars we experimented with. In theory, their use democratises production: no studio, no expensive equipment. Just a good script and a laptop. A small team can create quality visual content, in multiple languages, at a fraction of the cost. But this efficiency carries a risk: content fatigue. There’s only so much of content a viewer, an audience segment, can consume—a threshold that AI provides us the capability to surpass all too easily. But just because we can produce more content doesn’t mean we should. The real challenge lies in using AI to create meaningful, resonant stories—not adding to the noise. So, how do we ensure AI enhances storytelling in journalism rather than diluting it? The answer lies in purpose, the why of our journalistic content. AI shouldn’t be a replacement for human creativity; it should be a tool for enhancement. By taking over repetitive tasks, it frees journalists to focus on imagination, nuance, and connection—the things machines cannot quite replicate. This liberation allows us to ask: what stories could we tell if we weren’t bound by traditional formats and constraints? How might we leverage avatars, music, or interactive narratives, or investigative opportunities, or personalisation possibilities to connect with audiences in ways we’ve never tried before? That’s the potential AI offers. Used responsibly, guided by ethics and a sense of purpose, it can be a powerful tool to enhance creativity. Journalism has never been just about delivering information. It’s about forging connections: telling stories that challenge us, inspire us, and remind us of our shared humanity. The question isn’t whether AI can help us tell stories—it most certainly can—but whether we use it to tell the ones that truly matter, in ways that remain unmistakably, defiantly human. (Chindu Sreedharan is the Professor of Journalism and Innovation, and the course director of MA Multimedia Journalism at Bournemouth University, U.K.) Published - December 15, 2024 02:37 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that wide receiver Treylon Burks , who's been on injured reserve since mid-October with an injured knee, recently had surgery to fix a partially torn ACL. “It was a loose ACL that wasn’t fully torn, and so they had to go see a specialist, so some weeks went by after he went on IR and he eventually had to have ACL surgery,” Callahan said. “The surgery was a couple of weeks back, and the time from when he went to IR until he had the surgery was also a couple of weeks.” Burks was hurt in practice the week after the Titans lost to Indianapolis on Oct. 13 and placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19. The 2022 first-round pick is no stranger to injuries. He suffered concussions in both 2022 against Philadelphia and last year against Pittsburgh. Burks missed six games in each of his first two seasons with the Titans and played in just five games this season before being placed on injured reserve. He finished 2024 with four receptions for 34 yards. For his three NFL seasons, Burks has 53 receptions for 699 yards and one touchdown catch. The Titans (3-9) host Jacksonville (2-10) on Sunday. The Titans opened the three-week practice window for offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan to return from injured reserve. Duncan has started two games, the second against Buffalo on Oct. 20 at right tackle and lasted four snaps before hurting his hamstring. He was placed on injured reserve Oct. 26. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflRussian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law that allows those who sign up to fight in Ukraine to write off unpaid debts worth almost $100,000, the government announced. The new legislation will be a strong motivation for some to join up, experts said, as Russia seeks new ways to recruit fighters for the nearly three-year conflict grinding through troops. The new legislation will allow those who sign a one-year contract to fight in Ukraine after December 1 to free themselves of existing bad debts. It also covers their spouses. The law concerns debts where a court order for collection was issued and enforcement proceedings began before December 1, 2024. The total amount of unpaid debt that can be covered is 10 million rubles, around $96,000 at current rates. Parliament approved the bill earlier this month. The legislation will largely concern younger Russians of fighting age, since those in their 30s and younger are most likely to have loans. Russia has extremely high interest rates for loans and many Russians have almost no cash savings, although the proportion of home owners is relatively high. "Previously (for those fighting) there was only provision for taking repayment holidays on loans," Sergei Krivenko of advocacy group Citizen Army Law told Vazhniye Istorii Telegram channel. The new legislation applies to those who are conscripted for national service and those mobilised for the so-called "special military operation", Krivenko said. Conscripts cannot be sent to the front line but can choose to sign a contract to join the professional army and be sent to fight in Ukraine. Russian authorities "are strengthening the motivation to sign a contract," political analyst Georgy Bovt wrote on Telegram. The legislation provides "another way to get rid of an unbearable burden of credit, at least for several hundred thousand people," Bovt wrote. Over 13 million Russians have three or more loans, according to a central bank report released last month covering the first two quarters. This was up 20 percent on the same period last year. The average amount owed by those with three or more loans is 1.4 million rubles ($13,400 at current rates). Many start with a bank loan and then apply for further loans from microfinance organisations. Russians serving on the front line are already paid far more than the national average. Ukraine also has legislation allowing those fighting to get preferential terms for loans and in some cases to write off debts. bur/tw