9 5 gaming
Sustainability is a popular buzzword, but what does it really mean? The UN Brundtland Commission defines sustainability as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." To delve deeper into sustainability, the Philippine National Bank (PNB) held its full-day Sustainability Thought Leadership Workshop with the theme "SUMMIT FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH – ENABLING PATHWAYS, BREAKING BARRIERS" last November at Century Park. Organized by SVP Jean Marie Baruelo, PNB’s Corporate Sustainability Head, this event marked a crucial step forward as the Board of Directors and Senior Management convened to strengthen PNB’s commitment to sustainability. Partnering with the International Finance Corporation, S&P Global, the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the World Wildlife Fund, PNB aims to build long-term sustainable growth that benefits everyone—stakeholders, the bank, communities served, and future generations. The event was spearheaded by PNB President Florido "Doy" Casuela and SVP Baruelo. "Sustainability is no longer at the margins of business; it is a mainstream strategy to build resilience and future-proof our organization," stated PNB Chairman Edgar Cua. "While regulatory requirements have spurred the acceleration of sustainability integration into businesses, successful implementation and achievement of sustainability goals, particularly for banks, can only be gained by viewing sustainability as a natural part of risks and opportunities. Businesses will either adapt and gain access to the opportunities or neglect the risks and bear the effects of climate risks and fragmented or misaligned strategies." He also noted key areas for sustainability integration highlighted by asset managers globally. With the vision to achieve the triple bottom line – People, Planet, Prosperity – the workshop provided valuable insights, helping stakeholders understand how to align with the latest Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) trends and make impactful changes to achieve greater resilience and future-proof the bank. WWF Philippines Chief of Party Edgardo Tongson discussed Nature and Biodiversity Loss and the Sustainable Banking Assessment of top Philippine banks based on public disclosures on ESG metrics and indicators pertaining to Purpose, Policies, People, Products, and Portfolio. International Finance Corporation (IFC) Senior Climate Finance Specialist Quyen Thuc Nguyen, who flew in from Washington, DC, tackled global trends in sustainability strategies and how to integrate them into business activities for responsible banking and operations. IFC Climate Risk Lead for East Asia Pacific Paul Xavier Espinosa discussed Climate Risk Management trends, tools, and methodologies to measure, assess, and integrate Physical, Transition, and Climate Risks into the bank’s risk models for safe, sound, and sustainable banking. IFC Senior Operations Officer for the Asia and Pacific Region, Oluwatoyin Alake, shared how leading financial institutions can fulfill the critical role of channeling financing flows to sustainable green and social projects and leverage thematic capital markets for funding mobilization. A panel fireside chat, composed of PNB Board Chairman Cua, Director Enrico Alfiler, IFC speakers Ms. Nguyen, Mr. Espinosa, and Ms. Alake, and joined by S&P Global Regional Team Lead for Sustainability Analytics Services Terrence Teoh, was moderated by PNB EVP Francis Albalate. The discussion centered on how bank leadership can drive sustainable practices and ESG strategy. Mr. Teoh provided valuable insights on decarbonization pathways and reporting expectations, and tackled use cases of successful ESG transformation, emphasizing the criticality of top-down, bottom-up, inside-out, and outside-in sustainability alignment, integration, and cohesion. Bernadette Tongko-Magadia, UPLB Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, refreshed PNB on the Environmental and Social Risk Management System (ESRMS), highlighting critical areas and recommendations for decarbonization. Breakout sessions with small groups of board and senior management tackled case studies to produce key strategies and initiatives to embed sustainability in all facets of business and operations. Among the topics were: A fun activity involved participants engaging in gardening. Name tags were embedded with actual seeds, and participants "planted" their pencils in pots to support environmental objectives and symbolically pledge to nurture the seeds planted. May the seeds not just grow, but thrive towards meaningful ESG transformation! **** Ms. Tarriela is a former PNB Chairman and now serves as Board Advisor. She was Citibank’s first Filipina Vice President and a former Undersecretary of Finance. She is a director of Nickel Asia Corp., LTG Inc., and FINEX. An environmentalist, she founded Flor’s Garden in Antipolo.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin needs hip surgery and will be out four to six months, jeopardizing the season for the 32-year-old now dealing with the second major hip injury of his career. Seguin will have a procedure to repair an impingement and the labrum in his left hip, the team said Wednesday. The surgery is planned for Thursday. “Tyler’s been dealing with this, been managing, I guess is the best way to say it, for a while,” general manager Jim Nill said. “And it just got to a point where it’s really this time to have surgery, and it’s a wear-and-tear injury.” The six-time All-Star missed all but three games of the 2020-21 season following a similar surgery on his right hip. Seguin also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during that absence. Seguin tried to play through hip pain during the playoff bubble in Canada in 2020, when the Stars reached the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Tampa Bay. He played 19 of the first 23 games this season and is third on the team with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists). The Stars put Seguin on injured reserve after a 3-1 victory over Winnipeg on Sunday. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Clarke Reed, who helped Gerald Ford win the 1976 Republican nomination, has died at 96Takeaways from Biden's Africa trip: Pardon of son Hunter overshadows official business
Letter to the Editor: The benefits of wind powerCalifornia to consider requiring mental health warnings on social media sites
WASHINGTON — WWE will perform on a stage next month that could be vastly larger than its current home on cable television when “Raw,” its weekly live show, makes its debut on Netflix. The sports entertainment company is moving to a platform with about 283 million subscribers worldwide as it departs its current home on the USA Network, which averaged 688,000 viewers in prime time last year, according to the Nielsen company. For Netflix, onboarding the WWE is part of a strategic move to air more live events on the heels of a hugely successful fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul that was viewed by more than 60 million people. “Raw” has been averaging about 1.5 million viewers on USA Network over the past month, according to Nielsen. WWE has produced thousands of episodes of “Raw,” since its debut in 1993, with star performers like Seth Rollins, CM Punk and Rhea Ripley. “Raw” and the media rights that come with it, had become a hot commodity before WWE reached a deal worth more than $5 billion with Netflix. In addition to a larger pool of potential viewers, moving to Netflix means the WWE won't have to worry as much about curse words getting muted or potentially gory scenes or risque or obscene gestures being blurred. And as it has done throughout its history, WWE has promoted the shift to Netflix across different platforms as it seeks to expand its audience. During a Travis Scott concert last month, former professional wrestler and now WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque told attendees from the stage that one of the rapper’s song will be the new ”Raw” theme song, and that Scott will appear on the first episode on Netflix on January 6. WWE has consistently managed to put itself before new and sometimes massive audiences, including the Super Bowl. After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII two years ago, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and MVP Patrick Mahomes posted a photo of himself on Twitter holding the Vince Lombardi trophy in one hand, and a WWE belt in the other . Netflix sees huge potential in live entertainment in addition to its traditional lineup. “The contributor to growing engagement is going to be across the board on our scripted and unscripted, our documentary programming, all the kinds of things that people love, including now the addition of some live hours,” Netflix co-CEO Theodore Sarandos said after the company’s most recent quarterly earnings report. Aside from its deal with WWE, the company announced in May that it will stream two National Football League games globally on Christmas Day as part of a three-year deal with the league. That live programming will be an important part of Netflix’s strategy going forward, said JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth. “Netflix is increasingly focused on sports entertainment, events, and shoulder content and we expect a bigger push into live sports over time, particularly as negotiating leverage shifts in Netflix’s direction,” he wrote in an analyst note last month.
Newcastle United stumbled to a Monday night defeat against West Ham at St James' Park after some poor defending. West Ham went ahead on 10 minutes when Emerson Palmieri's corner was whipped in and Tomas Soucek was afforded a free header to steer it home near the penalty spot. The Hammers would strengthen their grip two minutes later as Jarrod Bowen slipped in Aaron Wan-Bissaka before the ex-Man United man was allowed to glide his way into the box before drilling the ball home to make it 2-0. Newcastle created very little in the first half and struggled in attack after the break. Unfortunately, they never looked like staging a dramatic comeback. Here's how the Newcastle stars rated overall: Nick Pope 6 Never in danger of a clean sheet with such slack defending in front of him. Tino Livramento 6 A real dip in performance levels despite a bright start. Fabian Schar 6 Not at fault for the opener but rooted to the spot on the second. Lloyd Kelly 5 Switched off for the opener and did not take what was a big opportunity. Dan Burn will walk straight back into the team after his ban. Lewis Hall 6 Always up against it with Jarrod Bowen on the scene. Not his worst game, but far from his best. Sean Longstaff 5 Lost possession a couple of times with ruthless Howe taking him off before the hour mark for Sandro Tonali. Caught ball watching as West Ham sliced through for the second goal. Had 32 touches in all and sent one header on target in the first half. Bruno Guimaraes 5 A real struggle for Brazil star who eventually limped off with an injury. Could easily have been subbed after a poor show by his standards. Joe Willock 6 Never seemed to get over first half knock. One effort flew wide. Anthony Gordon 6 Offered some bite at times but Howe proved nobody is guaranteed to stay on the field with his substitution. Joelinton 6 Started well enough but faded. Another to endure the hook. Alexander Isak 5 The night was set up for him but he lacked impact. Disappeared soon after seeing first half strike ruled offside. Subs Harvey Barnes 5 (for Willock 46) His arrival did not have the desired effect. Did not manage a shot and had just one accurate cross. Sandro Tonali 5 (for Longstaff 57) Not much impact. Callum Wilson 5 (for Gordon 68) Just four touches but was handed the impossible task really. Had a valid penalty shout. Jacob Murphy 4 (for Joelinton 68) No impact. Kieran Trippier (for Bruno 84) *Subs must play 15 minutes to gain a markA new year on the London Underground is around the corner. This brings with it developments on the network, and maybe progress towards some long-term goals. Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) say they need more cash from the Government for some of the capital's largest projects. But some things are already underway. Changes coming in 2025 include new trains and the roll out of new technology at stations and on lines. In addition, discussions will definitely be happening behind the scenes regarding proposals that need developing further. READ MORE: Plans for new London Overground station next to HS2 'under consideration' New Piccadilly line trains A change that is definitely coming is new trains on the Piccadilly line. The stock is part of a £2.9 billion upgrade. Next year, this will begin in earnest as customers will be able to ride the state-of-the-art carriages for the first time. They will be introduced over two years, with the final train rolled out in 2027. Passengers will be able to enjoy walk-through carriages, air con, USB charging ports and better travel information. As well as the new stock, the power system on the Piccadilly line will be upgraded. TfL says this will ensure that the new trains run as reliably and efficiently as possible when it starts running more at the busiest times. The new trains will be also be 'rigorously tested' before they carry our customers. Officials say TfL is also improving its train maintenance depots to ensure that the stock 'works reliably, efficiently and provide the maximum comfort'. At Cockfosters and Northfields depots, staff are building new facilities to maintain the trains with extra stabling track and cleaning facilities. At South Harrow , TfL has installed extra stabling track so that trains can be quickly brought into use when services start to run more frequently. In addition, bosses say the following will be delivered: Four lines modernisation A new signalling system is being installed on the Circle, Hammersmith and City, District and Metropolitan lines. In September 2022, TfL introduced a new timetable. Officials say this has improved journey times by around five per cent on average on the Circle and District lines between Monument, Fulham Broadway, Barons Court and Paddington. Since September 2021, bosses add that journey times between Hammersmith and Aldgate have improved by approximately 10 per cent. Operators have also increased the number of trains between Baker Street and Aldgate from 27 trains an hour to 28 trains an hour during the busiest times. TfL says that areas still to go live include the Metropolitan Line north of Finchley Road and sections of the District line from Barons Court to Stamford Brook and Fulham Broadway to East Putney. The next section to come into service will be on the Metropolitan line between Finchley Road and Preston Road in 2025, officials add. Bakerloo line extension and new stock Something that is less certain, however, is what is happening with the proposed Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham. TfL says more cash from the Government is needed, and a new fleet of trains for the Tube's brown line will need to be built first. This will also require money. But this is included as an option in an already existing contract with Siemens , the same firm that is producing the new Piccadilly line trains. So it's down in black and white in some form. In addition, TfL has asked Aecom and architects WW+P to examine the feasibility of constructing four new stations. These are Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, New Cross Gate and Lewisham. The New Civil Engineer reports that this is expected to take four months. It seems that the extension will be dependent on how well the UK's economy performs in 2025. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, told MyLondon in April : "Of course I want to see the investment in infrastructure our country needs to grow after 14 years of mismanagement. But we have to always show where the money is going to come from, and we need to grow the economy to be able to release funds for crucial infrastructure investment." However, Ms Reeves has said that she will change the Government's self-imposed debt rules in order to free up billions of pounds for infrastructure spending. This is to 'grow the economy', she said. The DfT says that it is working with the Mayor on funding for TfL. Air filters, noise measures and cooling the Tube down The trial of an air filtration system at Baker Street started in May 2024. The technology will be assessed over the coming months to understand its ability to handle large volumes of air, the rate at which dust is captured, ease of maintenance, and any other possible issues, Sadiq Khan has said. The mayor's TfL budget for this year also said that Green Park was also going to get a new filter system as part of the trial. If these prove successful, we could see these rolled out more widely. In addition, testing a brand new Underground train could be deployed as part of officials' efforts to improve the air quality on platforms and in tunnels. The mayor told the London Assembly on July 5 : "As part of its continuing work to improve air quality on the Tube network, Transport for London (TfL) is exploring the latest advances in innovation. This includes trialing a bespoke track cleaning train, which is currently going through TfL’s approval process, to ensure it is safe to operate on the Tube network. "The trial is expected to take place later this year." Who knows, this could start to operate in 2025. In an effort to curb Tube noise, new technology, Delkor fastenings, are now fitted as standard as part of TfL's ongoing Deep Tube track renewal programme. TfL has carried out renewal works – which include the installation of Delkor fastenings – at a number of sites. Further renewal works – including the installation of Delkor fastenings – will continue as part of TfL’s ongoing programme, Mr Khan has said . Further, TfL has successfully trialled new technology that cools down Underground station platforms. The Mayor of London says that they could be rolled out to deep Tube lines in future, but installing them across the city would require more funding. After they were tried out at Holborn Station, testing would need to take place in a station open to customers (Knightsbridge) before TfL could look to potentially introduce them at four additional stations on the Piccadilly line (Green Park, Holborn, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus). Sign up for our London Underground newsletter for the latest travel updates to make your commute easier, plus a weekly fix of Tube trivia! Sign up HERE.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Labor secretary Amber Shultz announce the launch of the state's new online unemployment system Nov. 22, 2024, at the Statehouse. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — After years of fraud, delayed claims and long waits, Kansas’ beleaguered unemployment program has rolled out a new, modernized system. Gov. Laura Kelly and Kansas Department of Labor secretary Amber Shultz announced Friday the launch of the online claim system that has been three years in the making, and more than a decade overdue. Kelly called it a “complete transformation.” “Now we’ve unlocked access to a world of new possibilities,” Kelly said. “Modernizing an IT system is about more than just updating old software. It’s about rethinking the entire infrastructure.” The old system was “slow, inefficient and, frankly, unresponsive, especially when Kansas needed it most,” Kelly told reporters and labor department staff. Kansas’ aging unemployment system crumbled under the weight of a historic number of unemployment claims filed during the COVID-19 pandemic, of which an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars worth were deemed fraudulent. Officials admitted the system should have been updated years ago. In 2011, former Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration halted efforts to revamp the system. Kelly had planned to upgrade the 1970s-era mainframe system before the pandemic, but the process didn’t begin until June 2022. Kelly referenced floppy disks, the Beatles and the Vietnam War when characterizing the time in which the system came to be. Roughly 50 years later, transforming the system was like turning a rotary phone into a smartphone, she said. Kelly said the overhaul cost more than $40 million, but it would have cost about $27 million if done a decade ago. Continued investment in technology is important, Kelly said, “so we never fall behind the mark again.” Shultz, who took over as department secretary in 2021 , became emotional while thanking the labor department staff members. The “dark days” of the pandemic, as Kelly dubbed them, involved death threats and law enforcement protection for labor department staff. “They came into a burning building during the pandemic,” she said. A September 2021 state audit found that about 59% of the roughly 1 million unique claims filed during the pandemic were suspected to be fraudulent. That same audit showed the state processed $700 million in fraudulent benefit payments. Half came from federal funds and half from state funds. A backlog of fraudulent claims still exists, Shultz told the Reflector. However, the department believes every case of fraud has been identified. The new system, accessible at KansasUI.gov , was launched earlier this week. Some users encountered hiccups with the system’s multi-factor authentication, a process that is meant to add an extra layer of security, but Shultz said those affected have been contacted. With the new system’s launch, claim filings are at normal levels, Shultz said. Typically, seasonal layoffs bring in about 1,200 initial claims this time of year, while continued claims are at about 7,500. As the new system’s first week comes to a close, volumes remain normal, Shultz said.
UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New YorkUnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New YorkNone
(BPT) - The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle ... and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it's hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done!