Amazon invests another $4 bn in AI firm Anthropic
NoneCincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. AP Photo | Julio Cortez ARLINGTON — Joe Burrow says he’s willing to do whatever he can to help the Cincinnati Bengals keep receiver Tee Higgins, who is set to be a free agent in the offseason. Whether that means the star quarterback would consider restructuring his deal, Burrow wasn’t saying after the Bengals beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-20 on Monday night. “We’ll see,” Burrow said when asked why he was confident the club would bring Higgins back. Higgins is playing this season, his fifth, on the $21.8 million franchise tag. The price would go up on another season with the tag, but many players have been unwilling to sign the second time. The 25-year-old Higgins is clearly the No. 2 receiver behind 2021 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase, the NFL leader this season in yards receiving (1,319) and touchdowns (15). But Higgins has been steady since the Bengals drafted the former Clemson standout with the first pick of the second round in 2020, the year before Chase went No. 5 overall in the first round. Higgins, who has been hampered by hamstring and quadriceps injuries this season, is one of three NFL receivers with at least five touchdowns in each of the past five seasons. “I’m confident we are going to be able to do what it takes to bring Tee back,” Burrow said. “I know that I am going to do what it takes to get him back. So he can have those talks; those are going to be offseason discussions. I think we are excited about that opportunity.” The Bengals picked up the fifth-year option on Chase’s rookie contract this past offseason, keeping him under contract through 2025. Star Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb missed the entire 2024 offseason in a contract holdout going into the fifth year of his rookie deal. Chase could make a similar decision after this season. Lamb’s holdout ended with a $136 million, four-year deal late in the preseason. Burrow signed a $275 million, five-year extension in 2023, and the Bengals could restructure that contract to create salary cap room for other signings, including those of Higgins and Chase. The quarterback was asked after beating the Cowboys if he could imagine not playing with Chase, his teammate when LSU won the 2019 national championship. “I don’t want to have that,” Burrow said. “We feed off each other. We make each other better. We are both really smart players. It is tough to take that away when you have a really smart receiver that you can move around and do a lot of things with. Hopefully we can play together as long as we are in this league together.”
The Galapagos debt-for-nature swap highlights the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth Sri Lanka unilaterally defaulted on its external debt in April 2022, exposing its long-standing economic and financial vulnerabilities and igniting a series of inter-related multiple economic crises—fiscal, debt, currency, inflation, and balance of payments—as well as a vast socio-political upheaval. The root cause of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis was a result of misuse of public funds by politicians on an unprecedented scale and large fiscal deficits, which were increasingly financed by unsustainable public debt, particularly foreign commercial borrowings. This carefully over time navigated Sri Lanka into a public debt crisis, international sovereign bond unsustainability, liquidity crisis, and a collapse in the exchange rate. These were the catalysts for Sri Lanka’s decision to a unilateral default on its external debt. A substantial reduction and reprofiling of debt through restructuring of both domestic and foreign debt to ensure debt sustainability is essential coupled with a meaningful fiscal policy reform anchored by revenue increases and expenditure rationalisation to reduce fiscal deficits. Deep growth-enhancing structural reforms are necessary for medium-term rescue and recovery and long-term growth and stability of Sri Lanka. Like Sri Lanka, Ecuador in South America was searching for an exit ramp for its Sovereign Bond situation. Instead of using conventional brick-and-mortar restructuring methods, they came up with an innovative Debt for Nature swap, repurchasing $ 1.6 billion worth of Ecuador’s outstanding bonds at approximately 40 cents on the dollar. Debt for Nature Swap will save Ecuador $ 1.1 billion in debt service repayments over the next several years, with $ 450 million invested in conservation and sustainable activities. This goes on to show that there could be multiple ways to restructure a country’s sovereign bonds and this is a valuable lesson for Sri Lanka. The Government of Ecuador (through the National Planning Secretariat, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition), with the support of the Green Climate Fund, has announced the launch of the “Sovereign Green Bonds Framework of Ecuador”. The document establishes guidelines, technical mechanisms, and instructions necessary to implement the core components of the Green Bond Framework. Projects funded by the issuance of these green bonds must meet eligibility criteria. Eligible projects include those focused on the development of renewable energy; sustainable agriculture, land use, and protected areas; sustainable and low-carbon transportation; and sustainable management of natural resources, among others. These programs and projects are expected to contribute to Ecuador’s transition towards sustainable development, based on low emissions and resilience to climate change. On 9 May 2023, Ecuador’s government successfully completed the Galapagos Debt for Nature swap, repurchasing $ 1.6 billion worth of Ecuador’s outstanding bonds at approximately 40 cents on the dollar. The operation will save Ecuador $ 1.1 billion in debt service repayments over the next 17 years, with $ 450 million invested in conservation and sustainable activities. Conservation investment will benefit the Galapagos National Park, the Galapagos Marine Reserve, and the new Hermandad Marine Reserve, which together total 198,000 square marine kilometres. The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), with funding from the Latin American Development Bank (CAF), acted as a trusted advisory to the Ministry of Economy and Finance throughout the transaction by providing technical and financial advice. This was a significant milestone for Ecuador’s efforts to promote sustainable development and environmental conservation. GGGI’s financial and technical advice included advice on the structure the debt swap transaction in compliance with Ecuador’s regulations and policies; design Ecuador’s Sovereign Green Bond Framework and secure its positive Second Party Opinion; coordination on the negotiation and formalisation of conservation commitments and the establishment of the Galapagos Life Fund; securing third-party credit enhancement by developing policies, regulations and frameworks required by third-party guarantors; and build the technical capacity of government officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Finance and Economy on debt for nature swaps and other sustainable financial instruments key to the transaction under the framework of Ecuador. The Galapagos debt-for-nature swap highlights the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth. The swap not only contributed to environmental conservation but also helped Ecuador save over a billion dollars in interest payments. The Republic of Ecuador is now in the process of issuing its first Social Bond with the objective of diversifying its sources of funding for financing access to affordable and decent housing, thus reducing the housing deficit in the country. The proceeds from the bonds will be used to finance the public policy of affordable and decent housing through the provision of capital on appropriate terms for Social Interest Housing (or Vivienda de Interés Social, VIS) and Public Interest Housing (Vivienda de Interés Público, VIP). (The writer is former currency strategist, commodity futures trader, and technical analyst.)LaVine, Dosunmu and White power the Bulls to a 136-122 win over the Hawks
CarExpert's most-read reviews of 2024VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby says Canada’s premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan over possible U.S. tariffs, where Conservative premiers lobby their Republican counterparts and left-leaning leaders court the Democrats, while the federal government focuses on president-elect Donald Trump. Eby says the premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about using their political diversity and connections to approach politicians and business leaders in the United States, as talks over Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico ramp up. He says it has been discussed that Conservative premiers Danielle Smith in Alberta, Doug Ford in Ontario and Nova Scotia’s John Houston are well-placed to lobby their contacts with Republican governors and business leaders. In a year-end interview, Eby says as a New Democrat leader he will likely have more in common speaking with Democrat governors and business leaders from the West Coast states. He says Canada’s diversity of representation, ranging from the right and left sides of the political spectrum, can bring leverage and advantages in tariff talks. Eby also says — if it is deemed helpful — he is prepared to appear on American’s right-leaning Fox News TV network as did premiers Ford and Smith. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
A chef for all seasonsSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Even when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar gets some praise, it's usually a backhanded compliment. They say he's a good game manager and stays within himself, or that he doesn't try to do too much. They mention he might not be flashy, but he gives the team a chance to win. And here's the thing about Penn State since Allar stepped under center: The Nittany Lions have won games. A lot of them. Sometimes that's hard to remember considering the lukewarm reception he often gets from fans. "I get it — we have a really passionate fan base and they're a huge part of our success," Allar said Sunday at College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day. "For us, we always want to go out there every drive and end with a touchdown, so when we don't do that, there's nobody more frustrated than us." The polarizing Allar is having a solid season by just about any standard, completing more than 68% of his passes for 3,021 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions to a 12-2 record and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl for Tuesday's game against No. 3 seed Boise State. But in a college football world filled with high-scoring, explosive offenses, Allar's no-frills performances often are the object of ire. The Penn State offense is a run-first bunch, led by the talented combo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. "If we had a nickel for every time there was a Monday morning quarterback saying some BS stuff, we'd all be pretty rich," offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. "I think part of being a quarterback, especially at Penn State but really anywhere, is how you respond to and manage criticism." The 20-year-old Allar has made strides in that department after a trying 2023 season that finished with a 10-3 record. He says that's largely because once fall camp started back in August, he logged off the social media platform X. Allar said negative online experiences wore on him last year, and his phone number was leaked a few times, which added to the stress. He finally realized that controlling outside narratives was impossible, so the best course of action was to eliminate a needless distraction. "I've been more mentally free, as much as that sounds crazy," Allar said. "I think that's been a huge difference for me this year." The biggest criticism of Allar — and really Penn State as a whole during the 11-year James Franklin era — is that he isn't capable of winning the big games. He's 0-2 against rival Ohio State and threw a late interception against Oregon in the Big Ten title game earlier this month, which sealed the Ducks' 45-37 victory. He wasn't great in the CFP's first round, either, completing just 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards as Penn State muscled past SMU 38-10 on a cold, blustery day to advance to the Fiesta Bowl. But the quarterback is confident a better performance — aided by a game that will be played in comfortable temperatures in a domed stadium — is coming. "For me, I just have to execute those (easy) throws early in the game and get our guys into rhythm," Allar said. "Get them involved early as much as I can and that allows us to stay on the field longer, call more plays and open up our offense more. That will help us a ton, building the momentum throughout the game." Allar might be a favorite punching bag for a section of the Penn State fan base, but that's not the case in his own locker room. Star tight end Tyler Warren praised his quarterback's ability to avoid sacks, saying that the 6-foot-5, 238-pounder brings a toughness that resonates with teammates. "He's a football player," Warren said. "He plays quarterback, but when you watch him play and the energy he brings and the way he runs the ball, he's just a football player and that fires up our offense." Now Allar and Penn State have a chance to silence critics who say that the Nittany Lions don't show up in big games. Not that he's worried about what other people think. "I think it's a skill at the end of the day — blocking out the outside noise," Allar said. "Focusing on you and the process and being honest with yourself, both good and bad." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Advertisement Coding languages are a foundational element of any tech job, but not all are made equal. Python and SQL are among the most popular languages; C++ and Tableau are more specialized. Business Insider spoke with recruiters and tech workers to identify the top eight languages to know. Big Tech firms like Apple and Amazon have signaled a move away from the complicated coding language C++, but there's still a place for engineers who know the coding language on Wall Street. Apple created Swift to replace its use of C++, the company's primary coding language for its devices. Amazon recently awarded a Stony Brook University professor an approximate $100,000 research grant to continue his work to automate converting existing C++ code to Rust, a coding language created in 2006. Even the White House has joined the conversation around C++, urging software developers to move away from the language due to cybersecurity concerns in a February report earlier this year. Related Video How tech layoffs could affect the economy But the financial space is still "one of the heavy users of C++ that's really doing cutting-edge stuff," one industry executive told Business Insider. High-frequency trading firms and exchanges rely on C++, a notoriously complicated language that can offer more control over the underlying hardware. It's also prevalent in the video game industry. Citadel Securities, for one, recently hired a C++ expert from Microsoft to lead training initiatives on the language. Looking at current open technology positions, trading firms Virtu Financial and Hudson River Trading are among the firms also seeking out C++ experience. It's also good to know in quantitative finance, one of the few bright spots in the current technology hiring slump , Matt Stabile, a tech recruiter who works with buy-side firms including Two Sigma and Susquehanna International Group, told BI. Advertisement In today's machine-to-machine world, having some experience with programming languages is a must. Coding languages, like Python and Java, are how humans can communicate with computers by providing a set of instructions for a system to execute. As it turns out, not all programming languages are made equal and some are more relevant to certain corners of Wall Street than others. Business Insider spoke with recruiters, Wall Street tech execs, and industry insiders and analyzed job postings to learn about in-demand skill sets. Here are the programming languages to know:
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Outgoing Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian will serve as executive director of the Office of Major Events as part of preparations for sporting events coming to the LA region in the coming years, officials announced Thursday. According to Mayor Karen Bass’ office, the councilman will take on this role on Monday after Krekorian formally steps down from his role as the representative of the Second Council District due to term limits. Councilmember-elect Adrian Nazarian, a former aide to Krekorian and state Assembly member, will serve as the district representative, spanning east San Fernando Valley neighborhoods such as North Hollywood, Sun Valley, Toluca Lake and Valley Glen, among others. In his new position, Krekorian will coordinate city departments and external stakeholders for the upcoming 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games , eight games of the 2026 World Cup , and a Super Bowl in 2027 , among other events. “President Krekorian is uniquely positioned to do just that — drawing on his decades of experience handling local and statewide budgets and firsthand institutional knowledge of city government as well as the Olympic bid process,” Bass said in a statement. “Today marks a new phase of urgent preparations for Los Angeles.” The 64-year-old politician served as a state Assembly member from 2006 to 2010. Krekorian joined the City Council in 2010. Related Articles “As I conclude my service on the City Council, I know how much more work needs to be done ahead of the 2028 Games,” Krekorian said in a statement. Krekorian described it would be an honor to serve as the executive director for this office. He added, “I look forward to hitting the ground running and partnering with Mayor Bass, the City Council, our city departments and LA28 to deliver the 2028 Games in a way that benefits everyone.” As executive director of the Office of Major Events, he will also ensure that sporting events create positive economic impacts for local businesses, and that city policies are being implemented. LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover hailed Bass’ appointment. He described Krekorian as a “longtime advocate of the Olympic and Paralympic movement.” “His (Krekorian’s) dedication and leadership will undoubtedly continue to drive excellence in his new role ... in this next chapter of our journey to deliver an incredible Olympic Games in 2028,” Hoover said in a statement.
Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn't work out so well
Horizon Bancorp's executive VP Secor sells $349,707 in stockCassia Seed Extract Market to see Huge Growth by 2031 11-23-2024 07:27 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Orion Market Research The global cassia seed extract market is anticipated to grow at a considerable CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period (2024-2031). Growing consumer demand for plant-based, sustainable products in several end-user industry especially in skin care is a key factor driving the growth of the global market. Consequently, regulatory focus and consumer awareness play a crucial role in determining the future of the cassia seed extract market. Additionally, companies like Naturalin Bio-Resources Co. Ltd., Xuancheng Quality Herb Company Ltd, and Katyani Exports are partnering with recognized certification bodies and have been granted the certifications like USDA Organic, ISO 9001, GMP, FSSC and many others to win customer confidence and survive in this volatile market. To Request a Sample of our Report on Cassia Seed Extract Market: https://www.omrglobal.com/request-sample/cassia-seed-extract-market Market Coverage The market number available for - 2023-2031 Base year- 2023 Forecast period- 2024-2031 Segment Covered- By Type By Application Regions Covered- North America Europe Asia-Pacific Rest of the World Competitive Landscape- includes Shaanxi Yongyuan Bio-Tech Co.Ltd., Xi'an Green Spring Technology Co.Ltd., Changsha Wanrun Bio-Technology Co. Ltd., Botaniex Biotech Inc., and Fyzplantextract, among others. Cassia Seed Extract Market Report Segment By Type Purity 25% Purity 12.5% Purity 10% By Application Pharmaceutical Nutraceutical Food & Beverages Others (Cosmetics) A full Report of Identity Theft Insurance Market is Available @ https://www.omrglobal.com/industry-reports/cassia-seed-extract-market Company Profiles Botaniex Biotech Inc. Fyzplantextract NATUREX FRANCE AVIGNON Nutraonly Shaoxing Marina Biotechnology Co. Ltd. Teatox Au Xi'an Nature Choice Reasons to buy from us - We cover more than 15 major industries, further segmented into more than 90 sectors. More than 120 countries are for analysis. Over 100+ paid data sources mined for investigation. Our expert research analysts answer all your questions before and after purchasing your report. For More Customized Data, Request for Report Customization @ https://www.omrglobal.com/report-customization/cassia-seed-extract-market Media Contact: Company Name: Orion Market Research Contact Person: Mr. Anurag Tiwari Email: info@omrglobal.com Contact no: +91 7803040404 About Orion Market Research Orion Market Research (OMR) is a market research and consulting company known for its crisp and concise reports. The company is equipped with an experienced team of analysts and consultants. OMR offers quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, consulting and other research-based services. The company also offer Digital Marketing services through its subsidiary OMR Digital and Software development and Consulting Services through another subsidiary Encanto Technologies. This release was published on openPR.If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. It’s been a while since we heard from Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene, best known as the creator of the global battle royale hit . But now, Greene’s studio, PlayerUnknown Productions, is detailing what it’s working on — and there are multiple games in the works, all pointing toward a big final project. First up is a game called , described as a “single-player open-world emergent game within the survival genre,” . The big hook, it seems, is technical, as the game is being built with “machine-learning-driven terrain generation technology, allowing the instant creation of millions of maps.” is expected to launch in early access on Steam in 2025, following a series of playtests. To showcase what players can expect, the studio is launching a free tech demo on Steam today called . You can check it out . According to the studio, these games are building blocks on the way to a more ambitious game currently codenamed “Artemis,” which will be a “massive multiplayer sandbox experience.” Greene previously talked about Artemis back in 2022; , though today’s announcement has no mention of NFTs. Here’s Greene on what players can eventually expect as the studio builds toward its big game: — it was known under the name “PUBG Special Projects” — and two years later announced that he was leaving parent company Krafton to go independent. “Today, I’m excited to take the next step on my journey to create the kind of experience I’ve envisaged for years,” he said at the time. /
Hyderabad: To tackle concerns regarding illegal construction in Hyderabad, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) plans to introduce an online portal to monitor violations and impose heavy penalties on property owners. According to the TOI report, this move follows the Telangana High Court’s recent directive for stricter action against illegal constructions, which include unauthorized floors, road encroachments, deviation from approved plans, and violations of building codes, such as construction without proper approvals or occupying government or private land. In the past five years, over 2.5 lakh writ petitions have been filed in the Telangana High Court over the past five years regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad. During GHMC’s Prajavani program, around 40 to 50 percent petitions were regarding illegal constructions in Hyderabad. This year alone, TOI reports that GHMC has demolished over 1,000 illegal structures. However, enforcement is often delayed until complaints are lodged, and many property owners manage to evade scrutiny. GHMC Commissioner K Ilambarithi stated that guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being developed to tackle illegal constructions in Hyderabad. Property owners ignoring orders against illegal constructions will face criminal charges under Section 223 of the BNS along with a 400 percent penalty on the original fee. The new online portal will track complaints from the initial notice to the final actions including the sealing and demolition of properties. GHMC also plans to work with the stamps and registration department to update the EC system, marking properties with illegal constructions in Hyderabad. This would alert potential buyers, creating a deterrent for owners engaged in unauthorized building activities. Officials further informed TOI that many property owners bypass regulations by obtaining permits for smaller structures and later adding illegal floors or converting residential spaces into commercial establishments to evade higher tax rates.
Westchester County roasted over ‘embarrassing’ new government logo for resembling dating app Hinge