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Edmonton zoo elephant Lucy gets medical OK as she approaches 50th birthdayVeridooh has made three senior appointments across key international strategic markets to reflect its commitment to global expansion and innovation and the rising demand for independent verification for the OOH industry. Joining the adtech company is James Corbett as director of operations, EMEA and Americas, Max Kalkhof as director of communications, and Ebony Cox as account director UK and Netherlands. Corbett , former Dentsu senior vice president and JCDecaux head of UK operations, joins Veridooh with nearly 20 years of experience across industries, including media, technology, and infrastructure. He brings a strong track record of driving growth through operational excellence and leading large-scale expansion projects globally and will report to co-CEO Mo Moubayed . “Veridooh is the global leader in independent verification for OOH, and it’s been impressive to see the speed with which they’ve helped grow the industry in Australia and internationally,” Corbett said. “Talking to agencies and advertisers across the board, it’s clear that there’s a huge appetite for greater transparency around the delivery of OOH campaigns, and I’m excited to be part of the team making it happen.” James Corbett Kalkhof joins Veridooh as a former Axel Springer China correspondent and Klarna Global Communications. He brings more than ten years of experience in journalism and corporate communications in the financial services industry. He also led communications for Canadian crypto exchange Virgo during the company’s expansion into Australia, and will also report to Moubayed. Kalkhof said: “Even for someone new to the advertising industry like myself, it’s easy to understand the value proposition and huge upside potential of independent OOH verification. I’m thrilled to be joining Veridooh at such an exciting time to drive communications and marketing for the company as it brings the analytics of the online world to the most powerful channel in advertising.” Max Kalkhof Cox brings extensive account management experience in the real estate and technology industries. She was previously a senior account manager at property company Zero Deposit and an Account Manager at IT company Hubble. She will report to Moubayed. “Veridooh has revolutionized independent verification in OOH advertising, earning recognition as a global leader,” Cox said. “The company’s innovation and influence on the industry are unparalleled. I’m thrilled to join Veridooh during this exciting period of growth, as demand for their solution continues to rise and the company expands its presence worldwide.” The arrival of Corbett, Kalkhof, and Cox comes as independent verification becomes the next driver for growth for a channel that is going digital at a rapid pace. Global outdoor advertising revenue is forecast to grow by more than 36% between 2024 and 2029, reaching US$67.8 billion in 2029 . Ebony Cox Moubayed said: “Demand for Veridooh’s innovative independent OOH verification solution is surging globally, and James, Max, and Ebony bring the expertise to drive our next phase of growth. With their experience, we’ll expand our reach to more advertisers and agencies worldwide. “James is a leading expert in improving operational excellence while driving scalable and sustainable expansion across multiple geographies. Max is a battle-tested corporate communications and media relations expert with a track record of driving global messaging. And Ebony is a seasoned account management professional who will help us service our global client base. “I can’t wait to have James, Max, and Ebony on the team to bring independent verification to even more clients and markets around the world.” Mo Moubayed – Top image: James Corbett, Max Kalkhof, Ebony Cox Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.OTTAWA — Liberal Minister Harjit Sajjan is defending his decision to accept an invitation from a B.C. Crown corporation to attend a Taylor Swift concert. Global News first reported that Sajjan will be attending the concert on the taxpayer's dime as a guest of PavCo, a provincial Crown corporation that owns BC Place. A spokeswoman for Sajjan says the minister only accepted the tickets after receiving clearance from the ethics commissioner. Joanna Kanga says the minister is making a donation of $1,500 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank as part of a fundraising effort tied to the event. Sajjan, who is the minister of Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, will be attending the concert with his daughter in Vancouver on Saturday. Swift is closing out her Eras Tour in the city on Sunday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2024. Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press
Trudeau told Trump Americans would also suffer if tariffs are imposed, a Canadian minister saysKlaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images Thesis Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: RKLB ) stock has been on a tear lately, with the stock more than doubling in the past month. Some have referred to this surge as a 'rocket launch' but even rockets are Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Colorado's Travis Hunter to enter draft, vows to be full-time CB and WR in NFLThe Republican Party will hold a maximum of 220 House seats in the upcoming congress and could hold just a one-seat majority until early April, leaving little room for House Speaker Mike Johnson to maneuver come January. The Associated Press called California’s 13th congressional district race for Democrat Adam Gray at 12:54 a.m. Wednesday, with Gray defeating incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte by less than 200 votes. As a result of the loss and the anticipated vacancies of Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York, Mike Waltz of Florida and Matt Gaetz of Florida, the House GOP is expected to hold a zero-margin majority until as late as April. (RELATED: Nadler Concedes To Raskin, Bows Out Of Running For Top Position) “It looks like the final number will be 220 Republicans, 215 Democrats. And when three of our colleagues depart in the early part of the year, joining the administration or one resigning, it’ll be 217 to 215,” Johnson told reporters during a press conference Wednesday. “Do the math, we have nothing to spare ... This is a team effort and we’ve got to all row in the same direction.” 🚨🚨🚨 #CA13 Update – IT’S OVER. Adam Gray nets 22 votes from Fresno County’s update, extending his lead over Republican John Duarte to 187 votes. https://t.co/Un30ztgAid — Rob Pyers (@rpyers) December 4, 2024 The razor thin majority could pose a challenge to the GOP’s legislative agenda, which reportedly includes a sweeping border, defense and energy bill and an extension of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts . The tax cuts first passed the House with 12 Republicans voting against the plan and no Democrats voting for it — an outcome that would cause extension efforts to fail given the new, far smaller majority. During the Biden administration, a narrow effective Senate majority impeded Democratic legislative initiatives, with Independent West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — both of whom are former Democrats and caucus with the party — torpedoing efforts to eliminate the filibuster in 2022. Manchin also sunk President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill — a precursor to the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that included trillions of dollars in additional social spending. Despite the slim majority, a source familiar expressed confidence to the Daily Caller News Foundation that the party would stick together and execute its legislative aims, largely because of Trump’s influence: “We’re going to be seeing less of that [internal party dissent] because we have the White House this time around. President Trump is committed to personally lobbying members and pushing his agenda through Congress.” Republican Texas Rep. Chip Roy also signaled optimism to the DCNF, explaining, “We have to deliver — which means working together ahead of time, defining our guardrails & redlines and executing. But things will change. That is a must.” The Republican House majority in the 118th Congress was marred by in-fighting, with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy being removed in Nov. 2023 after eight Republicans supported his ouster. The following three nominees for the position after McCarthy’s exit — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise , House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Republican Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer — all dropped their bids or were unable to secure the 215-vote total required. While Johnson eventually secured the role, he also faced internal dissent, with Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene unsuccessfully pushing to vacate the speakership in May. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has set a general election date of April 1 to fill Gaetz’s seat. He has not yet set a date for Waltz’s, as the congressmen has yet to resign. New York law requires Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul call a special election within ten days of when Stefanik leaves the House, with the election to be held between 70 and 80 days after the call is made. As a result, if Stefanik resigns on Jan. 3 — the first day of the new congress — the special election would be held in March. When reached for comment, Johnson’s office referred the DCNF to his Wednesday press conference statements. Trump’s communications team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org .
Onyx Boox has a new colour e-paper e-notebook that is now available to order, the Onyx Boox Note Air 4C. This device is designed for note-taking and also reading in full colour. The central selling point is the 10.3-inch Carta 1200 colour e-paper display with Android 13 and full access to the Google Play Store. Coming to price, the new is currently available to order for $499.99. Onyx Boox introduced the new Note Air4 C with an I10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 display with a Kaleido 3 panel. The resolution is a lovely 2480 x 1860 with 300 PPI when viewing B/W content but gets halved to 1240 x 930 or 150 PPI for colour content. When viewing PDF files, journals, comics or web content, all of this can be viewed with 4,096 colours. The screen is flush with the bezel and protected by a layer of glass. Reading at night is possible, thanks to the warm and cool lights. Further, with the onboard Boox Super Refresh or BSR tech, you have ultra-clear displays and fast page refresh times. There are zero remnants of previous displays to mar the viewing experience. The accompanying stylus, which Onyx refers to as the Pen Plus, offers a natural paper-like writing feel. The Pen Plus is ideal for expressing creativity in notes, annotations, or drawings. The capacitive pen sensitively supports 4,096 levels of pressure. Underneath the hood is an Octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It has an SD card slot capable of 1TB of extra storage if you need further storage. There are dual microphones for audio dictation or voice communication apps. Dual speakers are good for audiobooks, podcasts, music or audio playback, but they have Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless earbuds or headphones. WIFI is available to install apps and access the internet. A USB-C port can be used as an audio jack and has OTG, also used for charging. A 3,700mAh Li-ion Polymer battery powers it. The dimensions are 226 x 193 x 5.8 mm (8.9′′ x 7.6′′ x 0.23′′) and weighs approx. 420 g (14.8 oz) The industrial design is similar to the Remarkable two or Kindle Scribe 2. It is black along the bezels but has a dark grey ledger on the left. The back of the device is also black. The power button with a fingerprint sensor is at the top. The speakers, USB port, and Micro SD slot are on the bottom. The Boox Note Air 4C runs Google Android 13, which makes it one of the few e-notes or e-readers on the market with such a recent version of Android. This includes not only performance increases but also major security updates. Onyx is one of the few companies that include Google Play and Play Services on all its devices. Bigme is another brand that does this. Users can sign into their account and start downloading apps that have already been downloaded or purchased on other Android phones or tablets. Onyx runs Boox OS, a customized launcher that optimizes e-paper e-readers, e-notes, and tablets. The company constantly pushes out firmware updates to refine the reading, writing and general performance. They do this every few months, which is suitable for users who can invest in the Onyx platform, knowing that it will be supported for at least five years. This is the fastest Onyx product we have ever reviewed. If you launch an app, it automatically opens. Navigating around Google Play is instant; even animations play correctly. Browsing the UI and settings menu is lightning-fast. This is the same as the standard speed model. I don’t know what Onyx did underneath the hood on a software level, but compared to the Leaf 2 with Carta 1200 or the Nova Air 2, this blows them out of the water with performance. A year ago, Onyx revised its user interface to make it more user-friendly. The navigation bar is at the bottom, and the UI elements change depending on what you have open, such as the Note taking app, reading app, Google Play, or the internet browser. The home screen gives shortcuts to the library, note-taking app, file browser, and settings. You can click on things to launch specific elements that support gesture control. If you swipe upwards from the bottom of the Ultra, below the icons, you will automatically go to the home screen. If you swipe down from the top, you get the typical Android notifications. Swipe downward to where the WIFI is and click the symbol, and you will launch the main settings drop-down menu. If you long press on the main home screen, you can now add widgets, which is exciting. There are a few stock ones, such as calendar, weather and clock, but you can download additional ones from Google Play. The main drop-down is called Control Centre. This is where you can establish a WIFI network and Bluetooth connection, access the E INK Control Centre, rotate, screencast, mute notifications, turn on/off the touchscreen, split screen view, screen recording, Boox Drop, Screenshot, Do Not Disturb mode and screen refresh. You can also adjust the volume of the two stereo speakers or if you are using Bluetooth headphones. The front light and colour temperature system can also be changed here. A tiny gear setting also allows you to turn on or off any options on the Control Centre. E INK Control Centre is beneficial. You can control the dark and light levels of the entire device. This helps with contrast. I prefer the icons and text slightly darker than the default setting. You can also augment the light and dark values per app. So, you downloaded the Kindle app but found the UI and text a bit dark. You can access the Control Centre and adjust the darker values; they will always be there whenever you launch the app. Onyx Boox has the refreshed technology they mention on all their premium devices. This system is designed to make the e-paper display function more like an Android tablet. You can access this from the drop-down menu or the settings menu. HD, the default standard, and Balanced gives you a nice blend of increased performance with slight image degradation. Fast offers kick the Ultra into overdrive, making it even quicker. At the same time, Ultrafast is ideal for watching streaming videos or listening to audio from sources such as YouTube or Spotify. Onyx has also changed the settings menu. The main navigation bar is now on the right side, and all data from the fields is now on the right side. This gives you a standard Android interface. Some of the most notable functions here are controlling the new gesture controls and how you gesture to do specific things. You can swipe in particular ways to refresh the screen, which helps eliminate the ghosting from the faster speed modes. Desktop settings allow you to add your screen saver or power off images. The display is where you can change the system fonts and text sizes. Brightness, screen timeout, and auto sleep are also helpful. Onyx has added a new feature called total refresh frequency. This is controlled by tapping the screen with the stylus or your finger. The default value is 5, but you can change it to whatever you want; I like 3. So if you quickly tap the screen three times, no matter where you are on the device, the net will refresh. Our personal lives are entirely of colour. Our eyes can see colour everywhere we look. Computer monitors, smartphones and iPad tablets display billions of colours but have harmful blue light, and some people have sensitivity issues. This is where the Note Air 4C comes in; no light is shining into your eyes but evenly distributed across the screen. All of the apps you install are in full colour and the same, with icons all over the screen. The Note Air 4C makes a perfect e-reader for reading books, comics, manga, PDF files, and other digital content. This is because it has a 10.3-inch and tons of real estate for all text to fit evenly across the screen. Flipping pages is ultra-fast and even faster if you engage in any speed modes from the E INK Control Centre. The image quality is very pronounced, so if you are looking for a multipurpose tablet to read, this one’s for you. The e-reading experience starts with the stock app Neoreader, where you can side-load all your content with many options for font sizes, font type, alignment, line spacing and margins. It supports PRC, RTF, Doc, Text, DJVU, PDF, Mobi, FB2, EPUB, CBR and CBZ. CBZ and CBR support is excellent for sideloading Manga files since this is the most popular online format. However, Amazon delivers manga in AZW3 and Kobo/Google via EPUB. You don’t need to worry about forms if you install apps such as VIZ or manga apps. This device excels at reading PDF files, whether replicas from a newspaper, Dungeons and Dragons source material or even reading office documents. You can quickly sign your tax returns or contract documents with a flourish of the stylus or use your fingers for handwriting. You can quickly fill in boxes and write in fields. Manga is also excellent. However, your mileage might vary depending on whether you use a dedicated app or side-load your content. The Note Air 4C shines when you access Google Play and download your favourite apps. This gives you tremendous flexibility and freedom to use whatever reading or news apps you usually use on your smartphone or tablet. I know many people always install Libby to read eBooks or listen to audiobooks borrowed from the public library. The Kindle reading app is the most popular since it was initially developed for smartphones and tablets. The page turn animation always looks nice and pretty, but it struggles on E INK devices due to the refresh issue. This is why Onyx made enhancements to the app on a system level to eliminate animated page turns, so it is seamless and robust when you turn a page. Over the years, they have optimized many other apps but tend to focus on the writing experience on their extensive line of e-notes. The company has also made enhancements to several productivity apps. The Note Air 4C is not billed as an e-reader but primarily as a replacement for paper and a note-taking device. However, I would dare recommend this product not to be drawn but to view all your digital content in full colour on an E INK screen. You won’t get any reflections from the sun, and battery life is measured in weeks, not days. The Note Air 4C is a dedicated digital note-taking device that allows you to draw freehand, make notes, or doodle in colour. Eighteen colour combinations can be selected, just the primary colours. When you are finished drawing, you can save the notebook to the device, export it as a PNG or PDF file, and copy it to your PC/MAC. Once it is opened on your computer, you can view the document in all the colours you made. A total of 4096 colours can be displayed for colour content. When you want to draw something, you can use a variety of pens, pencils, and other tools, such as a mechanical pencil and highlighter, fountain pen, paintbrush, ballpoint pen, or text. You can also set the line thickness to get thinner or thicker lines, and the stylus has pressure sensitivity, too. One of the features I like is using layers. This system is similar to popular photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. As an essential feature that users frequently require, layers can help people take notes without ruining the templates and draw details while retaining the original layout. The built-in Notes app currently supports you in adding up to five layers. As the template is the base layer, you can simultaneously have up to six layers. By selecting a template as the base layer, you can give your work comprehensive layout instructions. You can choose from local space, cloud space, or in png format to give a page a specific look. But what else can it do? You can use screencast to connect whatever is on your Note Air 4C to your PC. This is useful during meetings or to show people what you have been working on rather than crowding around the e-reader. Onyx also has a , and they are working on an IOS version. This is optional to use. It lets you sync everything on the Ultra C to your smartphone or from your smartphone to the Note. Onyx also provides 10GB of cloud storage for everything in their cloud. You only need to use the companion app if you want smartphone integration. There are a few essential features worth mentioning. Documents can have 500 pages on them to have extensive notes. I also like saving your favourite pen settings to the entire UI, so you can select each one by tapping your finger on it or using the stylus. For example, Pen 1 can have a pencil with thick lines and be back. Pen 2 can be a highlighter with RED and thin lines; Pen 3 can be a brush with thick lines. I also like how you can import pictures from Dropbox or Google Drive into the notes, resize them in a message, and edit them. You can start drawing on PDF files as soon as they are loaded and save the edited file as a different file name or overwrite the original. You get a different interface when editing PDF files than the standard drawing experience on the note-taking app. Even with the Normal HD mode, I have never seen an Onyx Boox product perform so well with PDF files. Page turns are instant, there is no latency, and it is like using an iPad. Suppose you try pinching and zooming a PDF; a small notification window pops and asks if you should turn the function on. Other Onyx models have this feature but are buried in various sub-menus. The Notes app provides more powerful tools with constant firmware updates than ever. You can use handwriting recognition (AI tool) to quickly transform your handwritten notes into text. You can also insert recordings, pictures, attachments, and links to an internal page or an external website to make your messages look vivid. This is by far the company’s most ridiculous release. It is the fourth generation—yes, you heard that correctly—of the Note Air Cline. There are only three differences from the previous generation Note Air 3C: You have an updated version of Android, which is 10 Grams lighter, and you get 2GB of extra RAM. That’s it. Furthermore, they did not increase the price, uncharacteristic of the brand, which baffles me, as Onyx has increased the cost of every incremental upgrade. The differences are negligible: 10 G of weight savings is unnoticeable by the human hand, two gigs of RAM were virtually identical under pretty much any stress test process we used on the unit, and the latest version of Android only applies to high-profile games, etc. Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
NoneTennis Australia ‘hits different’ with fresh take on AO memorabilia in new campaign via BMFIn recent years, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) into various sectors has set the stage for businesses to emerge as leaders in this revolutionary field. Among these frontrunners, Nvidia has captured significant attention with its astonishing stock market ascension, marking a 2,300% growth over the past five years. This surge highlights Nvidia’s pivotal role in the AI-driven economy, especially as demand for its data center and graphics chips rises. Stellar Stock Performance Nvidia’s one-year return of 199% is driven by the increasing need for GPUs (graphics processing units), essential for running AI applications across diverse industries such as cloud computing, finance, and healthcare. As companies integrate AI into their operations, Nvidia has strategically positioned itself as a preferred supplier of critical infrastructure solutions. Supply Chain Dynamics Holding an impressive 80% market share, Nvidia’s dominance is clear. Despite potential GPU shortages, particularly affecting gamers, the company’s continued revenue growth, as observed in fiscal 2024, signifies sustainable demand. This scenario creates a promising environment for Nvidia as it navigates supply chain challenges amid rising demand for AI and machine learning technologies. Impressive Financials Nvidia’s recent financial performance is remarkable, with a 94% revenue boost to $35.08 billion and an 111% increase in earnings per share. The company’s forecast for a 73% GAAP margin in the upcoming quarter suggests robust profitability. What Lies Ahead? Nvidia is far from reaching its peak. Pursuing new ventures—like supercomputers in Denmark, AI collaborations with major telecoms, and automotive integrations—demonstrates its expansive growth strategy. Analysts predict Nvidia’s earnings will continue to climb, making its stock an attractive option for long-term investors seeking opportunities within the AI sector. Unlocking the Secrets Behind Nvidia’s AI Dominance: Innovations, Comparisons, and Market Trajectories Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many sectors, with key players like Nvidia driving the change. This article delves into Nvidia’s groundbreaking innovations, market readiness, future predictions, and how it stands tall against its competitors in the AI arena. Innovations Fueling Nvidia’s Ascent Nvidia’s journey from a prominent graphics card manufacturer to a leader in AI solutions has been nothing short of remarkable. The company has been at the forefront of technological advancements, including the development of powerful GPUs tailored for AI applications. Innovations such as the Nvidia A100 and H100 GPUs are pivotal, offering enhanced performance for machine learning tasks, data analytics, and complex modeling. These advancements are crucial for AI-driven sectors, promising faster computation rates and seamless integration. Comparing with Competitors While Nvidia leads the GPU market with a commanding 80% share, competitors like AMD and Intel are striving to narrow the gap. AMD, for example, has made strides with its Radeon Instinct series, designed to facilitate AI workloads. Intel is not far behind, banking on its Xe GPUs and investment in AI-focused startups to capture market share. Nvidia’s robust ecosystem—built on CUDA, its parallel computing platform—provides it an edge, offering developers a flexible and efficient framework for AI development. Use Cases and Applications Nvidia’s technology finds applications across various industries, enhancing capabilities and streamlining processes. In finance, its GPUs help in real-time data analysis and algorithmic trading. The healthcare industry benefits from Nvidia’s AI tools for predictive analytics and medical imaging. The automotive sector is another significant adopter, using Nvidia’s chipsets for self-driving technology and advanced driver-assistance systems. Insights into Future Market Trends The future of AI is ever-evolving, with Nvidia poised to ride the wave of growing demand. The company’s exploration into building supercomputers, collaborating with leading telecom firms, and embedding AI in automotive solutions points to a broader market expansion. There is a rising trend towards sustainability, and Nvidia’s efforts in developing energy-efficient chips align with this vision. Predictions for the AI Landscape Industry analysts project a bullish outlook for Nvidia, with expectations of sustained earnings growth and stock appreciation. The continuous integration of AI into mainstream technology heralds immense opportunities for Nvidia and similar companies. As industries transition towards AI, Nvidia’s established infrastructure and technological footprint position it to benefit substantially. For more about Nvidia and its pioneering innovations in AI, you can visit the Nvidia website . In conclusion, Nvidia’s resilience and adaptability place it at the pinnacle of the AI revolution. As it continues to innovate and expand its portfolio, Nvidia remains a key player to watch in the ever-dynamic tech landscape.SAY the name JK Rowling and be ready to take cover as sanctimonious snowflakes screech hate about her views on transgender people. But attempts by leftie woke warriors to cancel the Harry Potter author have failed, with news she will definitely play a key role in a £1.6billion, ten-year TV adaptation of her books about the boy wizard. Furious trans activists had complained about Rowling being an executive producer on the show, which is being made in Britain for American TV channel HBO’s streaming service Max. Rowling has previously come under fire for claiming the “trans women are women” mantra is “idiotic”, and for campaigning to preserve safe spaces and women’s toilets for biological females only. JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement. But she denies being transphobic — and now excitement about the new TV project has drowned out calls for a boycott of her participation. At the weekend, HBO said: “We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter — the heartwarming books that speak to the power of friendship, resolve and acceptance. READ MORE ON JK ROWLING “JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views. “We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.” The announcement has quietened those who have lined up to deny the 59-year-old her views on transgender questions. Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint , stars of the Harry Potter movie franchise, have previously slammed her comments on transgender rights. Most read in News TV Casting open to public But Daniel, who played Harry, and Rupert, famed as Potter’s pal Ron Weasley at wizard school Hogwarts, have now both said they are looking forward to HBO bringing back the characters they played in eight films. And well they might — the TV series, which promises to “dive deep into each one of the iconic books” is a seriously big deal. Thousands of children have auditioned to play Harry, Ron and their friend Hermione Granger — portrayed in the films by Emma Watson — ahead of the expected start of filming in the spring . Meanwhile, Gary Oldman , who played wizard Sirius Black in the movies, has put his hat in the ring for future projects, saying, “Maybe in a few years I can play [Hogwarts headmaster] Dumbledore”. His former fellow cast members, including Helena Bonham Carter , Ralph Fiennes and Jim Broadbent , have all defended Rowling’s right to express her opinions. If there’s a better hill to die on than the rights and safety of women and children, I’ve never found it. These public displays of support for the writer reflect a shift in Holly-wood, which appears to be tiring of political correctness, which has proven to be a turn-off at the box office. Four years ago when Rowling mocked “people who menstruate” as a term to describe “women”, she faced a huge backlash from stars including Emma Watson. But rather than be cowed by the criticism, JK has continued to stand up for her beliefs. Last week she posted defiantly: “If there’s a better hill to die on than the rights and safety of women and children, I’ve never found it.” The appeal of the story of orphan schoolboy Harry who discovers he has magical powers appears to be just as strong as ever. Since the first novel was published in 1997, and followed by six sequels, more than 600million books have been sold across the world. Shops selling merchandise, such as scarves and wands, continue to open and next month streaming platform Amazon Prime Video launches a Great British Bake Off-style TV show titled Harry Potter: Wizards Of Baking. When anti-Rowling campaigners called for a boycott of the Hogwarts Legacy video game last year, their protest had little or no effect as sales soared past 12million in just a couple of months. Meanwhile, stage play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is still going strong in London’s West End after eight years. It is no surprise, then, that HBO parent company Warner Bros, whose eight Harry Potter films made around £ 7 billion combined, was keen to return to the Hogwarts school of Witch-craft and Wizardry. The movie giant’s streaming channel Max, previously known as HBO Max, will air the TV series in 2026. Succession and Killing Eve producer Francesca Gardiner will lead the project with British director Mark Mylod, whose CV includes Game Of Thrones . There are rumours Brit actor Mark Rylance, star of BBC period drama Wolf Hall, is in line to play Hogwarts Professor Albus Dumbledore . In September it was announced that the casting process for all the young Hogwarts characters — from Harry to his nemesis and fellow wizarding student Draco Malfoy — would be open to the public. They are looking for talented kids aged nine to 11 who live in the UK or Ireland . No acting experience is necessary, although show bosses have also been scouting stage schools . The website taking applications has now closed due to the huge response. It is a massive boost for the British TV industry, with the bulk of the series set to be made at Warner Bros’ studios in Leavesden, near Watford. The budget for each of the ten seasons is reckoned to be around £159million and the plan is to film each series back to back because bosses do not want the cast to age too much on screen. But it will be tricky because there are strict regulations about the hours school-age actors and actresses are allowed to work. Daniel Radcliffe, now aged 35, who had the most scenes in the Potter movies, had to be taught on set between shoots. He earned a reported £86million from the films but it is unlikely any of the wannabe Harrys eyeing up the TV gig would enjoy the same sort of payday. Daniel has backed the remake, saying: “It’ll be cool to see the torch get passed on.” Rupert Grint agrees, telling GQ magazine: “I’d love to see Harry Potter be adapted into a TV show. “It would really work.” Rowling, who is worth an estimated £945million, retains the rights to her books and she has always insisted strongly on having her say about any Potter-related projects. It was thanks to the Gloucestershire-born author, who now lives in Scotland , that the movies were not Americanised. HBO and Max chairman and CEO Casey Bloys says Rowling has been “very, very involved in the process of selecting the writer and director” for the telly series. Bloys also denied that her comments about trans issues had “affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff”. Indeed, Warner Bros are not the only ones who wish to work with the hugely imaginative writer. Even though the BBC twice apologised last year after Rowling was described during its programmes as “anti-trans”, the corporation keep adapting her Cormoran Strike crime novels into TV shows. Activists are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne. This December, her fictional detective played by Tom Burke will return for a BBC One four-part dramatisation of her 2022 novel The Ink Black Heart. Meanwhile, plenty of actors are backing JK. Broadbent, who played Hogwarts’ Professor Horace Slug-horn in two Potter films, said, “JK Rowling is amazing”, and Bonham Carter, who portrayed evil Bellatrix Lestrange, commented: “She has been hounded.” Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort, described the attacks on the author as “appalling”, and Evanna Lynch, witch Luna Love-good in the films, said: “I do wish people would just give her more grace and listen to her.” But this type of comment is at odds with much of Gen Z. Not that JK is too worried about being cancelled, as she just shrugs if all off. READ MORE SUN STORIES Last April she said: “Activists are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. “As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.” By Julie Bindel, feminist and friend of JK Rowling JK ROWLING’S pinned tweet, in response to a trans activist claiming he burns her books and toasts marshmallows over the flame, reads: “I get the same royalties whether you read them or burn them. Enjoy your marshmallows!” Having bullied the majority into submission for so long, these activists are now losing ground. Increasingly, they are ignored and sidelined. Rowling is a feminist hero. Since first speaking out against the crazed gender ideology that has swept much of the world, including treasured institutions, she has made an immeasurable difference to women and girls everywhere. As one of the most famous authors ever, Rowling had no need to take a stand on this contentious, toxic issue – she did it because she could not remain silent. Having spent millions supporting orphaned children and other disadvantaged groups through her charitable work, she decided that adding her voice to the fight against those determined to see an end to female-only spaces and facilities would be worth the inevitable backlash. And what a backlash: in addition to innumerable rape and death threats, she has been publicly maligned by those whose fame and fortune she helped create. The actors who played Harry, Ron and Hermione have all stuck the knife in. As a lesbian, and as someone lucky enough to be able to call Rowling a personal friend, I know their claims are utter fabrication. Calls to boycott the new HBO Harry Potter TV series is nothing but bullying and posturing. I don’t know how those responsible sleep at night, when the ideology Rowling speaks out against leads to children being unnecessarily medicalised for life. Asked by a trans activist why she wanted to “die on this hill”, Rowling replied in her usual forthright manner: “If there’s a better hill to die on than the rights and safety of women and children, I’ve never found it.”
Fatal crash reported in Huron CountyNew Delhi, December 15: OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk, stating that he initially wanted the company to adopt a for-profit structure. The revelation comes amid Musk's legal battles against OpenAI, where he claims the organisation has moved away from its founding mission as a non-profit. OpenAI shared emails and texts that suggest Elon Musk pushed for a for-profit model back in 2017. The situation has escalated as Elon Musk's xAI competes with OpenAI. Elon Musk’s legal filing against OpenAI indicates his fourth attempt in less than a year to reframe his claims regarding the company's structure. In response, OpenAI published a series of emails and texts in a blog post that highlights Musk's earlier support for an OpenAI for-profit model. OpenAI said, "When he didn’t get majority equity and full control, he walked away and told us we would fail. Now that OpenAI is the leading AI research lab and Elon runs a competing AI company, he’s asking the court to stop us from effectively pursuing our mission." OpenAI Introduces ‘Projects’ To Simplify Organising Chats and Files for ChatGPT Users. Timeline of Events In November 2015, OpenAI was established as a nonprofit organisation, which raised some questions from Elon Musk. By December of the same year, OpenAI made its public announcement about its mission and goals. As the company progressed in its research during early 2017, it became clear that it would require billions of dollars to acquire the computing power necessary to develop Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). By the summer of 2017, OpenAI and Elon Musk agreed that transitioning to a for-profit model was essential for the company to further its mission. However, in the Autumn of 2017, Elon demanded to have majority ownership, and complete control, and to take on the role of CEO for the new for-profit entity. In September 2017, he established a public benefit corporation named “Open Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Inc.” OpenAI turned down Elon Musk's demands, as granting him sole control over OpenAI and its technology would go against its core mission. In January 2018, Elon expressed his belief that OpenAI was destined to fail unless it merged with Tesla. Elon Musk Promoting Crypto Giveaways? X User Warns About Deepfake Video Scam, Urges To Stay Safe (Watch Video). The following month, Elon Musk stepped down from his position as co-chair of OpenAI. By December 2018, he urged OpenAI to secure “billions per year immediately or forget it.” In March 2019, OpenAI introduced OpenAI LP, a capped-profit model that operates within the non-profit and in March 2023, Elon Musk launched his competitor to OpenAI, called xAI. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 15, 2024 07:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com ).
Dec 3 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Marvell Technology (MRVL.O) , opens new tab forecast fourth-quarter revenue above estimates on Tuesday, betting on robust demand for its custom artificial intelligence chips from businesses adopting booming generative AI technology. Shares of the Santa Clara, California-based company rose more than 8% in extended trading following the results. The stock hit a record high during Tuesday's trading session. Marvell's shares have risen nearly 60% this year as Wall Street pours billions of dollars into AI-linked stocks, placing huge bets on the future of genAI technology. Shares of larger competitor Broadcom (AVGO.O) , opens new tab have rallied about 50% this year. Demand for advanced chips that can support the complex processing needs of genAI has soared as companies race each other to develop the most sophisticated models. The company forecast fourth-quarter revenue of $1.80 billion, plus or minus 5%, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.65 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. While the market for AI processors is dominated by Nvidia (NVDA.O) , opens new tab , Big Tech has been vying to reduce its dependence on the chip leader's supply-constrained semiconductors, which has helped companies such as Marvell. Marvell said on Monday it had expanded its partnership with Amazon.com (AMZN.O) , opens new tab and entered into a five-year agreement with the tech giant's cloud unit, which includes supplying custom AI products. Revenue in Marvell's data center segment grew 98% to $1.10 billion in the third quarter from a year ago. Its total quarterly revenue was $1.52 billion, beating estimates of $1.46 billion. The company expects its AI revenue to triple to more than $1.5 billion this year and hit $2.5 billion for the next fiscal year, CEO Matt Murphy had said at a company event in April. Revenue derived from custom AI chips alone could be between $2.5 billion and $3 billion in 2025 for Marvell, with optical equipment adding another $1.5 billion to $2 billion to AI revenue, Jefferies analysts had said in a note in October. On the other hand, customers in the company's other end-markets such as wireless carriers have been working to drive down chip inventory after excessive buying during the pandemic resulted in a supply glut. Marvell forecast an adjusted gross margin of 60% for the fourth quarter, compared with estimates of 61%. A significant share of Marvell's revenue is now derived from custom AI chips as AI-linked demand rises. The company's custom chips typically carry lower margins than its off-the-shelf products, known as merchant products. Marvell's enterprise networking segment posted a 44% fall to $150.9 million in revenue, while that of the company's carrier infrastructure unit declined 73% to $84.7 million. The company recorded adjusted earnings of 43 cents per share in the third quarter, compared with estimates of 41 cents. Sign up here. Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa and Abhinav Parmar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tabCONAKRY, Guinea -- Chaos erupted at a soccer game in Guinea after fans protested a referee's call and thousands of panicked spectators tried to flee the stadium, leaving at least 56 people dead in the West African nation, officials and witnesses said Monday. Amid the confusion, security forces used tear gas, local news website Media Guinea reported. Many of the dead were crushed as they tried to escape through the stadium gates, a journalist covering the game for a local sports website told The Associated Press. "The gates, that's where the stampede happened," said Cissé Lancine, who got away by climbing over one of the stadium walls. "I was saved because I did not rush towards the exit." The world's latest sports crowd disaster unfurled Sunday in the second-largest city in a military-run nation where information is sparse and government-controlled at the best of times. It was not immediately clear how much the death toll could grow. Lancine said between 20,000 and 30,000 people were present at the Third of April stadium to watch the local Labe and Nzerekore teams compete in the final of the first national tournament honoring military leader Mamadi Doumbouya. Checkpoints were set up Monday throughout Nzerekore, a city of about 200,000 that was at a standstill as soldiers guarded the hospital where victims were being treated. Most shops were closed. Video, apparently from the scene, showed shouting fans protesting the refereeing. People ran as they tried to escape the stadium, many of them jumping the high fence. "Supporters threw stones. This is why the security services used tear gas," reported Media Guinea, which also wrote that several of the dead were children and some of the injured were in critical condition. The footage showed people lying on the floor of a hospital as members of a crowd helped the wounded. Enock Loua, a resident of Nzerekore, learned over the phone that his niece Aline Olivier had been killed. "We have a hard time realizing what happened to us, it is as if the sky has fallen on our heads," Loua told The Associated Press. Authorities are trying to establish who was responsible, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on national television. The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition said the tournament was organized to drum up support for Doumbouya's "illegal and inappropriate" political ambitions. Doumbouya, who ousted then-President Alpha Conde in 2021, has been eyeing a possible run for the presidential election, for which the date has not been set. The transition charter put in place by his own regime does not allow him to run. Guinea is one of a number of West African countries - including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso - where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Doumbouya said he was preventing the country from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises. He has, however, been criticized for not meeting the expectations that he raised. Guinea's leader announced three days of national mourning starting on Tuesday, in a presidential decree read on national television.Gunman wounds two children at US school, kills self
I'm A Celeb fans fear for Maura Higgins as campmates relentlessly mock her voice