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NEW YORK and AMSTERDAM , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Dow Jones Indices ("S&P DJI"), the world's leading index provider, today announced the results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) rebalancing and reconstitution. The DJSI are float-adjusted market capitalization weighted indices that measure the performance of companies selected using environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. The DJSI, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), were launched in 1999 as the pioneering series of global sustainability benchmarks available in the market. The index family is comprised of global, regional and country benchmarks. As a result of this year's review, the following top three largest companies based on free-float market capitalization have been added to and deleted from the DJSI World. All changes are effective on Monday, December 23, 2024 . Additions: Airbus SE, Schlumberger Ltd, BAE Systems Plc Deletions: Alphabet Inc 1 , UnitedHealth Group Inc, ASML Holding NV 2 The full results and list of DJSI constituents will be available as of Monday, December 23 2024 , at https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/djsi-annual-review S&P Dow Jones Indices will be renaming a number of its sustainability and ESG-related indices (see Index Announcement ). As part of this update, the family of Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) will be renamed Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices. The changes will become effective on Monday, February 10, 2025 . The S&P Global CSA Scores will continue to be a key factor in selecting constituents for the DJSI when they are renamed Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices in February 2025 . For more information about the DJSI methodology, please visit: www.spglobal.com/spdji . ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets. S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit: www.spglobal.com/spdji . 1 Still member of DJSI World Enlarged and DJSI North America 2 Still member of DJSI World Enlarged S&P DJI MEDIA CONTACTS: spdji.comms@spglobal.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sp-dow-jones-indices-announces-dow-jones-sustainability-indices-2024-review-results-302331745.html SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Trae Young might be the NBA's biggest enigma. Young's fans can point to numbers and say he's an elite player. His detractors can point to numbers and say he's overrated. Both arguments have validity. To some, his cocky ways are endearing. To others, they're infuriating. This can't be argued: He's helping Atlanta author one of the season's surprise stories. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals, set to play Milwaukee on Saturday before the other semifinal between Oklahoma City and Houston. The title game is Tuesday night. “When we talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “And every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He's been an important part of our young guys' growth and being able to elevate them.” The Hawks haven't had a ton of big moments in Young's seven seasons. But he has shown a propensity for rising to the occasion: ousting New York in the 2021 playoffs, ousting the Knicks from the quarterfinals of this tournament to get to Las Vegas — and now comes another chance on national TV on Saturday, facing the Bucks with a chance to play for a trophy. “I feel like this team has been embracing the challenge each and every night from the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We haven’t looked too far ahead in any moment. We’re just taking it day by day. Even though early on in the season we may have had some struggles and some bumps in the road and some guys out, we stuck with the process and focus on each day." Here's part of the pro-Young argument: He's averaging 21 points and 12 assists something that only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he's on pace to lead the league in assist average for the first time. Here's part of the anti-Young argument: Among the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season he ranks 189th at 30.8%, and of the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts this season he ranks 231st at 38.4%. Choose your side. They're both valid. But it's clear that Young — who made no secret that he was upset over not being picked for the team that won gold for USA Basketball at the Paris Olympics this past summer — is growing and maturing. “He’s doing a better job on both ends of the floor,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Defensively he’s figured out a way of keeping himself out of actions. I know that sounds easy. That’s hard to do, and he’s brilliant at it, he really is. ... He must be really studying the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he’s earned the trust of his players. This team likes playing with him, that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson doesn't deny that point. “He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. "It’s crazy, like just seeing it in person and on TV prior to me playing with the Hawks and getting drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy that’s undersized, being able to score at will, being able to make any pass at will. And then next thing you know you’re his teammate and you’re on the receiving end of those passes. “Watching those clutch late game buckets, it’s a joy to watch. It’s a gift that he has that’s very special and not many people have had it at that elite of a level. It’s been great being his teammate. It’s been a blessing.” Saturday is an opportunity. The semifinals are the only games on the NBA calendar for that day; the title game Tuesday — which doesn't count in the standings — is the only game on the NBA slate that night as well. Young will have tons of eyeballs on him Saturday and would have tons more on him Tuesday if the Hawks find a way to win another big game against the Bucks. They're 3-1 against Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland and Boston already this season, 1-0 against Milwaukee. The potential is clear for the Hawks. The potential for Young has always been clear as well. Only now, it's starting to be realized. “The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too mad or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, just aren’t true,” Young said. "I think you’re just now being able to see like with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve been doing this year, I think just now you’re starting to kind of see it because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and it’s a big deal.” AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBAAmbarella, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results
NoneTrae Young, Hawks hoping to win big in Vegas at the NBA Cup semifinals
According to the Indiana Department of Revenue, residents of Floyd, Gibson, Jay, Monroe, Rush and Switzerland counties will see more money taken out of their paychecks to cover the cost of county government services in the new year. The new local income tax rates in those counties are Floyd 1.89%, up from 1.39%; Gibson 1.3%, up from 0.9%; Jay 2.5%, up from 2.45%; Monroe 2.14%, up from 2.035%; Rush 2.15%, up from 2.1%; and Switzerland 1.45%, up from 1.25%. Records show three additional Indiana counties already hiked their income tax rate on Oct. 1: Fayette 2.82%, up from 2.57%; Fulton 2.88%, up from 2.68%; and Henry 2.02%, up from 1.8%. No changes are slated for the local income tax rates in Northwest Indiana that currently stand at 1.5% in Lake County, 0.5% in Porter County, 1.45% in LaPorte County, 1% in Newton County, and 2.864% in Jasper County. But those rates, and local income tax rates across Indiana, might be headed dramatically higher if Republican Gov.-elect Mike Braun succeeds next year in enacting his property tax reduction plan at the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Braun has proposed reverting residential property tax bills to their 2021 amount, regardless of any subsequent increase in the assessed value of the home, as well as increasing the value of residential property tax deductions and capping future property tax revenue growth. Those changes likely will result in a shift of the property tax burden onto rental, business, industrial and agricultural property owners, or higher local income tax rates if counties look to other ways of replacing the lost property tax revenue from owner-occupied homes. Though any local income tax increases will be partially offset by continuing reductions in the state's 3.05% income tax rate that's set to fall to 3% on Jan. 1, 2025, to 2.95% on Jan. 1, 2026, and to 2.9% on Jan. 1, 2027, according to House Enrolled Act 1001 (2023) . The rate cut means a Hoosier worker earning $50,000 a year will pay $1,500 in state income tax next year, instead of $1,525 — a savings of $25, or about $1 per biweekly paycheck. Hiking that same worker's county income rate by 1% would take an extra $500 a year out of the worker's wages, or about $20 from each check. Illinois has a 4.95% state income tax rate and no local income taxes. The combination of the two in Indiana means most Hoosiers are paying more of their earnings in state and local income tax than Illinois residents do.
B.C. cities turning to AI to speed up housing approvals Gold standard is for AI to give site-level feedback with human checks and balances. Jami Makan Dec 13, 2024 2:00 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message The City of Vancouver is among those in B.C. tapping AI to help tackle staffing shortages and housing challenges. Dan Toulgoet Listen to this article 00:08:36 Municipalities in B.C. are automating key aspects of their workflow in order to achieve planning efficiencies and accelerate approval timelines. In a market defined by limited housing supply and low affordability, cities are embracing technology and artificial intelligence to interact seamlessly with project proponents and speed up much-needed real estate development. With a federal goal of 3.9 million new homes by 2031, and with short-staffed municipalities facing ambitious provincial housing targets, the goal is to make interactions with city hall far more productive and user-friendly. This way, more projects can come to fruition before the passage of time renders them unviable or uneconomical. As the technology becomes more sophisticated, city staff can be redeployed to perform monitoring, verification and other higher-level tasks. “Say you make an application to re-zone a property today from residential to a mixed-use commercial zoning, and we figure you need to upsize your water and your sewer,” explained Ryan Smith, divisional director of planning, development and climate sustainability with City of Kelowna. “Today, we have someone look at the pipe sizes. Someone has to compile it and put it into a memo which gets sent to the developer. We’re working on automating all of that so that the system’s smart enough to go in and check pipe sizes and know what the standard would be, what the pipe size is today, and be able to figure out, ‘Okay, well you need to upsize your water line to this, you need a new sewer line and it’s got to be this,’ and give you a list of the civil-engineering-related improvements to your property.” Vancouver using new tools to reach “3-3-3-1” goals Digital technology is playing an important role in advancing the City of Vancouver's permitting approval processes. Tools like the Permit Requirements Exploration Tool (PRET), eComply and the 3-3-3-1 dashboard are instrumental in helping the city achieve its goals outlined in the 3-3-3-1 permit approval framework. Vancouver city council adopted the 3-3-3-1 framework at a June 13, 2023 meeting. It includes three days to approve home renovation permits, three weeks for single-family home and townhouse permits, three months for certain multi-family and mid-rise projects, and one year for high-rise or large-scale projects. While the framework will take some time to accomplish, technologies like AI are helping the city get there sooner rather than later. According to a statement provided by city staff, two of the city’s tools, eComply and the 3-3-3-1 dashboard, have used AI-assisted technology. The first, eComply, was developed in partnership with Australia-based Archistar and uses AI-assisted technology to allow applicants to upload drawings and check them against regulations. Meanwhile, the 3-3-3-1 dashboard, which provides an overview of progress toward permitting targets, was supported by AI-assisted technology in its creation. While the tool is still in development and currently available for internal use only, staff said it will eventually be made public. “We remain committed to exploring emerging technologies, including AI, to continuously improve the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of our permitting processes,” said the City of Vancouver’s statement. Chatbots becoming increasingly refined and capable The City of Kelowna, considered a pioneer in its use of technology, began its journey about five years ago, when a provincially funded grant enabled the city to explore ways to search zoning rules in a more efficient and user-friendly manner. The city pitched the idea to Microsoft Corp., which helped the city implement a chatbot that gives advice on zoning and building-related feedback if members of the public are trying to apply for various types of permits, such as upgrades or infill housing. “How do I apply for a swimming pool permit?” said Smith. “It will walk you through the different things you need to know and try to answer your questions about being able to do that.” Kelowna’s next phase is behind the scenes, where the city is replacing its 30-year-old legacy software with improved tools for processing building-permit and re-zoning applications. “We also needed to get better data out of that system so that we could start making better data-driven decisions related to housing, and track progress related to the Housing Supply Act in B.C., our own housing needs assessment and our housing accelerator fund commitments,” said Smith. The new software program, Cityworks, features a chatbot that guides the making of building permit applications, with everything done online. You won’t need to come into city hall for anything or to drop anything off. The software also enables digital plan checking, and building inspectors can even manage their inspections online. Gold standard is for AI to automate site-level decisions “The thing about AI is, the quality of the information that the municipality feeds into the system is the quality of the information that the user can get out the other side,” said Tegan Smith, CEO of Channel Consulting. “The more that the municipality has an updated official community plan, updated zoning bylaws, updated development permit area requirements and updated infrastructure plans, the more they can leverage AI and chatbots to provide specific feedback to applicants right down to the site level.” Right now, infrastructure such as roads, water and sanitary, is assessed on a site-by-site basis. For example, if a single-family lot is being turned into a six-storey apartment building, there may be a requirement to upgrade a water main to allow for adequate fire flows. Right now, all of that is done by engineering studies specific to the project. This is one reason why infrastructure master plans are critical, she said. “If we are able to develop models that can actually be predictive about the implications on a site level, then we’ve got the key with AI to unlock its full potential.” Risks abound but payoff could be huge Today, AI can be used internally by city staff to enhance their workflow and easily consult building, plumbing and electrical codes. It can be used to conduct risk-based building inspections, and can be used to communicate with members of the public during major snow events. ChatGPT can quickly review zoning bylaws and answer whether or not a certain use can be implemented. Tomorrow, AI could be used to make permit approval recommendations, predict market cycles or help optimize the use of public land for affordable housing. It could also make recommendations about how best to re-develop any property based on what’s allowed by the municipality, accompanied by immediate quotes from suitable builders and financiers. In the aggregate, these novel applications could help solve regional and national housing shortages. But AI also has gaps and limitations. For example, coordinated data is needed to ensure you’re measuring apples to apples. Also, AI cannot easily be implemented for planning and development, since there are many more possible journeys with many more variables, necessitating highly complex answers to questions. “While AI can accelerate planning processes and offer fresh insights, its outputs must be combined with other data sources and assessed by professional planners and decision-makers,” said the City of Vancouver in its statement. “Relying solely on AI, or any single source of information, can pose risks when making complex, impactful decisions.” By empowering human decision-makers, redistributing their workflow and training them to interact with and oversee bleeding-edge technologies, precious staff time can be reallocated, scarce resources redistributed and personnel retrained. AI “gets me a lot of the way there because I’m able to have a certain probability of success,” said Smith of Channel Consulting. “I’m able to say it’s probably correct, and then I can go and verify. But you have to actually have the expertise to know what to ask and what to verify. I think the critical thinking and human involvement is going to continue to be important.” [email protected] @JamiMakan Tags: See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Related Kelowna turns to AI to help housing backlog Jan 11, 2024 11:40 AM B.C. receives failing grade as red tape snarls renovations, construction Feb 2, 2024 9:40 AM AI takes centre stage as Vancouver's real estate sector accelerates digital embrace Nov 26, 2024 4:00 PM Featured FlyerTCU leading scorer Frankie Collins will miss rest of season after breaking left foot
Watch: Cat rescued after five days stranded in Washington treePresident-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve as U.S. Attorney General in his new administration. "For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans," Trump wrote in an announcement of the nomination. "Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting crime, and making America safe again." Bondi was Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019. During her tenure, she brought or participated in lawsuits to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Bondi was also a defense lawyer for Trump during his first impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate and has worked at the conservative nonprofit America First Policy Institute . Bondi's nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. RELATED STORY | Matt Gaetz says he's removing his name for consideration for attorney general Bondi's nomination comes the same day that former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for the position. Trump nominated Gaetz last week, a decision that was quickly criticized by both Democrats and Republicans. On Thursday, Trump thanked Gaetz for his efforts to try and secure the support of the senators needed for confirmation. "Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do," Trump said on Truth Social. This is a developing story and will be updated.Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse
(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has been appointed to lead a subcommittee dedicated to working with President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. Known as a Republican firebrand and close ally of Trump, Greene has already set her sights on rooting out “every penny of waste and abuse.” “We’ll be looking at everything from government-funded media programs like NPR that spread nothing but Democrat propaganda, we’ll be going into grant programs that fund things like sex apps in Malaysia, toilets in Africa,” she said on a media appearance Sunday morning. The subcommittee will be under the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, which is chaired by U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. “We want to make the government more efficient,” Comer said on a media appearance . “We want to work for the taxpayers, not the bureaucrats. We hate the deep state, we’ve dealt with the deep state, we’ve fought the deep state.” He added that Republicans are excited to implement the recommendations of DOGE, which, as an advisory committee, will have to work with Trump and Congress to change policies. “What Trump has ... are willing partners to make government more efficient,” Comer said of Congress. Elon Musk, CEO of X and Tesla Motors, and Vivek Ramaswamy are currently heading up DOGE. “Looking forward to working together with Congress,” Ramaswamy said on social media of Greene’s appointment . “Proper oversight of agencies and public transparency are critical.” DOGE has made it a key part of its plan to address the national debt of $36 trillion. That is $273,000 owed per taxpayer. “This trend must be reversed, and we must balance the budget,” DOGE posted . For her part, Greene has promised to “drain the swamp,” stating that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to holding government agencies like the Pentagon accountable. “Our government should steward every single cent of your hard-earned money,” Greene said. “The DOGE subcommittee will expose the waste and bring truth and transparency to the American people.” Bureaucrats and independent contractors will also be on the chopping block, in what Greene called a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make real transformational change to government to benefit the American people.” “In the private sector, if you’re not doing a good job, you get fired,” she said on social media . “But for some reason, in government, bad employees – whether they’re failing to do the job they were hired to do or working in roles that are no longer needed – never get fired. This is incredibly unfair to the hard-working taxpayers of our country, and it’s about to change.” Recently, an audit of the IRS found that its employees and contractors owe millions in taxes, all while the agency warned thousands of taxpayers that they could face jail time. “The same unelected IRS government employees and contractors, who owe $50 million in unpaid taxes, would throw Americans in jail for not paying their taxes,” Greene said of the audit . “Time to hold them all accountable.” Greene also addressed Democrats' accusations that the subcommittee will go after programs like Social Security. “No, Senator Warren, we are not going to take away a senior’s Social Security. That’s a lie,” Greene responded on social media . “We are going to investigate all areas of the federal government like CFPB, an ‘independent’ agency inside the federal government. Beholden to no one. Ran by unelected bureaucrats.”
SailGP Season 5: AI cameras to get viewers closer to the action Getting viewers closer to the action is a priority of all production teams, and the SailGP team plans to do this during its 2025 season via AI-enabled, gyro-stabilised cameras placed on the water. Four of the PTZ cameras will be mounted onto the racing marks – the buoys on the water that establish the course. Traditionally, sailing marks have been held in place by anchors, which can create a headache for the race management team if it wants to quickly move the course according to the wind. SailGP uses autonomous racing marks, and for the 2025 season it has built its own that will be able to better cope with the demands of strong winds and tides and remain in place when required with the ability to move according to the race management team’s requirements. SailGP director of LiveLine Tom Peel explains: “We’ve been we’re developing our own marks that will move around the race course and follow waypoints. We can basically drive them to the new positions depending on the wind angles, so they can change the course quite easily. “They have electric motors and GPS systems on board to hold themselves in place. But the other great thing about that is that we’re also going to add autonomously driven cameras to the marks.” Adds SailGP executive producer Chris Carpenter: “The boats will be flying past and around them at close proximity. We tested one of these out at the last event of Season 4 in San Francisco and we loved the results.” The plan is to introduce four cameras: one on the start line, one that sits on the first mark, one on the bottom gate and one on the finish line. “The boats go past these marks really, really closely. So, just like you’d have a camera in the pit wall on a Formula E or a Formula One track, this will give a similar effect with one difference that we can actually pan.” Although initially remotely operated, the cameras will eventually be AI-enabled. “To start with they will be remotely operated, just like the cameras are on the yachts,” says Carpenter. “But over time, because we know where the cameras are exactly, we know where all the yachts are, and there are billions of points of data we can use to understand the action, such as ‘this boat’s just gone from 15 knots down to two knots, so it’s probably had an incident’. Over time, the cameras will learn where the story is and what to focus on. “These cameras could be the future of sailing production,” explains Carpenter.