At AWS Re:Invent, A Look At Reinventing AI
Sora is a state-of-the-art deep learning model that leverages the power of generative adversarial networks (GANs) to produce high-quality, realistic videos. This AI system has been trained on a vast dataset of videos, enabling it to understand visual patterns, movements, and compositions. By harnessing the latest advancements in AI and machine learning, Sora is able to generate videos with stunning visuals and impressive realism.
Former participants of the Bayreuth Baroque are accusing director Max Emanuel Cenčić of abusive behavior and lack of complaint mechanisms. According to a report by Axel Brüggemann in Backstage Classical, “Accusations include insults, physical altercations, and conflicts of interest with his agency.” The article notes that 10 people were willing to go on record and tell their accounts about their experiences in connection with the Bayreuth Baroque Festival. The people who spoke out decided to remain anonymous but noted that they received abusive text messages and saw fistfights during rehearsals, and derogatory statements such as “You are so fucking stupid!” and the Greek word for “a*hole” or “wanker.” Another artist noted that there are no clear complaint channels and that many singers at Bayreuth Baroque are under contract with the Parnassus agency creating a conflict of interest. In a response to the report, Cenčić said that things were “taken out of context, dramatized or invented. A rehearsal period is generally difficult for everyone involved. You spend up to six hours a day in the rehearsal room for six weeks and do your best. Nobody is in the same good mood every day. The fact that sometimes words slip out or you don’t use the politeness you would under normal conditions when dealing with one another is something that happens not only to directors but also to singers and technicians.” Categories
By MEAD GRUVER and AMY BETH HANSON, Associated Press A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge’s order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.What sets White Jiangting apart as a brand ambassador for Salomon is his genuine passion for outdoor activities. He is not just a face of the brand, but also a true advocate for exploring the great outdoors and embracing nature. This authenticity and love for outdoor adventures resonate with consumers, making White Jiangting a relatable and aspirational figure for those seeking adventure and style.MEDIA KIT: DFC's 5th Anniversary Conference WASHINGTON , Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation marked today its 5 th anniversary at a conference highlighting a remarkable record of achievement since its creation by the U.S. Congress in 2019 through the bipartisan Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development (BUILD) Act. Over the past five years, DFC's overall active portfolio has reached nearly $50 billion across 114 countries, directly impacting over 200 million people and businesses. "Over the past five years, DFC has fulfilled the vision of the BUILD Act's authors – to build a modern development finance institution that advances the development and foreign policy objectives of the United States by mobilizing capital to high-quality and high-standard private sector transactions in the developing world," said DFC CEO Scott Nathan . "With bipartisan support, we've built an organization that has the capacity to pursue transactions that advance U.S. interests and create opportunity for people around the world. I couldn't be more proud of what the DFC team has achieved." Speakers at the conference included Secretary of State Antony Blinken , U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan , USAID Administrator Samantha Power , Chief Minister of Sierra Leone David Moinina Sengeh, as well as other global leaders and members of Congress. Since its founding, America's development bank has made significant strides in supporting the mobilization of capital through the private sector to address critical global challenges and deliver lasting developmental and strategic outcomes. DFC has built on the legacy of its predecessors, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and USAID's Development Credit Authority, to become an efficient and effective mechanism for mobilizing private sector investment across the developing world. DFC's achievements over the past five years include: Unprecedented growth in annual commitments: In FY2024 alone, DFC committed over $12 billion , more than doubling annual commitments from DFC's first year. Doubling strategic transactions: DFC more than doubled the number of transactions committed annually since FY2020, growing to 181 transactions in FY2024. Expanding regional investments: DFC's investments span more than $13 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa, $11 billion in the Western Hemisphere, $9 billion in Europe and Central Asia , $8.5 billion in the Indo-Pacific, and nearly $4 billion in the Middle East and North Africa , with an additional $3.5 billion invested across multiple regions. Boosting global presence: DFC has strengthened its regional presence through offices in the Dominican Republic , Brazil , South Africa , India , Thailand , Singapore , and Indonesia , enabling greater impact in key regions and sectors. DFC is driving measurable impact worldwide: Bolstering food security: Supported 1.7 million smallholder farmers. Improving critical infrastructure: Transported 64.9 million passengers via roadways, airports, and railways. Expanding access to health services: Delivered healthcare services to 44.8 million people globally. Fueling small business growth: Supported nearly 6.1 million micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises. Providing clean water: Delivered over 320,000 metric tons of clean water – enough to sustain more than 31,600 people for an entire year. Bridging the digital divide: Connected over 131,000 households and individuals to the internet and built more than 70 cell towers in underserved communities. DFC has expanded its portfolio through strategic transactions supporting high-quality infrastructure, access to secure and reliable energy, improved healthcare and food security, and sustainable economic development. A small sample includes: Building resilient infrastructure: $553 million in DFC financing is supporting the upgrade and operation of the Lobito Railroad , strengthening a critical trade route between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola . Securing critical minerals: DFC's equity investments in TechMet are supporting diverse, resilient critical mineral supply chains with expanded capacity in Brazil and South Africa . Powering energy security: DFC's up to $412 million commitment to provide financing and political risk insurance will support the construction and operation of a new 105MW power plant by CECA SL Generation Limited in Freetown, Sierra Leone , the first utility-scale independent power project in the country. Expanding vaccine manufacturing: DFC's $15 million loan to Institut Pasteur de Dakar's wholly owned subsidiary VaxSen SASU will help finance a new vaccine manufacturing plant in Senegal , increasing local production capacity in Africa for routine childhood vaccines and emerging diseases and epidemics. Mobilizing capital for small businesses: DFC's $100 million loan to Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank in Vietnam will expand the Bank's digital financing to underserved small businesses in Vietnam . Transforming agriculture: A DFC loan is supporting Kentegra's construction of an organic fertilizer processing plant in Kenya to satisfy increasing demand. Bolstering healthcare: DFC's $25 million in political risk insurance for the Superhumans Center will support the hospital's efforts to provide critical healthcare for war trauma survivors in Ukraine . Through bold action and a commitment to innovation, DFC has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy, driving private sector solutions that tackle the world's most pressing development challenges. Looking ahead, DFC remains dedicated to expanding its impact and delivering transformative results for communities worldwide. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. We invest across sectors including energy, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, and small business and financial services. DFC investments adhere to high standards and respect the environment, human rights, and worker rights. SOURCE U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
Rampart Online launches new fast-action 5 Card Draw Poker in NevadaAs Tencent Video continues to innovate and adapt to changing consumer preferences, the adjustments in membership benefits signal a new era of growth and evolution for the online streaming platform. By prioritizing user satisfaction, content quality, and technological advancements, Tencent Video is well-positioned to maintain its status as a leading player in the online video streaming industry in China.
Amidst the escalating conflict, the metro staff was alerted to the disturbance and rushed to the scene to mediate the situation. After a thorough investigation and review of the man's phone, it was confirmed that no unauthorized photos had been taken, vindicating the man from the accusations made against him. Relieved yet still seething with anger, the man stood by his earlier words and, true to his promise, smashed his phone on the floor, shattering the device into pieces.Qatar tribune Agencies New York Wall Street’s main indexes slipped on Monday as declines in AI powerhouse Nvidia pressured tech stocks, while investors awaited a key inflation report this week. Chipmaker Nvidia lost 3.1 percent after China’s market regulator said it had opened an investigation into the company over suspected violation of the country’s antimonopoly law, sending the information technology sector down 0.4 percent. Peer Advanced Micro Devices also fell 4.2 percent as BofA Global Research downgraded its rating on the stock. A gauge of semiconductor stocks was down 0.7 percent. “A name like Nvidia is coming under pressure because of the sort of retaliatory actions of China and that is putting some pressure on the tech space,” said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth. “People are just trying to work out what they are going to do between now and year-end ... those that are positioning, are maybe thinking about taking some profit before heading into the next year.” At 11:26 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 94.95 points, or 0.22 percent, to 44,547.57, the S&P 500 lost 27.02 points, or 0.44 percent, to 6,063.25, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 96.30 points, or 0.48 percent, to 19,763.66. Comcast lost 7.6 percent after forecasting broadband subscriber losses of a little over 100,000 for the fourth quarter. That pulled down the communication services sector by 1.1 percent. Hershey jumped 12 percent to lead gainers on the S&P 500, after a report said Cadbury-parent Mondelez was exploring an acquisition of the chocolate maker. Mondelez shares were off 2.4 percent. On the data front, the consumer prices index (CPI) data due on Wednesday is among the last major datasets ahead of the Federal Reserve’s December 17-18 meeting and could influence the central bank’s monetary policy path. Bets of a 25-basis-point rate cut at the upcoming meeting shot up to more than 85 percent after data on Friday showed a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.2 percent in November, pointing to an easing labor market. A host of Fed officials including Chair Jerome Powell last week urged more caution around the central bank’s monetary policy easing path considering the resilience of the economy. Wall Street’s main indexes kicked off December on a broadly positive note, with the benchmark S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq logging gains in their first week, while the blue-chip Dow ended the week marginally lower. US equities surged in November as Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election and his party sweeping both houses of Congress raised expectations of a friendlier policy stance towards companies. Among notable movers on Monday, Workday added 6.3 percent on its planned inclusion into the S&P 500 index. Interpublic Group advanced 7.2 percent after a report said marketing conglomerate Omnicom was in advanced talks to acquire the advertising company. Omnicom shares were down 8.7 percent. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.12-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.15-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and 2 new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 97 new highs and 34 new lows. Copy 10/12/2024 10
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu has procedure to stabilize UCL in right thumb, AP source says