Circa March 2023 and this comment - ‘More confident in Adani Group’s business prospects’ from the LIC Chairperson, helped to stabilize the Adani Group companies’ shares following the mayhem that ensued post the attack by Hindenburg. At that time, LIC was on the dock given its high exposure to Adani Group, its clarifications in January 2023 that Adani Group investments accounted for less than 1 per cent of overall assets, notwithstanding. LIC investors were concerned that it had accounted for over 5.5 per cent of LIC’s equity portfolio. This time though, while LIC investments in Adani still account for over 4-4.5 per cent of its equity portfolio, a different investor is on the dock – GQG Capital. While LIC Chairman’s comments helped set a floor to Adani shares last time, it was the entry of GQG as an investor in the Adani Group companies that kick started the strong recovery in the stocks. Such was the confidence investors gained from there, that stocks like Adani Ports and Adani Power raced up to well above pre-Hindenburg all times highs, by end of 2023. Yes, stocks like Adani Total Gas and Adani Energy solutions continued to languish, but a strong case was made that Adani had triumphed post the attacks. And of course, good earnings growth reported by Adani Group companies too helped, although valuations remained expensive. But now there is something to worry when GQG is on the dock. Investors in GQG’s stock (listed in Australia) gave their first verdict when the stock plunged by 20 per cent on November 21. A buyback announcement amounting to around 1 per cent of GQG’s stock, hardly enticed investors the next day (stock closed up by a modest 3.7 per cent). This portends probably the first major challenge to GQG’s management and its reputation, which has had a solid track record across its four global investment strategies (International Equity, Global Equity, Emerging Markets Equity and US Equity ) backing it, since inception in 2014. Given its reputation, its stakes in Adani Group companies which amounted to almost $9.5 billion in October 2024, are now too big to fail. In total these stakes account for 6 per cent of its AUM of around $158 billion and 8 per cent in one of its emerging markets investment vehicles (Bloomberg data). The rationale for its overweight positions in Adani Group companies, a level of bullishness not shares by other institutional investors in India (barring LIC) might be the key questions that GQG’s clients might be asking now. For example, its stakes across Adani Group companies account for anywhere between 12 to 20 per cent of free float of the Adani Group companies. Its stake combined with that of LIC’s account for 19 to 34 per cent. If under pressure from clients GQG is forced to reduce its positions in the secondary markets in some of these companies, the pressure on the stocks could be significant. GQG’s stakes account for anywhere between 18 to 45 days of the average of the three months’ daily trading volume in NSE (accounts for over 90 per cent of secondary market stock trades in India) of the respective stocks. So even if it were to reduce its stakes marginally, the impact will reverberate unless another institutional investor comes to the rescue. GQG will have to weigh the details and its client’s perceptions on the emerging details and make a call. It would be worth noting that a sizeable 30 per cent of its AUM comes from a sub-advisory relationship with Goldman Sachs, wherein GQG as an asset manager, advises a fund that is run by Goldman Sachs. So how the primary advisor to clients for this fund – a Goldman Sachs unit, feels about allegations can weigh on GQG’s decision (the sub-advisor is chosen by the primary advisor). Hence what Adani needs now is an encore of what LIC Chairman said in March 2023, but this time from GQG’s Rajiv Jain. This can help put a floor and send a message that global investors are undeterred by these allegations considering the fact that most GQG’s clients are investors from developed markets. In the absence of that one will have to start worrying about a possible Mexican stand-off between GQG, LIC and the other set of public investors watching each other to see who is going to pull the trigger first and exit some stakes. Comments5th Street Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Alphabet Inc. ( NASDAQ:GOOGL – Free Report ) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 4,200 shares of the information services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $697,000. Alphabet makes up about 0.3% of 5th Street Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GOOGL. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its holdings in shares of Alphabet by 75.0% during the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 140 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Denver PWM LLC acquired a new position in Alphabet during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Alphabet in the second quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphabet during the second quarter worth $55,000. 40.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Alphabet Stock Down 1.7 % Shares of GOOGL opened at $164.76 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.03. Alphabet Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.90 and a 52-week high of $191.75. Alphabet Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Alphabet’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.61%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CAO Amie Thuener O’toole sold 682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.44, for a total transaction of $109,420.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 32,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,136,807.48. This represents a 2.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, CEO Sundar Pichai sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.68, for a total value of $3,570,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,137,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $339,160,251.80. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last three months, insiders sold 206,795 shares of company stock worth $34,673,866. Company insiders own 11.55% of the company’s stock. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on GOOGL shares. DA Davidson began coverage on Alphabet in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $170.00 target price for the company. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Alphabet from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. JMP Securities upped their target price on Alphabet from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Alphabet from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Alphabet from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have given a buy rating and five have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alphabet has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.90. Read Our Latest Research Report on GOOGL About Alphabet ( Free Report ) Alphabet Inc offers various products and platforms in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Canada, and Latin America. It operates through Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets segments. The Google Services segment provides products and services, including ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GOOGL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Alphabet Inc. ( NASDAQ:GOOGL – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Alphabet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alphabet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Seibert misses an extra point late as the Commanders lose their 3rd in a row, 34-26 to the Cowboys
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AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:25 p.m. ESTDonald Trump is trying to 'humiliate' Justin Trudeau with Canada jokes, ex-Trump adviser says
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line could get another boost for Eagles gameThe has seen solid gains over the last year as the benchmark currently trades with 22.4% year-to-date gains. With inflationary pressures easing and interest rates declining, many are on investors’ radar as we approach 2025. Before I highlight a top Canadian consumer retail stock with strong growth potential for 2025, let’s look at how these favourable macroeconomic trends could help the retail sector gain strength in the coming years. What could help the Canadian consumer retail sector outperform After the COVID-19 pandemic forced countries to adopt strict lockdowns in 2020, the Bank of Canada kept interest rates at historically low levels to support economic recovery. However, low rates led to a surge in consumer demand, which, combined with supply chain disruptions, contributed to high inflation. To fight inflationary pressures, the Canadian central bank implemented a series of interest rate hikes between 2022 and 2023, temporarily hurting consumer spending and retail growth. Now, with easing inflation and declining interest rates, the Canadian retail sector could see a recovery. This is primarily because lower rates make borrowing more affordable for consumers, encouraging spending on both discretionary and non-discretionary items. In addition, easing inflation helps stabilize product prices, which boosts consumer confidence and their purchasing power. The combination of these two key factors is likely to create a more favourable environment for the retail sector in 2025 and beyond. A top Canadian retail stock to buy for 2025 While there are several strong contenders in the Canadian retail space, one stock that stands out for its growth potential in 2025 is ( ). On the one hand, shares of many other retail companies like and have outperformed the broader market so far in 2024. On the other hand, Canadian Tire stock has lagged behind with only 10% year-to-date gains. With this, it currently trades at $154.72 per share with a of $8.8 billion. In my opinion, Canadian Tire’s relative underperformance in 2024 presents an attractive opportunity for long-term investors. Another factor that makes Canadian Tire an attractive stock is its diverse business model, which spans multiple retail categories, including automotive, hardware, sports, and home goods. Although some headwinds due to weak consumer spending have affected parts of the retail sector of late, Canadian Tire is continuing to showcase resilience through strategic initiatives and operational efficiency. For example, in the most recent quarter ended in September 2024, Canadian Tire delivered strong profitability despite a slight dip in its comparable sales. The company reported a solid 21.3% year-over-year increase in its adjusted earnings to $3.59 per share with the help of cost-control measures and a focus on high-margin product categories. In addition, its automotive and sports categories have shown strength due to strong demand for automotive services. A favourable macroeconomic environment further brightens Canadian Tire’s outlook for 2025 and beyond, making its stock attractive for the long term. Besides that, its attractive annualized dividend yield of 4.5% makes it even more appealing for income-focused investors.
FDA Accepts Ascendis Pharma’s Supplemental Biologics License Application for TransConTM hGH for ...
BEIRUT — Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, wounding seven people in one of the militant group's heaviest barrages in months, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war. An Israeli bomb squad policeman carries the remains of a rocket that was fired from Lebanon on Sunday in Kibbutz Kfar Blum, northern Israel. Some of the rockets reached the Tel Aviv area in the heart of Israel. Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on an army center killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded 18 others in the southwest between Tyre and Naqoura, Lebanon's military said. The Israeli military expressed regret, saying that the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah and that the military's operations are directed solely against the militants. Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines. Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on U.S.-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war. Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Iran supports both armed groups. The Israeli police bomb squad inspects the site after a missile fired from Lebanon hit the area Sunday in Petah Tikva, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes at Hezbollah, and in September the low-level conflict erupted into all-out war as Israel launched airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon and killed Hezbollah's top leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The Israeli military said about 250 projectiles were fired Sunday, with some intercepted. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said it treated seven people, including a 60-year old man in severe condition from rocket fire on northern Israel, a 23-year-old man who was lightly wounded by a blast in the central city of Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, and a 70-year-old woman who suffered smoke inhalation from a car that caught fire there. In Haifa, a rocket hit a residential building that police said was in danger of collapsing. The Palestine Red Crescent reported 13 injuries it said were caused by an interceptor missile that struck several homes in Tulkarem in the West Bank. It was unclear whether injuries and damage were caused by rockets or interceptors. Sirens wailed again in central and northern Israel hours later. Israeli airstrikes without warning on Saturday pounded central Beirut, killing at least 29 people and wounding 67, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. A flock of birds flies above the smoke from Israeli airstrikes Sunday in Dahiyeh, Beirut. Smoke billowed above Beirut again Sunday with new strikes. Israel's military said it targeted command centers for Hezbollah and its intelligence unit in the southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, where the militants have a strong presence. Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardment in northern Israel and in battle following Israel's ground invasion in early October. Around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country's north. The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to the Lebanese c... The European Union’s top diplomat called Sunday for more pressure on Israel and Hezbollah to reach a deal, saying one was "pending with a final agreement from the Israeli government.” U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was in the region last week. Josep Borrell spoke after meeting with Mikati and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who has been mediating with the group. Borrell said the EU is ready to allocate $208 million to assist the Lebanese military. But Borrell later said that he did not “see the Israeli government interested clearly in reaching an agreement for a cease-fire" and that it seemed Israel was seeking new conditions. He pointed to Israel’s refusal to accept France as a member of the international committee that would oversee the cease-fire's implementation. The emerging agreement would pave the way for the withdrawal of Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops from southern Lebanon below the Litani River in accordance with the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the monthlong 2006 war. Lebanese troops would patrol with the presence of U.N. peacekeepers. With talks for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza stalled, freed hostages and families of those held marked a year since the war's only hostage-release deal. “It’s hard to hold on to hope, certainly after so long and as another winter is about to begin," said Yifat Zailer, cousin of Shiri Bibas, who is held along with her husband and two young sons. Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead. Most of the rest of the 250 who were abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack were released in last year's cease-fire. Talks for another deal recently had several setbacks, including the firing of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who pushed for a deal, and Qatar’s decision to suspend its mediation. Hamas wants Israel to end the war and withdraw all troops from Gaza. Israel has offered only to pause its offensive. The Palestinian death toll from the war surpassed 44,000 this week, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. On Sunday, six people were killed in strikes in central Gaza, according to AP journalists at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. How often do you buy something online ? A couple of times a month? A couple of times a week? A couple of times a day? Everybody's answer will be different, but collectively, it's done a lot: Online retail accounted for over $1 trillion of purchases in the U.S. in 2022 and a record $277.6 billion in the second quarter of 2023 alone. Retailers ranging from titans like Amazon and Walmart, down to local small-town shops work very hard to land their share of that business. Sadly and inevitably—so do criminals and scammers. At any given moment, they operate millions of bogus sites. So how can you spot those fake online shopping sites? Spokeo provides a guide. In the early days of the internet , it took some genuine skills to set up a website, but those days are gone. A quick search will show that there are lots of apps and services offering websites on a prefabricated "fill in the blanks" basis, and most web hosts provide those tools as part of the service when someone signs up with them. It's even easier on social media . If you were opening a "side hustle" business tomorrow from your home, you could set up your own Facebook page tonight in under an hour, with exactly zero knowledge of websites. Once that page is set up, you just need to throw a few dollars in the direction of Facebook's advertising department, and they'll start advertising your page to users. It's no harder to promote a website, except in that case, you'd give your advertising dollars to Google. This is a simplified overview, but the main point holds: Establishing a presence online has become a very democratized process, open to anyone with minimal skills and even the smallest budget for advertising. That's been a boon for legitimate entrepreneurs, but it also makes life very easy indeed for scammers. There are multiple types of bogus websites . Some are imposters, created to look very much like a legitimate commercial or government site that you're familiar with, such as Amazon or Netflix. Others don't imitate a specific site, but instead attempt to capture the look and feel of those sites in general (whether that be a retail site, a government or bank page, or even something relatively shady like a gambling or porn site). Next, scammers find ways to drive traffic to their site. Often that's through phishing texts or emails, but deceptive ads on social media or search engines like Google and Bing work just as well. Once a browser arrives at the criminals' site (or, in some cases, downloads their app), any number of bad things can happen. One is that they'll download malware onto your devices, which can capture passwords or steal personal information. A more straightforward risk is that the browser will cheerfully enter their personal and banking/credit card information, thinking they're making a legitimate purchase. That's largely why fake online shopping sites are so dangerous, and so useful to scammers and identity thieves. Most bogus sites share some or all of those characteristics, but shopping sites are a very specific type of bogus site with some quirks of their own. One characteristic to count on—whether the website directly impersonates a major retailer like Amazon, a niche retailer like MEC, or just positions itself as an anonymously general retail site—is that it will offer unusually low pricing on high-demand products. That might be a mass-market item like the latest gaming console, a suddenly in-demand item that's unavailable through normal channels (remember trying to get masks and sanitizing wipes during COVID-19?), or something as mundane as disposable diapers or high-capacity computer drives. Whatever the product, the advertised price will be low enough to get attention. The bogus site will have any number of ways to transfer a browser's money to its coffers, depending on the scammers' intentions and skillset. A few of the most common include: These are all aside from the potential to infect devices or steal payment information . Sites focused on identity theft might consider a faux purchase to be just the added gravy. How common is online shopping fraud? Well, the news is pretty bad. The FTC's 2022 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book recorded over 327,000 online shopping complaints, the fourth-highest category for overall complaints and second among fraud categories. You would expect these sites to be more prevalent during the final quarter of the year, corresponding to the holiday gift-giving season—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas itself—and they are, but that doesn't mean you can relax during the other nine months of the year. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, or APWG, identified nearly a million fake or phishing websites during the first quarter of 2022 alone (not a busy time of year for shopping), for example. To be clear, only 14.6% of those were eCommerce sites, but that still translates to well over 140,000 bogus shopping sites. The true number is almost certainly higher because the APWG only tracks the ones that use a phishing approach. Many opt to simply buy advertising instead (or as well), and those won't be captured in the APWG's statistics. However you slice it, there's a definite risk of encountering these sites when you shop. The good news is that bogus shopping sites aren't hard to spot, once you're aware of the risk. They aren't built for permanence; scammers pull them together quickly and cheaply and then abandon them once they stop producing.That "just good enough" approach leaves plenty of visible signs you can detect. Below, here's what to look for when recognizing fake online shopping sites. Bad images Bogus sites don't have direct access to the real products' manufacturing images, so they resort to copying and pasting from legitimate sites. \That means bogus sites' product images (and often their fake logos, if they impersonate a legitimate site) are fuzzy and low-res. A URL that's slightly "off" Imposter sites obviously can't have the same URL as the legitimate site, so they'll usually have a URL that looks right, but isn't quite. They might have a typo in the name, or incorporate the real company's name into their URL in a non-standard way ("myfakesite.amazon.com.123xyz.com"), or—sneakiest of all—use a letter from a different language's character set , which looks the same to the eye, but not to the computer. Broken links The scammers may have simply copied and pasted user interface elements from a legitimate site, in which case many links on the site may be broken (or simply not clickable). Lots of missing elements A legitimate retail website will have several pages of legalese, often starting with a pop-up about its cookie policy or privacy policy. You should certainly expect to see a detailed document spelling out shipping policies, return and refund policies, and similar details. If those are missing or brief and vapid, it's probably a fake site. Limited options for payment Sites that plan to take your money and run will often show oddly specific payment options, from wire transfers to gift cards to cryptocurrency. The thing those payment methods have in common is that it's very difficult to get money back once it's spent. Sites geared around capturing your personal or payment information, on the other hand, may insist on getting your credit card. Typos, grammar, and linguistic errors Simple, silly language errors are often a red flag. Scammers may not be native English speakers, and it shows up in awkward or sometimes inappropriate phrasing. Errors in actual product listings aren't necessarily a smoking gun—you'll see them frequently on real Amazon pages—because they come from the manufacturers, who are often not English speakers. Language errors on the rest of the site are more of a concern. HTTP vs. HTTPS In the address bar of your browser, a legitimate retail site's URL will start with HTTPS, rather than HTTP, and will show a closed lock symbol. The majority of fake sites now also have an HTTPS URL and will show the lock (so this isn't as helpful as it used to be), but less-sophisticated scammers may miss that detail. You can automatically rule those ones out. And, of course, the biggest red flag of all is an unrealistically low price on the product you're looking for. We all want to get a really good deal, but that impulse will often lead you astray. If a shopping site fails those basic "eyeball" tests, the smart thing to do is just close that browser tab and walk away. If you want to dig deeper, or if you aren't sure, there are a few quick and easy ways to verify a site's legitimacy. Use a URL/website checker Remember those really sneaky fake URLs that use a letter from another alphabet? The best way to check those (and other problematic elements in a URL) is through a URL verifier/website reputation service, like the ones from URLVoid and Google . Just copy (don't click!) the link, and paste it into the checker. If the site is sketchy, they'll tell you. Look up the site on a registry Domain names all need to be registered and there are several lookup tools to check this, like ICANN's registration lookup (think of it as Spokeo for websites). If a site claims to be Amazon but was registered just a few weeks ago, that's a really big red flag. Similarly, if the site isn't located where it should be, or if the ownership data is obscured, that's grounds for concern. Turn to Google If you have a bad feeling about a particular site, do a quick Google or Bing (or whatever) search that pairs the site's name with keywords like "scam," "fraud," "bogus" or "ripoff" and see what comes up. If you get a lot of hits, that's definitely grounds for concern. Go Forth and Shop (Safely) If a given site fails any or all of those tests, then keeping your wallet in your pocket is definitely the smart choice. Instead of making the purchase, report the site instead to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FTC's Report Fraud website. That will get the investigative wheels turning and may help protect someone less wary from falling victim to the scammers. As always, wariness and skepticism are your friends when it comes to avoiding scams. Don't click on links in emails, texts , or social media messages; instead, go to the company's site by typing the URL directly. If you search a company's page on Google, scroll down through the actual search results until you find it instead of clicking on the sponsored results or advertisements at the top. Most of all, remember the golden rule of scam avoidance: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Keeping those principles in mind, and using the tips given here to screen out dubious sites means you'll be able to shop 'til you drop (safely), despite the vast number of scammers out there. And that—as the credit card ads like to say—is priceless. This story was produced by Spokeo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Google is ramping up its push into smart glasses and augmented reality headgear, taking on rivals Apple and Meta with help from its sophisticated Gemini artificial intelligence. The internet titan on Thursday unveiled an Android XR operating system created in a collaboration with Samsung, which will use it in a device being built in what is called internally "Project Moohan," according to Google. The software is designed to power augmented and virtual reality experiences enhanced with artificial intelligence, XR vice president Shahram Izadi said in a blog post. "With headsets, you can effortlessly switch between being fully immersed in a virtual environment and staying present in the real world," Izadi said. "You can fill the space around you with apps and content, and with Gemini, our AI assistant, you can even have conversations about what you're seeing or control your device." Google this week announced the launch of Gemini 2.0, its most advanced artificial intelligence model to date, as the world's tech giants race to take the lead in the fast-developing technology. CEO Sundar Pichai said the new model would mark what the company calls "a new agentic era" in AI development, with AI models designed to understand and make decisions about the world around you. Android XR infused with Gemini promises to put digital assistants into eyewear, tapping into what users are seeing and hearing. An AI "agent," the latest Silicon Valley trend, is a digital helper that is supposed to sense surroundings, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals. "Gemini can understand your intent, helping you plan, research topics and guide you through tasks," Izadi said. "Android XR will first launch on headsets that transform how you watch, work and explore." The Android XR release was a preview for developers so they can start building games and other apps for headgear, ideally fun or useful enough to get people to buy the hardware. This is not Google's first foray into smart eyewear. Its first offering, Google Glass, debuted in 2013 only to be treated as an unflattering tech status symbol and met with privacy concerns due to camera capabilities. The market has evolved since then, with Meta investing heavily in a Quest virtual reality headgear line priced for mainstream adoption and Apple hitting the market with pricey Vision Pro "spacial reality" gear. Google plans to soon begin testing prototype Android XR-powered glasses with a small group of users. Google will also adapt popular apps such as YouTube, Photos, Maps, and Google TV for immersive experiences using Android XR, according to Izadi. Gemini AI in glasses will enable tasks like directions and language translations, he added. "It's all within your line of sight, or directly in your ear," Izadi said.
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Reltio is Recognized as a Best-of-Breed Representative Vendor in 2024 Gartner® Market Guide for Master Data Management SolutionsIt’s time for the holidays, which means robust family conversations and seemingly never-ending courses of food. But for the more tech-savvy among us, the journey home could also mean we’ll be called on to provide a backlog of tech support to parents, grandparents and other family members. And with generative AI being used to supercharge some major cyber scams this year, it’s also a good time to teach and not just fix. Here are some tips on how to manage your tech encounters this holiday season: Whether it’s Windows, macOS, iOS or Android, simply keeping your operating system and apps up-to-date will help protect your family’s computers and devices against a surprising number of security threats, such as malware, viruses and exploits. Most operating systems, especially those for mobile devices and their app stores, typically have auto-updates turned on by default. Be sure to double-check the device to make sure it has enough storage space to carry out the update. Keeping apps updated may also reduce the number of “Why isn’t this app working?” type of questions from your relatives. Chances are someone in your family is going to have a completely full mobile device. So full, in fact, that they can no longer update their phone or tablet without having to purge something first. There are many approaches to freeing up space. Here are a few you can easily take without having to triage data or apps. Use the cloud to back up media: Clear browsing data: According to some admittedly unscientific studies, the average person has hundreds of passwords. That’s a lot to remember. So as you help your relatives reset some of theirs, you may be tempted to recycle some to keep things simple for them. But that’s one of the bad password habits that cybersecurity experts warn against. Instead, try introducing your forgetful family member to a password manager. They’re useful tools for simplifying and keeping track of logins. And if you want to impress a more tech-savvy cousin or auntie, you could suggest switching to a more secure digital authentication method: passkeys. As scammers find new ways to steal money and personal information, you and your family should be more vigilant about who to trust. Artificial intelligence and other technologies are giving bad actors craftier tools to work with online. A quick way to remember what to do when you think you’re getting scammed is to think about the three S’s, said Alissa Abdullah, also known as Dr. Jay, Mastercard’s deputy chief security officer “Stay suspicious, stop for a second (and think about it) and stay protected,” she said. Simply being aware of typical scams can help, experts say. Robocalls frequently target vulnerable individuals like seniors, people with disabilities and people with debt. So-called romance scams target lonely and isolated individuals. Quiz scams target those who spend a lot of time on social media. Home internet speeds are getting faster, so you want to make sure your family members are getting a high-speed connection if they’ve paid for one. Run a broadband speed test on your home network if they’re still rocking an aging modem and router. Get local news delivered to your inbox!US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? DALLAS (AP) — Delta and United Airlines have become the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning a significant share of budget travelers. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Some travel industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate less-wealthy passengers will have fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on better financial footing but also are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most industry experts think Frontier and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks, and that there's still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. Bitcoin ticks closer to $100,000 in extended surge following US elections NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, setting another new high above $99,000 overnight. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Australia rejects Elon Musk's claim that it plans to control access to the internet MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian Cabinet minister has rejected X Corp. owner Elon Musk’s allegation that the government intends to control all Australians' access to the internet through legislation that would ban young children from social media. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday that Musk’s criticism was “unsurprising” after the government introduced legislation to Parliament that would fine platforms including X up to $133 million for allowing children under 16 to hold social media accounts. The spat continues months of open hostility between the Australian government and the tech billionaire over regulators’ efforts to reduce public harm from social media. Parliament could pass the legislation as soon as next week. Oil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it heads for a winning week Stocks gained ground on Wall Street, keeping the market on track for its fifth gain in a row. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in afternoon trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 352 points and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts' estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called of its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. European markets were mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Crude oil prices gained ground. Apple and Google face UK investigation into mobile browser dominance LONDON (AP) — A British watchdog says Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers. The watchdog's report Friday recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year. The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker’s tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. The CMA’s report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers “the clearest or easiest option.” Apple said it disagreed with the findings. Atlantic City casino earnings fall nearly 14% in 3rd quarter ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City’s casinos saw their operating profits decline by nearly 14% in the third quarter of this year. New Jersey gambling regulators say the nine casinos had a collective gross operating profit of $236.5 million in the third quarter. That was down 13.8% from the third quarter of 2023. Every casino was profitable, but only two — Caesars and Hard Rock — saw their profits increase in the third quarter compared with a year ago. Hard Rock had the highest average hotel occupancy at over 95%, and Ocean had the highest average hotel room price at $335. German auto supplier Bosch to cut 5,500 jobs in further sign of carmakers' woes FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany's technology and services company Bosch is cutting its automotive division workforce by as many as 5,500 jobs in the next several years, in another sign of the headwinds hitting the German and global auto industries. The company cited stagnating global auto sales, too much factory capacity in the auto industry compared to sales prospects and a slower than expected transition to electric-powered, software-controlled vehicles. Some 3,500 of the job reductions would come before the end of 2027 and would hit the part of the company that develops driver assistance and automated driving technologies. About half those job reductions would be at locations in Germany.
, a name synonymous with dominance, has taken an unexpected career turn, signing a to become the head coach at , as reported by . Known for his with the , Belichick steps into a college football landscape vastly different from the , where is as important as play-calling. The move raises one pivotal question: , head coach at the and widely regarded for his out-of-the-box strategies, might offer to emulate. Sanders' unorthodox approach has drawn criticism but delivered , saving Colorado in recruitment expenses while attracting , including . His strategy? Skip traditional in-home visits and focus on selling the program's culture and campus experience. For , this model could be At 72, the prospect of meeting recruits in their homes might not appeal to him-or to recruits accustomed to a more dynamic pitch. highlighted the potential fit in a recent post, suggesting that could avoid age-related stigmas by adopting Sanders' method. Adapting to a new game: Belichick's NFL pedigree vs. College recruiting challenges , however, is no stranger to adaptation. While his reputation as might seem at odds with the energy needed to win over 18-year-old prospects, his wealth of could serve as a selling point. during his introductory press conference. For recruits dreaming of professional careers, that pitch might be just . Still, skepticism abounds. Former players and publicly doubted . humorously impersonated his former coach, mocking his gruff demeanor as . Yet, if Belichick channels Sanders' focus on rather than his personality, he could circumvent these concerns. is betting big on and pedigree. If he can adapt Sanders' recruitment playbook while leveraging his mystique, the may yet redefine his legacy-not just in the NFL, but in the storied halls of college football.