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bet99 app Brewer's 20 lead Florida International over Stetson 81-72John Nacion/Getty is opening up about his painful past, as well as his hopes and fears for the future, in a wide-ranging sit-down interview in New York City. On Dec. 4, the Duke of Sussex, 40, stepped out in N.Y.C. to attend the 2024 DealBook Summit organized by . Prince Harry joined Andrew Ross Sorkin, a columnist and founder of the outlet's DealBook business and policy column, for a conversation on the main stage about disinformation in the media. "I've seen stories written about myself not exactly based in reality." Prince Harry said at the event. "When you grow up with that environment, you find yourself questioning the validity of the information, but also what other people are thinking as well, and how dangerous it can be over the course of time." "I think again, when you are kind of trapped within this bubble, it kind of feels like there's no way out," he added. "What happened to my mom and the fact that I was a kid and felt helpless, there comes the inner turmoil. I felt helpless. One of my biggest weaknesses is feeling helpless." Harry said, "What worried me most was worrying that would happen to me, or to my wife, or to my kids." Eugene Gologursky/Getty Of reading about himself in the press, he told Sorkin, "Throughout my life there would be moments in my life when I read a lot and moments when I read nothing. I highly recommend the latter," he added to laughter from the audience. "Once you stop reading the stuff about yourself, you automatically remove the power from their hands. With that element of fear comes an element of control. and one of the reasons I probably didn't, I guess, remove myself from that situation sooner was that very fear: 'Well, they control the narrative,' whatever I do or say, they can effectively control me and keep me in that space.'" Of his complicated relationship with the press since the death of his mother in 1997 when he was just 12 years old, he said: "I was always convinced I needed to be angry or frustrated towards the press because of what they did to my mom," adding that going to therapy a "blessing," like "cleaning the windshield." He also divulged that to protect his peace, he doesn't have Google alerts on himself and he doesn't have social media. Related: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Of his forthcoming phone hacking case in the U.K., he said, "This claim, the hacking stuff, is almost 15 years old. The coverup of the hacking is relatively new. I think that will be the piece that shocks the world. I scratch my head thinking, 'You know, has this passed?' And certainly that's what they would like to think. In these five years, the retaliation and the intimidation for me as a witness has been extraordinary, especially towards my wife and children." Of the dangers of social media, an issue that has become increasingly important to his work through his and Meghan's Archewell Foundation, he said: "I try to think at these things through the lens as a dad." Eugene Gologursky/Getty "That's one of the reasons we're so focused on The Parents Network," he said, referring to a piece of the work he and Meghan do with their non-profit Archewell for parents whose children's lives have been lost to social media. "It's not a coincidence that the world has become more volatile and more divided since social media has been around for 20 years," Harry added. Harry expressed his desire to collaborate with shareholders of social media companies to discuss better protections for children. “I would welcome the chance to sit down with the shareholders, because their shareholders are the ones that really are in control.” He added, “I’m sure they are parents, and I’m sure hopefully they would agree that kids need to be kept safe.” When asked what he thought of the First Amendment, he said to laughter, "There's no way I'm going to talk about that." Closing out his panel discussion, Sorkin asked Harry what he wants to be known for in 30 years' time, to which Harry replied: "The main goal for me at the moment is being the best husband and the best dad that I can be." "The thing that means the most to me and the things I want to be known for is that no matter what was happening around [is] that he stuck to his values and he always stayed true to that principle," he added. Michael M. Santiago/Getty The 2024 DealBook Summit has a starry lineup, and other mainstage interviews include , , , (a friend of Harry and Meghan's), Open AI co-founder Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Prince Harry's appearance at the DealBook Summit may be his debut appearance at the event, but he's actually following in his wife's footsteps! Meghan, 43, was by Sorkin as part of DealBook Online Summit in November 2021. The Duchess of Sussex participated in a discussion titled "Minding the Gap" about how women can reach economic and professional parity, where spoke about her view of paid leave as a "humanitarian issue." While Prince Harry is out on the East Coast, Meghan has a glamorous night ahead on the West Coast. The Duchess of Sussex is expected to attend the 2024 Paley Honors Fall Gala tonight in Beverly Hills, where she’ll help honor Perry with The Paley Honors Award, the highest honor from The Paley Center for Media. Kevin Mazur/Getty; Monica Schipper/Getty The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were both on the hosting committee for their friend Perry, who is a godfather to their daughter, , 3, and appeared in their 2022 Netflix docuseries, . (Prince Harry and Meghan also share son , 5.) As for Harry's calendar, described the DealBook Summit as a live journalism event which "will feature wide-ranging discussions on the most important stories across business, politics and culture." A previous about Prince Harry's participation listed his roles as the co-founder of the Archewell Foundation and Chief Impact Officer of BetterUp. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched the Archewell charity as a vehicle for their philanthropic work after stepping back from their royal roles and relocating to her home state of California in 2020. He took on the CIO role with BetterUp, a coaching and mental health platform, in 2021. Prince Harry's solo trip to N.Y.C. is his second in two months. In September, the Duke of Sussex spent a few days in New York City for a that a spokesperson said would "advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives." Riccardo Savi/Getty Harry's busy itinerary included a dinner with the World Health Organization, Concordia Summit panel for The Diana Award (the only charity established in memory of his mother, the late ) and engagements with The HALO Trust (the landmine-clearing charity that Princess Diana famously backed), African Parks and Travalyst. He also spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative about the Archwell Foundation's and the United Nations for an event hosted by Lesotho, where his charity Sentebale works. Christina Williams is a Diana Award recipient who spoke onstage with Prince Harry, and told PEOPLE that his empathy left an impression. "I think my impression of him was that here is someone who is in a high-level role, who really cares about young people — cares about our voices and our actions," Williams, 27, told PEOPLE. "He really cares about the causes that he represents." Read the original article on

The annual Le Bal des Débutantes is finally here and the exclusive ball, held in Paris this evening, will showcase many wonderful young women who will make their social debuts alongside handsome cavaliers in the city of love. And this year Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin' s daughter Apple Martin , is among society's most glamorous debs. At the rehearsal, which was held at the Shangri-La Paris, Apple joined Sophia Loren's granddaughter Lucia Ponti and Sophie Tei Naaki Lee Kodjoe (daughter of And Just Like That actress Nicole Ari Parker ) with the young ladies wearing an extravagant mix of the most staggering gowns from the most elite fashion designers. HELLO! magazine has exclusive access to this year's jaw dropping display of society glamour, and will be sharing all the photos of this super exclusive annual event, complete with photos of proud parents and details of all the debutante's cavaliers. But for now, here's our exclusive photographs of the rehearsals - and a sneak peek of this year's most incredible dresses.

Parents of teenagers escorted onto trains out of Manchester city centre amid dispersal order hit out at GMP - as kids from traveller communities caught in crowds

Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board on Friday presented in the district court an 18-year-old document that identified Latif Mohammad as the nominated president of the committee for the under-contention Sanjauli mosque here. This submission has been made as a result of a court order requiring clarification on Mohammad’s jurisdiction regarding his offer to demolish three unauthorized floors of the mosque, which is a contentious issue amongst members of the society. The court had on Monday directed the Waqf Board to file an affidavit stating in what capacity Latif Mohammad offered to demolish the three unauthorised floors of the disputed mosque. In its response, the Waqf Board submitted a letter from 2006 by which Latif Mohammad was holding the position of president in the mosque committee. Subsequently, Vishva Bhushan as counsel for the All Himachal Muslim Organisation (AHMO), said that this document is important because of points out the continuity of leadership by Mohammad, although its legitimacy of continuing beyond the statutory five years stipulated by the Waqf Act is ambiguous. According to the Waqf Act, the tenure of committee members is five years, he said. Latif told reporters, “The Waqf Board in its reply said I have been the president of the Sanjauli Mosque committee since 2006 and the Municipal Commissioners Court had also given notice to me in the capacity of president in September.” There have been calls from a section of locals for the demolition of the Sanjauli mosque. On September 11, ten people were injured during a protest against an allegedly illegal portion of the mosque. A day later, Latif Mohammad, and others, offered to demolish the mosque’s three “unauthorised” floors and sought the permission of the Municipal Commissioner. The legal battle escalated when after a protest by the Muslim community group led by Latif and other members of the mosque committee agreed to remove the “unauthorized structure” of the mosque and sought permission from the Municipal Corporation. This demolition was later permitted by the Municipal Commissioner’s Court on the 5th of October and was to be accomplished within two months. However, AHMO challenged this order hoping that the court would vacate it during the next hearing session, leaving the future of the mosque uncertain in doubt due to ongoing tensions between the communities. The next hearing on the matter has been fixed for November 30. ( With inputs from PTI)

HAMBURG, Germany, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XCHG Limited (“XCharge” or the “Company”), (NASDAQ: XCH), a global leader in integrated EV charging solutions, today announced its unaudited financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2024. Operational Highlights Management Remarks Mr. Yifei Hou, Chief Executive Officer of XCharge, commented, “We are pleased to achieve a resilient operating performance in the second quarter of 2024 despite the challenging macroeconomic environment. In this quarter, as we strove to meet customer demands and strengthen our leading position in the global industry, we delivered 26 Net Zero Series (“NZS”) chargers, representing substantial growth from the prior year, which brought our total NZS charger deliveries up to 51 for the first half of 2024. As a pioneer in the EV charger market, we are committed to enhancing our cutting-edge technologies and developing creative solutions to tackle energy problems, innovatively meeting our clients’ needs. Looking ahead, we will continue to invest in research and development, creating new commercialization opportunities and building a global green future.” Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) In September, the Company successfully completed its initial public offering of 3,462,223 American depositary shares ("ADSs") at a price of US$6.20 per ADS, including 128,888 ADSs that the underwriter partially exercised over-allotment options. Each ADS represents 40 Class A ordinary shares. The total offering size was approximately US$21.5 million before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and relevant expenses, with net proceeds of US$19.1 million. Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter of 2024 (in USD millions, except for per ordinary share data and percentage) __________________________________________ 1 Except for gross margin, where absolute change instead of percentage change is presented. 2 See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and “Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” included in this release for further details. About XCharge XCharge, founded in 2015, is a global leader in integrated EV charging solutions. The Company offers comprehensive EV charging solutions which primarily include the DC fast chargers, the advanced battery-integrated DC fast chargers, as well as its accompanying services. Through the combination of XCharge’s proprietary charging technology, energy storage system technology, and accompanying services, the Company enhances EV charging efficiency and unlocks the value of energy storage and management. Committed to providing innovative and efficient EV charging solutions, XCharge is actively working towards establishing a global green future that is critical to long-term growth and development. For more information, please visit: https://investors.xcharge.com/ Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures We consider adjusted net income (loss), a non-GAAP financial measure as a supplemental measure to review and assess our operating performance. The presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We present this non-GAAP financial measure because it is used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and formulate business plans. We also believe that the use of this non-GAAP measure facilitates investors’ assessment of our operating performance. This non-GAAP financial measure is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as an analytical tool. One of the key limitations of using this non-GAAP financial measure is that it does not reflect all items of income and expense that affect our operations. Further, this non-GAAP measure may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore its comparability may be limited. We compensate for these limitations by reconciling this non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance. We encourage you to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. We define adjusted net income (loss) as net income (loss) excluding changes in fair value of financial instruments and gain on extinguishment of convertible debt. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this release. Exchange Rate Information This announcement contains translations of certain EUR amounts into U.S. dollars and RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from EUR to U.S. dollars, from U.S. dollars to EUR, from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB are made at EUR1.0711 to US$1.00 and RMB7.2672 to US$1.00, the exchange rates on June 28, 2024, set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that any amounts that could have been, or could be, converted into another currency, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to”, or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: XCharge IR Department Email: ir@xcharge.com Piacente Financial Communications Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 Jenny Cai Tel: +86 (10) 6508-0677 Email: XCharge@tpg-ir.com Source: XCHG Limited

— Oct. 1, 1924: James Earl Carter Jr. is born in Plains, Georgia, son of James Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. — June 1946: Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy. — July 1946: Carter marries Rosalynn Smith, in Plains. They have four children, John William (“Jack”), born 1947; James Earl 3rd (“Chip”), 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), 1952; and Amy Lynn, 1967. — 1946-1953: Carter serves in a Navy nuclear submarine program, attaining rank of lieutenant commander. — Summer 1953: Carter resigns from the Navy, returns to Plains after father’s death. — 1953-1971: Carter helps run the family peanut farm and warehouse business. — 1963-1966: Carter serves in the Georgia state Senate. — 1966: Carter tries unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. — November 1970: Carter is elected governor of Georgia. Serves 1971-75. — Dec. 12, 1974: Carter announces a presidential bid. Atlanta newspaper answers with headline: “Jimmy Who?” — January 1976: Carter leads the Democratic field in Iowa, a huge campaign boost that also helps to establish Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus. — July 1976: Carter accepts the Democratic nomination and announces Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota as running mate. — November 1976: Carter defeats President Gerald R. Ford, winning 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. — January 1977: Carter is sworn in as the 39th president of the United States. On his first full day in office, he pardons most Vietnam-era draft evaders. —September 1977: U.S. and Panama sign treaties to return the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1999. Senate narrowly ratifies them in 1978. — September 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Carter sign Camp David accords, which lead to a peace deal between Egypt and Israel the following year. — June 15-18, 1979: Carter attends a summit with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna that leads to the signing of the SALT II treaty. — November 1979: Iranian militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. All survive and are freed minutes after Carter leaves office in January 1981. — April 1980: The Mariel boatlift begins, sending tens of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. Many are criminals and psychiatric patients set free by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, creating a major foreign policy crisis. — April 1980: An attempt by the U.S. to free hostages fails when a helicopter crashes into a transport plane in Iran, killing eight servicemen. — Nov. 4, 1980: Carter is denied a second term by Ronald Reagan, who wins 51.6% of the popular vote to 41.7% for Carter and 6.7% to independent John Anderson. — 1982: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter co-found The Carter Center in Atlanta, whose mission is to resolve conflicts, protect human rights and prevent disease around the world. — September 1984: The Carters spend a week building Habitat for Humanity houses, launching what becomes the annual Carter Work Project. — October 1986: A dedication is held for The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The center includes the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and Carter Center offices. — 1989: Carter leads the Carter Center’s first election monitoring mission, declaring Panamanian Gen. Manuel Noriega’s election fraudulent. — May 1992: Carter meets with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at the Carter Center to discuss forming the Gorbachev Foundation. — June 1994: Carter plays a key role in North Korea nuclear disarmament talks. — September 1994: Carter leads a delegation to Haiti, arranging terms to avoid a U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. — December 1994: Carter negotiates tentative cease-fire in Bosnia. — March 1995: Carter mediates cease-fire in Sudan’s war with southern rebels. — September 1995: Carter travels to Africa to advance the peace process in more troubled areas. — December 1998: Carter receives U.N. Human Rights Prize on 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. — August 1999: President Bill Clinton awards Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom. — September 2001: Carter joins former Presidents Ford, Bush and Clinton at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington after Sept. 11 attacks. — April 2002: Carter’s book “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” chosen as finalist for Pulitzer Prize in biography. — May 2002: Carter visits Cuba and addresses the communist nation on television. He is the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. — Dec. 10, 2002: Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” — July 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to focus on global issues. — Spring 2008: Carter remains officially neutral as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton battle each other for the Democratic presidential nomination. — April 2008: Carter stirs controversy by meeting with the Islamic militant group Hamas. — August 2010: Carter travels to North Korea as the Carter Center negotiates the release of an imprisoned American teacher. — August 2013: Carter joins President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington. — Oct. 1, 2014: Carter celebrates his 90th birthday. — December 2014: Carter is nominated for a Grammy in the best spoken word album category, for his book “A Call To Action.” — May 2015: Carter returns early from an election observation visit in Guyana — the Carter Center’s 100th — after feeling unwell. — August 2015: Carter has a small cancerous mass removed from his liver. He plans to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. — August 2015: Carter announces that his grandson Jason Carter will chair the Carter Center governing board. — March 6, 2016: Carter says an experimental drug has eliminated any sign of his cancer, and that he needs no further treatment. — May 25, 2016: Carter steps back from a “front-line” role with The Elders to become an emeritus member. — July 2016: Carter is treated for dehydration during a Habitat for Humanity build in Canada. — Spring 2018: Carter publishes “Faith: A Journey for All,” the last of 32 books. — March 22, 2019: Carter becomes the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018. — September 18, 2019: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter deliver their final in-person annual report at the Carter Center. — October 2019: At 95, still recovering from a fall, Carter joins the Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the last time he works personally on the annual project. — Fall 2019-early 2020: Democratic presidential hopefuls visit, publicly embracing Carter as a party elder, a first for his post-presidency. — November 2020:The Carter Center monitors an audit of presidential election results in the state of Georgia, marking a new era of democracy advocacy within the U.S. — Jan. 20, 2021: The Carters miss President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, the first presidential inauguration they don’t attend since Carter’s own ceremony in 1977. The Bidens later visit the Carters in Plains on April 29. — Feb. 19, 2023: Carter enters home hospice care after a series of short hospital stays. — July 7, 2023: The Carters celebrate their 77th and final wedding anniversary. — Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies at home, two days after the family announced that she had joined the former president in receiving hospice care. — Oct. 1, 2024 — Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to reach 100 years of age , celebrating at home with extended family and close friends. — Oct. 16, 2024 — Carter casts a Georgia mail ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, having told his family he wanted to live long enough to vote for her. It marks his 21st presidential election as a voter. — Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at home.Major stock indexes on Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish Friday, capping a rare bumpy week for the market. The S&P 500 ended essentially flat, down less than 0.1%, after wavering between tiny gains and losses most of the day. The benchmark index posted a loss for the week, its first after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%, ending just below the record high it set on Wednesday. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Gains in technology stocks helped temper losses in communication services, financials and other sectors of the market. Broadcom surged 24.4% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Some tech stocks were a drag on the market. Nvidia fell 2.2%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Google parent Alphabet slid 1.1%. Among the market's other decliners were Airbnb, which fell 4.7% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500, and Charles Schwab, which closed 4% lower. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 17% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. Story continues below video All told, the S&P 500 lost 0.16 points to close at 6,051.09. The Dow dropped 86.06 points to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq rose 23.88 points to 19,926.72. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year . The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed's policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7% in November from 2.6% in October. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5% rise in November, up from 2.3% in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% month-on-month in October, following a 0.1% decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower.

Each quarter, institutional investment firms managing over $100 million are required to file a form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). I like to think about 13Fs as an itemized receipt outlining which stocks Wall Street is buying and selling. While analyzing the filings from Millennium Management, a hedge fund run by billionaire investor Israel Englander, I came across something pretty interesting. During the third quarter, Englander trimmed Millennium's position in Nvidia by a modest 12.6%. While this may not seem like much, consider that Millennium has been a net seller of Nvidia stock for four consecutive quarters now. Below, I'm going to explore two other darlings in the artificial intelligence (AI) realm that Millennium has been buying lately as the fund appears to be taking a breather from Nvidia. 1. Microsoft During the third quarter, Millennium Management scooped up 1.6 million shares of Microsoft ( MSFT 1.00% ) -- increasing its position by 51.4%. In my eyes Microsoft can be credited with kick-starting the AI revolution. Shortly after OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, Microsoft swooped in and invested $10 billion into the start-up. Microsoft's rationale was to leverage ChatGPT's generative AI capabilities and integrate this technology throughout its ecosystem. The biggest new product release out of Microsoft following its partnership with OpenAI is the introduction of a host of virtual assistants, called Copilot. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, "Nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 now use Microsoft 365 Copilot, and customers continue to adopt it at a faster rate than any other new Microsoft 365 suite." Do not underestimate Nadella's words. Microsoft's first-mover advantage in the AI landscape has allowed the company to not only develop AI-powered services faster, but sell them more quickly as well. I see the rapid adoption of Copilot by the world's largest enterprises over the last two years as an extremely encouraging sign. And what's even better is that Nadella subtly alludes to the idea that Copilot's momentum is just getting started. In this article, fellow Fool.com contributor Danny Vena notes that growth from Microsoft's Azure cloud computing business "included roughly 12 points from AI services." This metric is going to become critical for Microsoft over time. It's well known by now that Microsoft is a dominant force in the cloud space, primarily competing with Amazon and Alphabet . As time goes on, I encourage investors not only to look at the rate at which Azure is growing relative to the competition, but to really dial in on how much of its growth can be traced back to Microsoft's AI efforts. MSFT PE Ratio data by YCharts In addition to Microsoft's impressive penetration of the AI market so far, what may have also influenced Englander's decision to buy the stock is valuation. Right now, Microsoft shares trade at a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 34.4. Indeed, this is considerably higher than that of the S&P 500 -- which has an average P/E ratio of 27.9. However, as the chart above indicates, Microsoft's current P/E is essentially in line with the company's 10-year average multiple. Microsoft may actually be underpriced right now despite its premium to the broader market. Microsoft is a much larger and more sophisticated company today than it was a decade ago. Moreover, the AI narrative is just getting started; and if Microsoft's current progress is any indication of what's to come, I'd say the company's long-run outlook is quite strong. I think Microsoft is a compelling opportunity at the moment and think Millennium's decision to buy the stock will prove wise. 2. Meta Platforms Another AI stock that Englander doubled down on during the third quarter is Meta Platforms ( META -0.70% ) . The table below breaks down Millennium's activity in Meta stock over the last several quarters. Metric Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Shares Owned 2.3 million 2.0 million 2.5 million 1.2 million 1.3 million Data source: Hedge Follow. The most obvious takeaway from the data above is that Millennium has been in and out of Meta Stock to varying degrees over the last several quarters. Most notably, the fund trimmed its position significantly between Q1 and Q2 of this year, only to begin adding again over the latest quarter. Admittedly, Meta's position in the AI realm has been difficult to gauge. Although the company has an enormous advertising operation, Meta's Facebook and Instagram face fierce competition from the likes of Google, YouTube, TikTok, and even smaller social media platforms such as Pinterest and Snap . Moreover, the company's initial foray into AI was met with mixed results. While the prospects of Meta's virtual and augmented reality business is still a question mark, the company's generative AI large language model (called Llama ) is starting to give alternatives built by Amazon, Google, and OpenAI a run for their money. As I previously wrote, integrating AI into its products could result in higher engagement rates across its social media platforms. During the company's third-quarter earnings call, Meta's management validated my theory -- citing that its AI applications have started already yielding more time spent on Facebook and Instagram . The lucrative opportunity here is that if Meta can translate these rising engagement rates to more growth in its core advertising business, the company can reinvest that growth into additional AI projects and continue building a more diversified business overall. While there is still a lot to prove, the tide finally seems to be turning for Meta. These dynamics could be influencing Englander's decision to cautiously begin buying the stock again.A quarter-century ago, Michael and Patricia Ferry diligently prepped for the potential crash of computer systems across the world as the year changed from 1999 to 2000. The "Y2K bug" whipped up concerns across the globe about a technological collapse that could affect computer-reliant businesses, governments and more. As programmers shored up computer infrastructures worldwide, countless survival guides — many with intense titles such as "The Y2K Tidal Wave: Year 2000 Economic Survival" and "The Millennium Meltdown" — were published. The Year 2000 problem, or simply Y2K, refers to potential computer errors relating to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after the year 2000. Many programs represented four-digit years with only the final two digits, making the year 2000 indistinguishable from 1900. The fear was that this byte-saving tactic could have disastrous impact when the year flipped, with "2000" read as "1900," possibly taking down power grids, banks, flights and more. As the U.S. government, under then-President Bill Clinton, relied on compliance and education-related initiatives to boost both government and business, the Ferrys did their own prep. Throughout 1999, the couple stockpiled their home in Cochranton, Crawford County, with enough nonperishable food to last the family of four for months, stacked wood that would last two winters, and kept oil lamps and a solar cooker on hand. All in case the worst-case scenario became reality. "We figured if the entire grid went down, we had the ability to eat and keep ourselves warm," Ferry, now 63, told the Post-Gazette — where he and his wife's preparations ahead of Y2K were featured on the front page of the newspaper in an edition published on Jan. 3, 1999. Most Americans were aware of the "millennium bug" issue, with a March 1999 Gallup survey of 2,653 adults finding that just 7% reported hearing "nothing" about it. The Ferry's preparations raised some eyebrows among others in the community, Ferry recalled, but he paid no mind. "There's always pushback," he said. "There's always those that stand on the sidelines. ... I said, 'If everything goes bad, I'm ready.' If everything goes good, I was prepared and could use what I've got to provide for my life." With an estimated $200 billion to $600 billion spent across the globe to avert it, the large-scale crash never happened. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics Administration, in a November 1999 report, noted that, "(t)o find and fix their Y2K problems, businesses and government agencies have diverted in the neighborhood of $100 billion from other purposes in recent years." A regional preparedness While the Ferrys readied themselves ahead of Y2K, so did hospitals, banks, utilities, schools and numerous other organizations across the region. The Pittsburgh Public School District purchased software packages that fortified the computers against any potential Y2K glitches. The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh updated the central computer system — holding financial and payroll information — for its schools to prevent any issues as well. Meanwhile, hospital networks across the region, including Pittsburgh Mercy Health System and the UPMC umbrella, readied generators and reviewed biomedical equipment to evaluate the propensity to malfunction in late 1999. At the time, West Penn Allegheny Health System, now under Allegheny Health Network, "had a full-scale emergency operations team that began working together months in advance of the turnover, anticipating every possible element of our operations that might be impacted," Dan Laurent, AHN vice president of corporate communications, stated in an email. Municipalities across the region also followed suit. Murrysville officials formed a committee a year before New Year's Day 2000 that came up with a 15-step plan to prepare for any issues a computer glitch could bring. In Whitaker, buildings were identified ahead of the new year to house people if needed. West Mifflin police set up a system where a siren would sound outside the fire hall with the press of a button in case phone lines went down. In Pleasant Hills, borough officials even discussed identifying "street leaders" throughout the community who would be given a borough-provided two-way radio to request help in the case of an emergency, though former emergency management coordinator Bob Martys said recently that he does not recall if that plan was ever enacted. He did, however, remember how he spent New Year's Eve in 1999: with his family, alongside other borough officials, including the fire chief and mayor, at the Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company. "We just didn't know what was going to happen with phone communications or anything like that, so once we got closer to New Year's, we decided let's all spend New Year's Eve together at the fire company," Martys said. In the lead-up to 2000, he said, anticipating any issues related to computers was at the forefront of the minds of borough leadership. "It was a big priority for us," he said. "Of course, as you can imagine, the borough officials, mayor and council folks, we were very concerned." And despite the fact that no major outages occurred, Martys said, looking back, he is still happy the borough prepared as much as it did. "I am certainly glad that we were, what I would call at this point in time, overly prepared, just in case," he said. "We're a close-knit community. We just wanted to make sure that we were able to take care of our residents and do whatever we needed to make that happen." Ferry — who now lives with his wife in remote and sparsely populated Spray, Ore. — said the education he got while prepping for the turn of the millennium stuck with him. In order to be prepared for other potential emergencies, "whether it be earthquake, wildfire or a devastation of the national grid," the Ferrys are ready. That includes having three different sources of power for their home — solar, propane and car-powered — maintaining a well for clean water and keeping a stockpiled pantry. In 1999, as "a 37-year-old that thought he was invincible," Ferry said he learned a lot, both about himself and how to prepare for the worst. "I had to evaluate, what if some neighbors don't have the ability to provide for themselves? Can I make what I have stretch to provide for my community?" (c)2024 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The world stands at the dawn of a “third nuclear age” in which Britain is threatened by multiple dilemmas, the head of the armed forces has warned. But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”

Pete Hegseth ’s quest to take over the Pentagon has been fraught — to say the least. The former Fox News host has been struggling to weather a firestorm of scrutiny stemming from a series of damning revelations about his past since Donald Trump tapped him as his Secretary of Defense nominee last month. Many of these revelations revolve around Hegseth’s drinking. There’s the disturbing 2017 sexual assault allegation, the police report for which included a hotel worker at the scene of the alleged incident saying Hegseth seemed very drunk . Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing, and told police at the time that he was only “buzzed.” There’s also The New Yorker ’s recent report about Hegseth’s time leading two veterans groups , during which he allegedly drank to the point that staffers at one of the groups found it embarrassing. He even once chanted “Kill All Muslims!” in a bar in a “drunk and violent manner,” according to an internal complaint. A few days after that bombshell dropped, NBC News reported that Hegseth’s colleagues at Fox News, where he worked for over 10 years, harbored concerns about his drinking. On Wednesday, NPR reported that one of Hegseth’s former Fox colleagues said he was repeatedly “handsy” when intoxicated, and she alleged he groped her at a bar. Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill this week trying to convince Republican senators that he’s still fit to lead the nation’s largest bureaucracy. It hasn’t been going great, with several senators expressing concern to reporters. Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), who on Monday defended Hegseth as a victim of the media throwing “disparaging remarks at someone who has earned a great deal of credibility,” changed her tune about the allegations a day later, saying they are something Hegseth “needs to address.” He’s apparently been addressing them by promising senators he’ll stop drinking if they confirm him. He reportedly made the vow to Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). “I think that’s probably a good idea,” Wicker told reporters, per The Hill . Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time It’s unclear if promising to go cold turkey while taking on one of the most pressure-packed jobs in the nation will convince Republicans to confirm him, but it does seem to be something they want from him. “I would love that. That would help. It would help me a lot,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told reporters on Wednesday. Hegseth acknowledged his drinking earlier in the day in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal . “Like veterans returning from any war, we drank beers to manage the reality of what we had faced. But we never did anything improper, and we treated everyone with respect,” he wrote of his time leading the group Vets for Freedom. In an interview with Megyn Kelly later in the day, he claimed: “I never had a drinking problem.” Hegseth has maintained that he has the full support of Trump and his team — despite the transition team being furious with him for not telling them about the 2017 sexual assault allegation, as Rolling Stone reported last month. He told reporters on Wednesday that he spoke in the morning with the president-elect, who told him to “keep fighting.” Hegseth was scheduled to continue meeting with senators on Thursday, but reports emerged that he would instead be flying to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump, who is said to be considering withdrawing the nomination. When Hegseth was asked Wednesday afternoon whether he’d be flying to south Florida the next day, however, he replied, simply, “No.” If it sounds like Hegseth’s nomination is in trouble, he reportedly told Republican lawmakers that his mother has been calling senators on his behalf — which will surely fix matters.If you’re sitting on a pile of travel or credit card rewards with no immediate travel plans, donating them to a charity is an easy way to have a positive impact. And it's a popular way to give: In 2021, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members donated around 94 million miles to charities at an approximate cash value of $2.6 million, according to the airline. Beyond the social benefits, miles donations also qualify as activity on your loyalty account and can prevent the rest of your rewards from expiring . But if you’re in the habit of maximizing points and miles, you might also want to stretch the value of your charitable donations as far as possible. And by that measure, some methods of donating points and miles fall short. Here’s what to consider before donating your miles and points . Many loyalty programs make it easy to redeem your points and miles for a donation directly through their rewards portals. But some portals — especially those from airline and hotel programs — don’t publish the cash value a charity will receive for your miles or points. That means the charity may receive less value for your donation than you’d think, while also making it hard to compare the value of a donation with the value of other options for redeeming your points. Best Western Rewards is one of the few loyalty programs that publishes a cash value for charitable points donations. The charity will receive $2 for every 500 points you donate, for a point a value of 0.4 cent each. NerdWallet values Best Western points at 0.6 cent apiece, so you would receive 33% less value for your donation relative to using them for a hotel stay. Generally, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t count points and miles as a source of income, so if you donate them, you can't deduct the cash value of your gift. This lack of favorable tax treatment for the consumer combined with the uncertain value you’ll often receive for miles and points donations should have you at least consider other avenues for your philanthropic endeavors. Keep in mind that this drawback only matters for taxpayers who itemize deductions on their income tax returns. If you're like most people and take the standard deduction instead of itemizing, you wouldn't be able to get a charitable tax deduction from any donation. Some rewards programs have a minimum donation amount for select charities. For example, you’d have to donate at least 2,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points for a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. That minimum amount makes it tougher to donate points that may be collecting dust in your loyalty account. To maximize the value of your donation, consider a charity that books travel directly with your miles or points rather than donating directly through your loyalty program's portal. For example, Miles4Migrants uses donated airline miles and credit card points to directly book award travel for refugees and asylum seekers. “Instead of maximizing points and miles to book a dream trip, we do it to help refugees reach safe new beginnings,” said Patrick Stouffer, partnerships manager at Miles4Migrants, in an email. Miles4Migrants has redeemed over 775 million donated miles in pursuit of their mission, with a cash value of over $17 million. That expertise allows them to get more value out of every donation. “Our team has the specialized knowledge necessary to stretch the value of every point or mile, ensuring donations go as far as possible,” Stouffer said. “Even if you aren’t able to reap any tax advantages of donating your points, at least you’ll know they made the largest possible impact.” Direct cash donations help avoid the downsides of donating miles and points. If you have a credit card that earns cash back , or if you earn cash rewards through a shopping portal like TopCashBack or Rakuten , consider cashing out and donating those rewards instead of your miles and points. With a cash donation, you’ll know the exact value a charity will receive from your donation and likely qualify for a potential itemized deduction on your taxes. Some rewards programs make this process simple and transparent. Travel rewards programs sometimes incentivize charitable giving by offering bonus points for your cash donations. For example, American Airlines offers 10 AAdvantage miles for every dollar members contribute to the charity Stand Up To Cancer. That extra incentive can be an individual boon for your charitable donation. Just be aware that any points or miles you receive from such promotions will reduce the tax deductibility of your contribution. American Airlines values those bonus miles you receive through donations at 3 cents each. So if you donate $100 and receive 1,000 AAdvantage miles, American values those miles at $30. You’ll receive a tax form declaring those rewards as $30 in income, giving you a qualifying tax deduction of $70. When you donate cash and receive bonus points, the charity still receives your full donation and you get a slug of points. While you'll have to pay taxes on those points, it can still be a big win for your future travel plans. More From NerdWallet Craig Joseph writes for NerdWallet. Email: cjoseph@nerdwallet.com . The article Should You Donate Your Points and Miles to Charity? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Lake Shore Bank freed from order that found 'unsafe and unsound business practices'Road-weary Jets aim to keep division lead vs. resilient StarsGUINNESS "panic-buying" has pubs fearing they may run out before Christmas as the drinks giant warned of a cap on the number of kegs available. Pubs may run out of the drink, one of Britain's most popular pints , following the unprecedented spike in demand for the black stuff. The number of kegs that pubs can receive have had “allocation limits” placed on them by its owner, drinks giant Diageo, as it aims to manage supplies across the UK. While it has been quick to reassure drinkers that taps will not run dry, one pub company warned its managers that "quantities may be limited through the festive season ". The spike in demand is understood to have come from a spell of colder weather and four weekends of rugby union internationals in November. This may have stretched supply of the Irish stout, which has become increasingly popular in recent years. Read More on Pubs The once unfashionable brand has even birthed its own fan base, with so-called "Guinnfluencers" now all over social media . Stars ranging from Hugh Jackman all the way to Kim Kardashian have shown their love for the drink . Earlier this year, Diageo’s chief executive Debra Crew said sales of the black stuff among UK women had increased 24 per cent. The drink also has a special place amongst rugby fans, having been affiliated with the sport for 60-years, and has been the official beer of the Six Nations since 2007. Most read in Money England , Scotland and Ireland played four home matches in the autumn internationals series, while Wales played three in November. Pubs were regularly packed out with fans both celebrating and drowning their sorrows. An email from one large pub company to publicans, seen by The Times , said it while it was managing the situation, "stock allocation" would be in place. It did however add that regular deliveries of Guinness would take place throughout December, although quantities available for order may be "limited" over the festive period. Other pub operators have confirmed they have been “restricted”. One publican said some of his competitors were “ panic buying ” to prepare for the festive period, further stretching supply. A spokesman for Diageo said: “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain. "We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible. This comes as boozers were outraged after it was announced a dozen popular beers are set to be axed from pubs over Christmas. Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) is ditching 11 classic British cask beers in a matter of weeks. The bizarre decision is said to have a "huge impact" on pubs and pub-goers. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) were the first to spot the delisting, slamming the decision as "another example of a globally owned business wiping out UK brewing heritage". READ MORE SUN STORIES The organisation's Cider and Perry campaigns director and vice chair Gillian Hough fumed: "This loss of consumer choice is the inevitable outcome of a brewing conglomerate run by accountants and the bottom line. "This is a sad and disappointing decision that puts both the history and the future of British brewing in jeopardy."

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