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UN expert: Myanmar's desperate military ramps up attacks including beheadings, rapes and tortureThere were two recent articles published, one titled “Corvallis looks to drum up millions for facilities project” (Dec. 19) and “Albany residents decry solutions that would usher in more affordable housing” (Dec. 21). I would like to provide a viewpoint of how these two issues are related. The Corvallis article basically details the quandary of how to fund a new city hall complex with a price tag of $189 million. It lists three options for funding the project: new revenue sources, expanding existing revenue and freeing up existing revenue. One important thing highlighted was identifying the revenue sources that do not require voter approval. This is important because it seems the city and some council members recognize that many in the community are not supportive of more taxes and fees. Missing from the discussion is how much revenue the city of Corvallis has lost in handing out 30-year property tax exemptions for affordable housing. More on that later. The article on Albany details the Dec. 11 City Council meeting where individuals like myself spoke opposed to both an excise tax on construction and a 20-year tax exemption for new affordable housing projects. While city staff can estimate how much money they would steal with a construction excise tax, they are unable to put a dollar figure on the lost revenue from a 20-year property tax exemption. The city has no idea how that future revenue shortfall would be made up. As an Albany resident and business owner, this greatly concerns me, as I believe it should concern every Albany taxpayer. Now here is the tie-in of these two issues. Corvallis previously enacted both a construction excise tax and 30-year property tax exemption to incentivize affordable housing. But as I warned back in December of 2022 , this scam is really creating “subsidized” housing and a future financial disaster. I estimated that a single project could cost the city $10 million to $15 million over 30 years in lost revenue. How ironic that Corvallis is now trying to figure out how to fund a new city hall. I question whether they even know how much revenue they have forfeited on projects with the 30-year property tax exemption. My warning to Albany was to not go down this same rabbit hole. The idea that Albany has to follow Corvallis’ lead and enact every tax and policy is absurd. Some people live in Albany because they cannot afford to live in Corvallis. Enacting the same policies, taxes and fees that increase the cost of housing in Albany is not beneficial to those coming to Albany in search of more affordable housing. We can disagree on the actual amount of lost revenue. The reality is there’s no cap on the number of projects that the city will give a property tax exemption to. Portland does not have an actual cost of the revenue they have lost on their 10-year property tax exemption for affordable housing, but it estimates it is between $129 million to $135 million on just the current projects. Past history in Albany reveals a city council that mostly rubber stamps every proposal that city staff present. This needs to change. Why is it that city employees (who are not elected) are able to decide which issues are socially pressing and then formulate their “solution” to said problem(s) with the result always involving more taxpayer money? This grows government and the need for more people to manage said programs. I hope this is a wakeup call because from what I see — the new affordability crisis is the cost of government. John Robinson Albany businessman John Robinson is a general contractor involved in residential remodeling and building activities. Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!
Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. Still, many questions remain about the tournament as well as the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three games in South America. Here are some of the key issues that need to be answered over the next decade: Where will games be played? Saudi Arabia proposes 15 stadiums — eight still on paper — in five cities: Eight in the capital Riyadh, four in the Red Sea port city Jeddah, and one each in Abha, Al Khobar and Neom, the planned futuristic mega-project. Each would have at least 40,000 seats for World Cup games. The opening game and final are set for a 92,000-seat venue planned in Riyadh. Some designs are vivid. In Neom, the stadium is planned 350 meters (yards) above street level and one near Riyadh is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff with a retractable wall of LED screens. Saudi Arabia aims to host all 104 games, though there has been speculation that some games could be played in neighboring or nearby countries. When will the World Cup be played? Surely not in the traditional World Cup period of June-July, when temperatures in Saudi Arabia routinely exceed 40 Celsius (104 degrees). FIFA moved the Qatar-hosted World Cup to November-December 2022, though those dates were not loved by most European clubs and leagues whose seasons were interrupted. Also, that slot is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. January 2034 could be a possibility even though that would be just before the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The International Olympic Committee has signaled it won’t be opposed to back-to-back major events. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Saudi World Cup bid official Hammad Albalawi said the precise dates of the tournament are up the world soccer body. “That’s a decision by FIFA. We stand ready to be part of this conversation. But ultimately it’s a FIFA decision together with the confederations,” Albalawi said. Will stadiums be segregated for men and women? Giving more rights and freedoms to women in a traditionally conservative society is fundamental to Saudi messaging around the modernization program known as Vision 2030. The kingdom decided in 2017 to let women attend sports events, initially in major cities and in family zones separate from men-only sections. By 2034, at the promised pace of social reforms, female fans should not be restricted. Saudi Arabia launched a women’s professional soccer league in 2022 with players joining from clubs in Europe. They face no restrictions playing in shorts and with hair uncovered. Will alcohol be allowed at the venues or hotels? The Saudi prohibition of alcohol is clear and understood before FIFA signs any sponsor deals for 2034. But will there be any exceptions? The alcohol issue was problematic for the World Cup in Qatar because the expectation was created that beer sales would be allowed at stadiums even before Qatar won its bid in 2010. One year later, FIFA extended a long-time deal to have Budweiser as the official World Cup beer through 2022. Qatar then backtracked on that promise three days before the first game, causing confusion and the sense of a promise broken. In Qatar, alcohol was served only at luxury suites at the stadiums. Visitors could also have a drink in some hotel bars. But Saudi Arabia has even stricter rules on alcohol — and there is no indication that will change. Albalawi noted that Saudi Arabia has successfully hosted dozens of sports events where alcohol wasn't served. “We’re creating a safe and secure family environment for fans to bring their families into our stadiums,” he said. How will workers rights be protected? Saudi promises to reform and enforce labor laws, and fully respect migrant workers, have been accepted by FIFA but face broad skepticism from rights groups and trade unions. A formal complaint is being investigated by the U.N.-backed International Labor Organization. Protecting the migrant workers needed to build stadiums and other tournament projects — a decade after it was a defining issue for Qatar — looms as a signature challenge for Saudi Arabia. Would Israel be allowed to play if it qualified for the 2034 World Cup? Saudi-Israeli relations had been improving when FIFA all but gave the 2034 World Cup to the kingdom on Oct. 4 last year. Three days later Hamas attacked Israel and diplomacy got more complicated. Any soccer federation bidding to host a FIFA tournament accepts a basic principle that whichever team qualifies is welcome. That did not stop Indonesia putting up barriers last year to Israel coming for the men’s Under-20 World Cup. Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel which had qualified through a European tournament nine months before the issue flared. FIFA moved the entire tournament to Argentina and the Israeli team reached the semifinals. Israel played at the 1970 World Cup but has never advanced through qualifying in Europe, where it has been a member of UEFA for 30 years. Europe should have 16 places in the 48-team World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Where will the final of the 2030 World Cup be played? Most of the attention at the FIFA Congress on Wednesday was on the Saudi decision, but the soccer body and its members also formally approved the hosts of the 2030 World Cup — the most spread out and longest ever. One game each in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the original host in 1930, will be played from June 8-9. The tournament resumes four days later for the other 101 games shared between Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Six countries, three continents, multiple languages and currencies. Fans traveling on planes, trains, automobiles and boats across about 14 kilometers (10 miles) of water between Spain and Morocco. The final is due on July 21, 2030 and a decision on where it will be played could cause some tension between the host countries. Morocco wants it in the world’s biggest soccer venue — the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca. Spain, meanwhile, has proposed to host the final in either of the remodeled home stadiums of club giants Real Madrid or Barcelona. ___ Associated Press writer Baraa Anwer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.
The gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fled New York City by bus, police officials told CNN on Friday. Video of the suspected shooter leaving the scene of the shooting Wednesday showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi cab to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. Here's the latest: The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer may have fled the city on a bus, New York City police officials told CNN on Friday. Video of the suspected shooter leaving the scene of the shooting Wednesday showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi cab to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. “We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer made sure to wear a mask during the shooting yet left a trail of evidence in view of the nation’s biggest city and its network of security cameras that have aided authorities piecing together his movements and his identity. A law enforcement official said Friday that new surveillance footage shows the suspect riding the subway and visiting establishments in Manhattan and provided more clues about his actions in the days before he ambushed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . The gunman’s whereabouts and identity remain unknown Friday, as did the reason for Wednesday’s killing. New York City police say evidence firmly points to it being a targeted attack . ▶ Read more about the search for the gunman In many companies, investor meetings like the one UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was walking to when he was fatally shot are viewed as very risky because details on the location and who will be speaking are highly publicized. “It gives people an opportunity to arrive well in advance and take a look at the room, take a look at how people would probably come and go out of a location,” said Dave Komendat, president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, which is based in the greater Seattle area. Some firms respond by beefing up security. For example, tech companies routinely require everyone attending a major event, such as Apple’s annual unveiling of the next iPhone or a shareholder meeting, to go through airport-style security checkpoints before entering. Others forgo in-person meetings with shareholders. ▶ Read more about how companies protect their leaders Those images include New York’s subway system, a law enforcement official said. In establishments where the person was captured on camera, he always appeared to pay with cash, the official said. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. — Mike Balsamo Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm that serves 1.5 million customers in 12 states, said it’s temporarily closing all six locations. The firm has offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota, and employs about 3,000 people. Employees will work from home, Medica spokesman Greg Bury said in an email Friday. “The safety of Medica employees is our top priority and we have increased security both for all of our employees,” a statement from Medica said. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution.” Bury also said biographical information on the company’s executives was taken down from its website as a precaution. The insurer cited the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in its announcement about the Dec. 12 event. “All of us at Centene are deeply saddened by Brian Thompson’s death and want to express our support for all of those affected. Health insurance is a big industry and a small community; many members of the CenTeam crossed paths with Brian during their careers,” Centene CEO Sarah M. London said in a news release. “He was a person with a deep sense of empathy and clear passion for improving access to care. Our hearts are with his family and his colleagues during this difficult time.” Centene Corp. has grown in recent years to become the largest insurer in Medicaid, the state- and federally funded program that covers care for people with low incomes. Insurers manage Medicaid coverage for states, and Centene has more than 13 million people enrolled in that coverage. The insurance company also said it’s focused on ensuring the safety of employees and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring of kindness and support in the hours since this horrific crime took place,” the company said. But he said Friday that he’s confident police will arrest the shooter. “We are on the right road to apprehend him and bring him to justice,” Adams said on TV station WPIX. Later, it removed their names and biographies entirely. Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the suspect and are working to determine whether he purchased the ticket to New York in late November, a law enforcement official said. Investigators were also trying to obtain additional information from a cellphone recovered from a pedestrian plaza through which the shooter fled. The fatal shooting of Brian Thompson while walking alone on a New York City sidewalk has put a spotlight on the widely varied approaches companies take to protect their leaders against threats. Experts say today’s political, economic and technological climate is only going to make the job of evaluating threats against executives and taking action to protect them even more difficult, experts say. Some organizations have a protective intelligence group that uses digital tools such as machine learning or artificial intelligence to comb through online comments to detect threats not only on social media platforms such as X but also on the dark web, says Komendat. They look for what’s being said about the company, its employees and its leadership to uncover risks. ▶ Read more about the steps companies take to protect their leadership Police said Thursday they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper from a trash can near the scene of the ambush and think the suspect bought them from a Starbucks minutes before the shooting. The items were being tested by the city’s medical examiner.None
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children's hospitalNORTH CANTON, Ohio , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Diebold Nixdorf , Incorporated DBD (the "Company") today announced that it priced its previously announced offering (the "Notes Offering") of $950.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 (the "Notes"). The Notes Offering is being conducted in reliance upon one or more exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The Notes will be issued at a price of 100.000% of their principal amount. The Notes Offering is expected to close on December 18, 2024 , subject to market and other conditions, including the consummation of the New Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below). On or about the closing of the Notes Offering, the Company expects to enter into a new $310.0 million revolving credit facility maturing in December 2029 (the "New Revolving Credit Facility"). The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Notes Offering, together with borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility and cash on hand, to (i) repurchase all of the term loans under the Company's existing senior secured term loan facility that are validly submitted for repurchase pursuant to the previously announced Dutch auction, (ii) repay all of the borrowings outstanding under its existing super-priority senior secured revolving credit facility, and (iii) pay all related premiums, fees and expenses. The Company intends to use any remaining net proceeds of the Notes Offering for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of debt. The Notes will be the senior secured obligations of the Company and will be guaranteed, on a senior secured basis, jointly and severally, by (i) as of the issue date of the Notes, each of the Company's subsidiaries that is a borrower under or guarantees the obligations under the New Revolving Credit Facility and (ii) following the issue date, any of the Company's existing or future wholly owned domestic subsidiaries (other than certain excluded subsidiaries) that is a borrower under or guarantees the obligations under the New Revolving Credit Facility or incurs or guarantees certain capital markets indebtedness (the "Guarantors"). Additionally, it is expected that the Notes and the related guarantees will be secured by first-priority liens on substantially all of the tangible and intangible assets of the Company and the Guarantors, in each case subject to certain exclusions and permitted liens, which collateral will also secure, on a pari passu basis, the New Revolving Credit Facility. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. The Notes and related guarantees are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and outside the United States , to non-U.S. persons in reliance on the exemption from registration set forth in Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes and the related guarantees have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities or blue sky laws and foreign securities laws. About Diebold Nixdorf Diebold Nixdorf , Incorporated DBD automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world's top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, our integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The Company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 21,000 employees worldwide. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that are not historical information and are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements give current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Refinancing Transactions and the Company's intended use of proceeds of the Notes Offering. Statements can generally be identified as forward looking because they include words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "will," "estimates," "potential," "target," "predict," "project," "seek," and variations thereof or "could," "should" or words of similar meaning. Statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals are also forward-looking statements, which reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Although the Company believes that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions regarding, among other things, the economy, its knowledge of its business, and key performance indicators that impact the Company, these forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Some of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to consummate the Notes Offering and the other Refinancing Transactions; the Company's recent emergence from its and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries' jointly administered cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the "U.S. Bankruptcy Court") and its voluntary proceedings in the District Court of Amsterdam (the "Dutch Court"), which could adversely affect our business and relationships; the significant variance of our actual financial results from the projections that were filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and Dutch Court; the overall impact of the global supply chain complexities on the Company and its business, including delays in sourcing key components as well as longer transport times, especially for container ships and U.S. trucking, given the Company's reliance on suppliers, subcontractors and availability of raw materials and other components; the Company's ability to generate sufficient cash or have sufficient access to capital resources to service its debt, which, if unsuccessful or insufficient, could force the Company to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance its indebtedness; the Company's ability to comply with the covenants contained in the agreements governing its debt; the Company's ability to successfully convert its backlog into sales, including our ability to overcome supply chain and liquidity challenges; the ultimate impact of infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies, including further adverse effects to the Company's supply chain, and maintenance of increased order backlog; the Company's ability to successfully meet its cost-reduction goals and continue to achieve benefits from its cost-reduction initiatives and other strategic initiatives; the success of the Company's new products, including its DN Series line and EASY family of retail checkout solutions, and electronic vehicle charging service business; the impact of a cybersecurity incident or operational failure on the Company's business; the Company's ability to attract, retain and motivate key employees; the Company's reliance on suppliers, subcontractors and availability of raw materials and other components; changes in the Company's intention to further repatriate cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments residing in international tax jurisdictions, which could negatively impact foreign and domestic taxes; the Company's success in divesting, reorganizing or exiting non-core and/or non-accretive businesses and its ability to successfully manage acquisitions, divestitures, and alliances; the ultimate outcome of the appeals for the appraisal proceedings initiated in connection with the implementation of the Domination and Profit Loss Transfer Agreement with the former Diebold Nixdorf AG (which was dismissed in the Company's favor at the lower court level in 2022) and the merger/squeeze-out (which was dismissed in the Company's favor at the lower court level in 2023); the impact of market and economic conditions, including the bankruptcies, restructuring or consolidations of financial institutions, which could reduce the Company's customer base and/or adversely affect its customers' ability to make capital expenditures, as well as adversely impact the availability and cost of credit; the impact of competitive pressures, including pricing pressures and technological developments; risks related to our international operations, including geopolitical instability and wars; changes in political, economic or other factors such as currency exchange rates, inflation rates (including the impact of possible currency devaluations in countries experiencing high inflation rates), recessionary or expansive trends, disruption in energy supply, taxes and regulations and laws affecting the worldwide business in each of the Company's operations; the Company's ability to maintain effective internal controls; unanticipated litigation, claims or assessments, as well as the outcome/impact of any current/pending litigation, claims or assessments; the effect of changes in law and regulations or the manner of enforcement in the United States and internationally and the Company's ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations; and other factors included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 as filed with the SEC on March 8, 2024 , and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2024 . Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should consider these factors carefully in evaluating forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/diebold-nixdorf-prices-offering-of-senior-secured-notes-302329498.html SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf , Incorporated © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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What 14 Analyst Ratings Have To Say About Apple(File photo) HYDERABAD: The Centre slammed Allu Arjun's arrest on Friday saying the Congress govt in Telangana was "indulging in publicity stunts " by arresting the national award-winning actor to deflect the blame for the stampede outside Sandhya Theatre on Dec 4 which claimed the life of a woman. However, CM A Revanth Reddy justified the action saying there are no separate laws for film stars and politicians. Backing the actor, Union I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the stampede was a clear case of poor arrangements by the state and local administration. "Congress has no respect for the creative industry and the arrest of Allu Arjun proves it yet again," he said on X, adding that Telangana govt should assist those affected by the stampede and punish those making the arrangements on Dec 4 "instead of continuously attacking film personalities". Talking to media, the CM stressed that the law was equal for all, recalling that even Bollywood stars like Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan were arrested in various cases. "Who is responsible for the death of the woman in the stampede? The film was made with huge investment by the producers to make money and not for any social cause," Revanth said. Admitting that his govt had given permission for the show on Dec 4, the CM said: "Had the film hero come in a car and watched the movie silently, there would have been no issue. But he came out of his car and waved to the crowds. Police and security could not control the crowds, which led to the unfortunate incident . That's why the film hero was booked." The CM said police followed the due procedure in booking and arresting Allu Arjun, going to his house nine days after the stampede. Revanth said he was monitoring the developments after the stampede. "If the film hero was not booked, people would be asking govt why there is special treatment for Allu Arjun," he said, adding that he knew the actor very well and his father-in-law Chandrasekhar Reddy is a Congress neta who is also his relative. Allu Arjun's uncle, mega star Chiranjeevi, is also a Congress leader, the CM added. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
(CNN) — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to offer Kelly Loeffler the job of secretary of the Department of Agriculture, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. He is set to meet with her at Mar-a-Lago Friday afternoon. This is a breaking story and will be updated. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
The Great Restaurant Development Holdings Limited Files for 2M Share IPO at $4-$6/sh
Donald Trump’s aides have suggested that Iowa Senator Joni Ernst may be trying to sink the nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary so that she can get the job instead. Ernst, a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, has so far refused to publicly back Hegseth’s selection by Trump amid a string of controversies surrounding the Fox News host. Since his nomination, reports have emerged of Hegseth being accused of sexual assault , workplace misconduct, and alleged heavy drinking during work hours and at events. Additionally, he allegedly had multiple affairs throughout his first and second marriage – one of which led to him fathering a child with a Fox News producer. Ernst is considered a critical vote in Hegseth’s confirmation process given she is one of the nine women Republican Senators and had been rumored to be a possible replacement for the job. But her vote is also meaningful because of her military background and advocacy for sexual assault survivors. She has a long track record of supporting legislation aimed at addressing sexual assault within the military. While Ernst mulls over whether or not she will throw her support behind Hegseth, Trump’s aides have reportedly suggested she is holding out because she wants the role, according to The Guardian. But the Iowa senator publicly insists her hesitancy is based on the vetting process. “For a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations are cleared, and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process,” Ernst told Fox News on Thursday. In the same interview, Ernst confirmed she had not been convinced to vote “yes” on Hegseth. As defense secretary, Hegseth would be responsible for overseeing all U.S. military operations second to the president and providing the president with defense advice. The moment Trump nominated Hegseth for the position questions about his qualifications arose. Hegseth is a veteran of the Army National Guard who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he’s most well-known for being a Fox News host. Those questions have turned into genuine concerns for many since media reports revealed Hegseth has a history of sexual misconduct and heavy alcohol intake. Hegseth has denied those allegations and even promised to refrain from drinking alcohol if he is confirmed. But even with Trump, his own mother , former colleagues and Trump-aligned Senators backing him, it may not be enough for Ernst to vote for him. Hegseth is working with a very narrow margin in his confirmation vote. Assuming all Democratic Senators vote against him, he can only lose three Republican votes.Anthony Edwards at fault for Minnesota Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns, claims Kendrick Perkins
There's a story from the earliest days of cinema that seems applicable to Sora, the text-to-video creation tool launched by OpenAI this week. And given that Sora's servers are struggling with demand , with many OpenAI subscribers still waiting to try it out, we've got time for stories. You probably know of Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station (1896) by the Lumiere brothers, even if you've never seen it. Like Sora, the Lumieres created very short movies that showcased the latest tech. We're talking cinematograph rather than AI rendering, and a luxurious 50 seconds of film rather than the maximum 20 seconds allowed in Sora videos. Still, it's the same principle: This was an early peek at a shockingly new form of entertainment. According to legend — a legend cemented in Martin Scorcese's charming movie about a boy in the Lumiere era, Hugo (2011) — Arrival of a Train audiences ran in terror from a steam engine that appeared to be heading straight for them. A similar sense of panic clings to Sora — specifically, panic about what AI videos might do to further crack up our "post-truth" media landscape. The average viewer is already having a hard time judging what is real and what isn't, and the problem is worse if they're depressed . We're living in a golden age of conspiracy theories. The world's richest man already shared an AI deepfake video in order to help swing an election. What happens when Sora can make any prompt look as real as something you might see on the evening news — ready-made to spread on social media? OpenAI seems to think its watermarks, both visible and invisible , would prevent any shenanigans. But having downloaded dozens of Sora videos now, I can attest that the visible watermark is tiny, illegible, and fades into the background more often than not. It would be child's play for video editing software to clip it out altogether. So a world of deliberate disinformation, either from bad political actors or influencers trying to gin up their engagement, is barreling down on us like a train. Right? Wrong. Because as the actual story of the Lumiere movie tells us, humans are actually a lot smarter about new video entertainment than we give them credit for. Here's the thing about Arrival of a Train : the legend is almost certainly wrong. We have zero first-hand evidence that audiences fled the cinema, or even flinched when they saw a train approaching in a 50-second clip. Media studies professor Martin Loiperdinger calls the panic tale " cinema's founding myth ," and notes it can be traced back to books written in the second half of the 20th century. It's possible that authors conflated it with the Lumieres' later experimental 3-D version of Arrival of a Train , which screened a handful of times in 1934 and was — like a lot of 3-D movies to come — a novelty, and a commercial failure. So no, early audiences likely did not confuse a moving image of a train with a real train. Rather, they seem to have adapted to the whole concept of movies very quickly. Contemporary accounts of the Lumiere shorts (of which there were dozens; Arrival of a Train was not seen as a stand-out) are filled with excitement at the possibilities now unlocked. "Why, if this continues," wrote one newspaper, Le Courier de Paris , in 1896, "we could almost overcome memory loss, almost put an end to separation, almost abolish death itself." (Spoiler alert: we did not, although that sounds like a great premise for a 19th century Black Mirror episode.) Another periodical, La Science Francais , enthused about the "most unbelievably wonderful sorcery" that had created the cinematograph's "hallucinatory phantasmagoria." Even today's most tech-happy AI boosters would have a hard time endorsing Sora in the same terms. Because like most AI, Sora is often "hallucinatory" — and not in a good way. As I discovered in the moments that OpenAI servers weren't slammed, almost every Sora-generated video has some detail that looks wrong to human eyes. I typed a prompt for "journalist slams desk in frustration at not being able to access AI videos," then noticed a pen that appears and disappears in the journalist's hand. The mistakes went on and on. The novelty factor diminished fast. Friends were amused and a little freaked out by the realness of the swag in "hip-hop artist models a cozy Christmas sweater" — until we spotted that the rapper's gold chain had become a gold pony tail at the back, and the reindeer on the sweater had eight legs. Sora's response to "a funeral mass with circus clowns" pretty much nailed the prompt ... except that the colorful-wigged, red-nosed figure in the casket was missing his body. That's not to say Sora won't have an immediate impact on the moving image industry. Given less outlandish prompts, it could certainly replace a lot of the generic B-roll often seen in YouTube explainers and corporate training videos. (That's assuming OpenAI isn't going to be forced to cease and desist training Sora on internet video footage without the makers' permission.) It is to say that there's a significant barrier to entry when it comes to creating videos featuring anything unusual, anything you're trying to lie about, anything that Sora hasn't been specifically trained on. Rooting out all those mistakes, to the point where we won't immediately notice, can be an exercise in frustration. And perhaps these early mistake-filled AI videos will serve as a kind of mass inoculation — a small dose of the post-truth disease, one that effectively gives our brains AI-resistant antibodies that can better prepare us for a future epidemic of visual fakes. AI video needs to board the clue train I'm certainly less impressed with AI after I prompted Sora for a new take on the Lumieres' Arrival of a Train. I asked for a video where a locomotive does actually break through the projection screen at the end, crushing the cinematograph audience. But Sora couldn't even access the original 50-second short, which is way out of copyright and widely available online (including a version already upscaled by AI ). It hallucinated a movie called "Arrival of a tal [sic] train," apparently released in the year "18965." As for breaking a literal fourth wall, forget about it: despite multiple prompt-rewording attempts, Sora simply couldn't grok what I was asking. The projection screen remained intact. Still, this version of Sora may still be a harbinger of some terrifying visual fakery to come — perhaps when more robust AI video tech falls into the hands of a future D.W. Griffith. Two decades passed between Arrival of a Train and Griffith's infamous movie The Birth of a Nation (1915) — the first real blockbuster, a landmark in the history of cinema, which also happened to be a skewed take on recent American history stuffed with racist lies. Griffith's movie, protested at the time by the NAACP, was hugely influential in perpetuating segregation and reviving the Ku Klux Klan. So yes, perhaps Sora's release is slowly nudging us further in the direction of a fragmented post-truth world. But even in an AI-dominated future, bad actors are going to have to work overtime if they want to do more damage to society than the cinematograph's most dangerous prompts.Pat Riley vehemently enters fray on Heat conjecture: ‘We are not trading Jimmy Butler’
Startup Mantra: Affordable solution for organic farmingMASTERCHEF star Gregg Wallace has told friends he expects to be sacked following an investigation into his alleged sexual harassment and groping. Several women have come forward about his behaviour , prompting the review . Wallace has stopped using his pricey legal team as he resigns himself to the MasterChef sack. The under-fire presenter has also turned down crisis-publicity teams in the weeks after several women complained he groped or harassed them. The BBC1 show’s production firm Banijay UK launched a probe last month and Wallace, 60, has strongly denied any wrongdoing . But those close to him said he understood his position on MasterChef was no longer tenable . A source said: “Gregg’s conceded he has lost everything. To put it bluntly, he’s told people, ‘I’m f***ed’. “He came out swinging but he has quietly conceded that he knows his time on MasterChef is over and that he will be stepping aside. “He has contested the sexual allegations and insisted any jokes he made were just jokes. He said he never meant to cause any offence. “Gregg has been under a huge amount of pressure since the allegations came to light and tried his best to fight his corner. “The BBC and Banijay UK have now spoken to a number of different individuals and they know they must be seen to take action. “Gregg knows the time will come when he has to step aside and as much as that pains him, it seems he has come to terms with it.” The Sun understands co-host John Torode, 59, will keep his role. The Aussie has hosted alongside Wallace since 2005. Insiders say a female star is likely to take Wallace’s place , with the new partnership to be announced in the New Year. Work on the next series of Celebrity MasterChef is under way, with the BBC show’s talent booker already making calls to line up the next run of stars. A second source said: “MasterChef is a juggernaut of a show and the wheels don’t stop turning. “Not long after the probe into Gregg’s conduct, casting started for the celebrity series. “While the probe is ongoing, it has been made clear to production that John is going to be staying and that a female will step into Gregg’s role.” Cooks including Angela Hartnett and Nigella Lawson have been named as possibles. Monica Galetti , 49, who appears on MasterChef: The Professionals, has also been touted. However, those close to Wallace said she would be unlikely to take the position. This week, singer Sir Rod Stewart’s wife Penny Lancaster spoke out about working with Wallace on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021. She claimed on Thursday: “I most definitely was witness — and victim — to some of the bullying and harassment behaviour of Gregg Wallace. “And, unfortunately, a lot of those involved in the production team were also witness to that.” She added: “I really feel that he used his position of power to, I believe, intimidate and cause distress to a lot of people on set. “It’s unfortunate that someone like him is allowed to get away with that, while others sort of stand by and let it happen at the same time.” At the start of this month, The Sun revealed how the BBC received complaints about Wallace’s behaviour from as early as 2014. He was accused of making sexual remarks during his 2014 stint on Strictly Come Dancing when paired with pro Aliona Vilani. The Sun also reported how John Torode repeatedly raised concerns about Wallace’s behaviour on MasterChef but no action was taken. John publicly distanced himself from Gregg in 2017 and said in an interview they were no longer pals. Since the latest allegations came to light, Wallace unfollowed John and his wife Lisa Faulkner on Instagram . At the time, pals told us Gregg was upset John did not publicly back him amid the scandal. The Sun was the first publication to report concerns over Wallace’s conduct on MasterChef. This October we revealed a complaint was made about his conduct on BBC gameshow Impossible Celebrities in 2018. They included him “boasting about this sex life” and making “inappropriate sexual comments”. It can be hard to come forward, but we want to assure everyone who does that we will treat anything raised with us with the greatest possible care. Then last month ex-Newsnight host Kirsty Wark and 13 other people came forward to say they had raised concerns. Kirsty, 69, said she spoke to MasterChef after Wallace made “sexualised jokes” when she was on the show in 2011. Other allegations include Wallace talking openly about his sex life , taking off his top in front of a junior staffer and telling another young colleague he was not wearing any pants. One woman told The Sun Wallace was made to apologise after making a “joke” about rape in 2017. Another alleged Wallace groped he r when she appeared on MasterChef. And Emma Kenny, the 2012 MasterChef winner, said she witnessed him touching another contestant and raised a complaint. Banijay UK launched its inquiry and on November 28 confirmed to The Sun that Wallace was stepping away pending the review. GREGG Wallace has stepped down from his MasterChef hosting role after a probe into alleged inappropriate behaviour. But what's the situation? Regular MasterChef host Gregg Wallace is currently the subject of a probe after an investigation was launched into his alleged misconduct over a number of years. Gregg has been accused of making sexual remarks to 13 colleagues including Beeb anchor Kirsty Wark - accusations he denies. The 60-year-old has now stepped away from the BBC show while historical misconduct allegations against him are investigated. Yet the former greengrocer spoke out on social media to blast the "women of a certain age" who he claimed were behind the allegations. The cooking show’s production company, Banijay UK, has said law firm Lewis Silkin would lead the investigation into Wallace’s alleged misconduct. A BBC spokesperson later told The Sun: “In recent days there have been concerning allegations made about the alleged conduct of Gregg Wallace, many of which relate to shows made for the BBC. “These media stories are running alongside an independent investigation , which was instigated after formal complaints were made direct to the BBC and referred to Banijay UK for further investigation. “We’d like to thank those who have had the courage to speak out. “It can be hard to come forward, but we want to assure everyone who does that we will treat anything raised with us with the greatest possible care. "Banijay UK launched the review because they have the direct contractual relationship with Gregg Wallace. He is not employed by the BBC. “When issues have been raised with the BBC we have taken action, referring issues to the relevant production company and challenging his behaviour directly as has been widely reported. “We hope Banijay UK’s independent investigation can be concluded rigorously and as swiftly as possible. "We want the review to follow due process and ensure fairness to all involved.”
Our stockings runneth over with fine candidates for the Christmas Day version of the lehighvalleylive wrestlers of the week. Each week, we will select a wrestler from the LVL New Jersey coverage area; the Colonial League; and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, plus honorable mentions, and then an overall LVL Wrestler of the Week. These will appear every Wednesday. Publicly available results and reports submitted to LVL are used for these rankings. We can’t honor performances we don’t know about, so please submit results. We prefer to spread these around, but it’s possible for a wrestler to win them more than once a season. Nominations are welcome; submit them to the email address below by Tuesdays before 4 p.m. These awards are for competition through Dec. 25. New Jersey Wrestler of the Week Jr. Augie Szamreta, Warren Hills Went 5-0 on the week with three pins. Won the Morris Knolls Tournament at 120 pounds with a 5-3 decision over 2024 state medalist (7th at 106) Brody Neill of West Morris Central, Szamreta was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. Honorable Mention: Jr. Luken Alberdi, Delaware Valley; Sr. Lucas Beyers, Delaware Valley Jr. Reid Buzby, North Hunterdon; So. Cole Castles, North Warren; So. Charlie Cole, Voorhees; Sr. Evan Kinney, North Hunterdon; Sr. Charlie Piccione, Warren Hills; Jr. Davey Rhinehart, Warren Hills; Sr. Pedro Dos Santos, Belvidere; Fr. Zack Swingle, Phillipsburg; Fr. Matt Velez, Phillipsburg; So. Stephen Vidal, Hackettstown; So. Aidan Yarussi, North Hunterdon Colonial League Wrestler of the Week So. Carter Chunko, Saucon Valley Finished in sixth place at 113 pounds in the Beast of the East tournament in Newark, Del. Honorable Mention: Sr. Jackson Albert, Saucon Valley; Fr. Nevaeh Colon, Wilson; Jr. Luke Fugazzotto, Northwestern Lehigh; Sr. Gianni Goodrich, Bangor; Sr. Derek King, Palmerton; Sr. Dillon Lombardi, Palmerton; Jr. Collin Ramsay, Pen Argyl; Jr. Colby Townley, Northwestern Lehigh; Jr. Evan Wentz, Lehighton; Sr. Angelo Ziccardi, Palisades Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Wrestler of the Week Fr. Nico Emili, Bethlehem Catholic Reached the 106-pound final of the Beast of the East wrestling tournament despite being an unseeded wrestler. Defeated the No. 7, No. 2 and No. 6 seeds en route to the final, where he lost to top-seeded Justin Farnsworth of Malvern Prep. Honorable Mention: Fr. Carter Chlebove, Northampton; Fr. Keanu Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic; Jr. Chase Grabfelder, Northampton; Fr. Christopher Gerheart, Pocono Mountain East; Sr. Chris Kelly, Easton; Sr. Shane McFillin, Bethlehem Catholic; So. Luis Moya, Parkland; Jr. Nick Salamone, Easton; Sr. Charlie Scanlan, Bethlehem Catholic; Sr. Keenan Ray, Freedom; So. Matthew Velez, Parkland; So. Cooper Wenrich, Nazareth lehighvalleylive Wrestler of the Week Sr. Tahir ‘Tig’ Parkins, Nazareth Won the 144-pound weight class at the Beast of the East tournament at Newark, Del. with a 4-1 overtime defeat of Council Rock North’s Eren Sement in a battle of future Big Ten wrestlers – Parkins is committed to Rutgers, Sement to Michigan. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a subscription. Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com . ©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit lehighvalleylive.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Amazon, Meta each donate $1M to Trump’s inauguration fund
Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has emphasised on the role of teachers in the 21st century with science poised to get more and more disruptive and even dangerous. He was speaking on Thursday at the 70th foundation day of Somalwar Shikshan Sanstha which runs a chain of schools and colleges here imparting quality education. “Books are becoming obsolete. You turn to Google Baba for all your knowledge needs though it fails sometimes. Intelligence is becoming ‘artificial’. Yet, teachers have their roles carved out. They have a duty and service to churn good human beings who make use of education to make a better world," said Bhagwat. Sarsnghachalak was speaking on “Role of Teachers in 21st Century”. Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addresses 70th Founders' Day of Somalwar Educational Institute. pic.twitter.com/92cyTYs9fn Quoting Mahatma Gandhi who said science without ethics is sin, Bhagwat said in this fast changing world of disruptions and lifestyle changes caused by technology, teachers have a greater role to strike a balance between the good and the bad. Narrating the story from a novel 3024, the main protagonist had to pay the price with his life for remembering a simple multiplication table of nine, in an era when everything was automated and run on machines in a gold mine. He said technology per se is not bad but needs to be used with discretion. “Even an illiterate person can be huge success in a business enterprise. But education gives a person character and ability to use his skills for betterment of self, family, society, country and the world and thus build own identity." He cited the instance of the education system in Finland where students are not failed but geared to enable students to face challenges of life successfully. “When we teach , we also learn. Every student is different. A teacher should have affinity to win respect as well as affection by inculcating confidence and moral qualities in students so that the society at large benefits,:” said the RSS chief.Mumbai: Advancements in artificial intelligence and manufacturing are set to shape India's future and uplift communities as the country stands at a pivotal moment of economic opportunity and social progress, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran has said. ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping "AI will play an increasingly transformative role, particularly in healthcare and mobility, delivering solutions that benefit humanity as a whole. At the same time, manufacturing is poised to drive India's economic transformation ," Chandrasekaran said in his year-end message to Tata Group employees. "Global supply chains are shifting in India's favour, with businesses prioritising resilience over efficiency. What once seemed like a short-term reaction to the pandemic has evolved into a long-term strategy, positioning India-with its vast talent pool and growing manufacturing capacity-at the centre of this global rebalancing," he said. As 2024 draws to a close, it leaves behind a world marked by geopolitical instability and cautious optimism in the macroeconomic outlook, he said. Conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan have continued to cause humanitarian crises, while citizen-led movements in countries like Bangladesh and South Korea shaped their political landscapes. "Amid these global disruptions, issues like immigration, technology and global trade remain at the forefront, with tariffs once again commanding leaders' attention," Chandrasekaran said. He said the Tata Group is committed to creating 500,000 manufacturing jobs over the next five years and this ambition is fuelled by strategic investments in key facilities across India, including factories dedicated to producing batteries, semiconductors, electric vehicles, solar equipment and other critical hardware essential for tomorrow's economy. "In addition to manufacturing, we aim to generate numerous service-oriented jobs in retail, technology, airlines and hospitality," Chandrasekaran said. "This vision is not just about growth for our group or India; it represents hope for the one million young people entering our workforce every month," he said. Manufacturing, with its powerful multiplier effects, has the capacity to create significant indirect employment opportunities, particularly in high-impact sectors like semiconductor production, he added. "Beyond these global events, 2024 holds a more personal significance for our group. This was the year we lost Ratan Tata-a visionary leader whose integrity, personality and strategic foresight defined our business for a generation. For me, personally, it was the loss of a cherished mentor and friend," Chandrasekaran said. Under Tata's encouragement, the group made bold strategic bets that are now bearing fruit, particularly in hi-tech industries and manufacturing, he said. "This year alone, we initiated construction on seven new manufacturing plants, including India's first semiconductor fabrication facility in Dholera, Gujarat, and a semiconductor OSAT plant in Assam. Other milestones include an electronics assembly plant in Narasapura, Karnataka; an automotive plant in Panapakkam, Tamil Nadu; battery cell manufacturing factories in Sanand, Gujarat, and Somerset, UK; and the C295 final assembly line in Vadodara, Gujarat. Additionally, solar module production began in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu," he said. 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TCS and Tejas Networks delivered the first indigenous 4G mobile telecom stack for BSNL and are poised to drive advancements in 5G. Air India has successfully integrated four airlines into a unified group, while Indian Hotels ' Taj brand remains one of the strongest hotel brands globally. Also, Tata Motors introduced a new model for predicting the real-world range of electric vehicles, leveraging data from connected vehicles, traffic, infrastructure, and user driving patterns. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )