Cassia Networks Releases the M1500 Enterprise-Grade Compact Bluetooth Gateway, Enhancing Enterprise Application FlexibilityTo the victors go the sports cars. When Islamist rebel forces in Syria marched into Damascus and stormed the palace of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, they found a massive fleet of high-end cars, including Mercedes, Porches, Audis and Ferraris. Videos shared on social media show gleeful looters touring a massive garage in the presidential palace, chock full of high-end roadsters from the deposed dictator’s private stash. One eagle-eye commenter pointed to a coveted Mercedes-Benz with gullwing doors. SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, and what appears to be an armored truck also awaited the rebels, who traipsed through the sprawling mansion taking selfies, firing guns into the air and making off with anything that wasn’t bolted down, videos shared on X show. The palace is a sprawling, blocky fortress of stone and marble perched on a hill on the outskirts of Damascus; the Guardian once described it as an “echoing monument to dictator decor.” Rebel soldiers found it abandoned after Assad absconded by plane to an unknown location, Reuters reported, putting an end to 24 years of brutal rule in which the dictator and his family lived like emperors while the people languished. Videos shared on X show men hauling away furniture and artwork while women in full hijab picked through the dishes and bed linens. One video shows what appears to be an armory stocked with scores of submachine guns. “I imagine he and those close to [Assad] ... thought: ‘we have enough ammo! We are invincible! Nothing can shake us!’ the poster, TOKO, quipped. In another video, looters discover a bunker network hidden deep under the main structure, the concrete floors littered with what appear to be empty cigar boxes and gun cases. “He who fears the people digs hundreds of feet underground,” the poster, Abdullah Almousa, wrote in Arabic. The palace wasn’t the only government building to be ransacked as soldiers peeled off their uniforms and abandoned their posts. One user posted a video of what he claims to show people carrying sacks of “money and valuables” from the central bank. “The smart people did not go to Assad’s palace for chandeliers, but to the bank for cash and gold!” he wrote.Meet the man spotted hand-in-hand with Neha Sharma
In South Korea’s crisis playbook, currency stability is paramountMontana Grizzlies quarterback Logan Fife plans to enter transfer portalIn the aftermath of the 2024 general elections, the Techiman South Constituency has become a hotspot for political unrest, as frustrated supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) clashed with law enforcement authorities over the parliamentary election results. The contested results in the constituency have ignited widespread protests, with NDC supporters accusing the Electoral Commission of irregularities that they believe undermined the integrity of the election process. The unrest escalated into heated confrontations between protesters and the police, raising concerns about the fairness of the election in the region. Video footage circulating on social media shows scattered ballot papers on the ground, which has fueled suspicions of electoral malpractice among the opposition. The images of damaged ballots have intensified the anger of NDC supporters, who are demanding answers and accountability. The NDC claims that the reported results do not reflect the true will of the people and have called for a thorough investigation into the allegations of electoral fraud. The party is demanding that the results be annulled or reviewed to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.Reports: Saints concerned over QB Derek Carr's hand injury
Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google released its annual “Year in Search” on Tuesday, rounding up the top trending queries entered into its namesake search engine in 2024. The results show terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year — ranging from key news events, notably global elections, to the most popular songs, athletes and unforgettable pop-culture moments that people looked up worldwide. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated Google's overall trending searches in 2024. Copa América topped those search trends globally, followed by the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year's Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google's people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif , who also led athlete-specific searches. Meanwhile, the late Liam Payne, Toby Keith and O.J. Simpson led search trends among notable individuals who died in 2024. In the world of entertainment, Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2” was the top trending movie of the year, while Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” led TV show trends. And Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” dominated song trends. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Queries for the Olympic village's chocolate muffin, made famous by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen over the summer games, led Google's global recipe trends this year. The New York Times' “Connections” puzzle topped game searches. And in the U.S., country-specific data shows, many people asked Google about online trends like the word “demure” and “ mob wife aesthetic.” You can find more country-specific lists, and trends from years past, through Google’s “Year in Search” data published online. The California company said it collected 2024 search results from Jan. 1 through Nov. 23 of this year. Google isn't the only one to publish an annual recap or top trends as 2024 draws to a close. Spotify Wrapped, for example, as well as Collins Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s words of the year, have offered additional reflections for 2024.
Needing 148 to win, South Africa crashed to 99 for eight owing to superb bowling by Mohammad Abbas. But Kagiso Rabada turned batting hero as he and Marco Jansen took South Africa to victory with an unbeaten ninth wicket partnership of 51. Rabada, so often a match-winner as a bowler, went on the attack as a batsman, hitting an unbeaten 31 off 26 balls, while Jansen provided solid support in making 16 not out. “It is an emotional moment for me,” South African captain Bavuma said at the post-match presentation. “As a team, we have overcome a lot. We haven’t been super-dominant with our performances, we haven’t been ruthless but we have always found a way to ensure the result was on our side. “Today was testament to that. It speaks a lot to the talent and character of the group.” South Africa’s win meant that only one of Australia and India can qualify for the final at Lord’s in June. Pakistan captain Shan Masood said he was proud of the effort of his players but lamented the failure to take ruthless advantage of their opportunities. “Twice we had them eight down and with the bat we could have extended our first innings and could have extended our lead (in the second innings). We have to learn to seize the moments.” Masood said Abbas, playing in his first Test in more than three years, had been “sensational”. The 34-year-old Abbas took a career-best six for 54. He bowled unchanged for 19.3 overs –- four of them on Saturday when he took his first two wickets -– in a spell of unremitting accuracy on a pitch which gave seam bowlers help throughout the match. Man of the match Aiden Markram and Bavuma batted solidly at the start of the day after resuming on 27 for three. However, Markram was bowled by Abbas for 37 by a virtually unplayable ball which kept low and seamed back off the pitch. Bavuma and David Bedingham added another 34 runs until Bavuma uncharacteristically charged down the pitch at Abbas and was given out caught behind for 40. He walked off immediately but Ultra Edge technology showed the only ‘spike’ was when the ball brushed his trouser pocket. It was the first of four wickets which fell for three runs in 12 balls. Naseem Shah bowled Kyle Verreynne and Abbas had Bedingham and Corbin Bosch caught behind off successive deliveries. Rabada and Jansen saw South Africa through to lunch at 116 for eight -– then polished off the match in just 5.3 overs after the interval, with each stroke cheered by the home spectators. Both sides have a short break before they meet for the second and final Test in Cape Town on January 3.
An AI model that creates images as the user types, using only modest and affordable hardware, has been announced by the Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence (PAI) at the University of Surrey. The model, NitroFusion, represents a world first and has been made by its developers—SketchX, a lab within PAI—a move that fundamentally transforms access to AI-enabled image creation models for creative professionals. The research is on the preprint server. Professor Yi-Zhe Song, Director of SketchX and Co-Director of PAI, said, "NitroFusion represents a paradigm shift in making AI accessible to everyone, eliminating the need for large computing resources and the long waiting times between prompt and result that are common with most image generation platforms." Typically, similar technology is available only to corporate giants with vast computing resources. However, NitroFusion runs on a single consumer-grade graphics card—marking a decisive step forward in bringing advanced AI capabilities to individual creators, small studios, and educational institutions. The almost instant creation of images allows rapid artistic iterations and greater control over the generated imagery. Dar-Yen Chen, the Ph.D. researcher who helped to develop the project at PAI, said, "NitroFusion leverages a novel dynamic adversarial framework that works like a panel of specialized art critics, each evaluating different aspects of the generated image to ensure high quality in a single step. The system's flexible architecture allows users to optionally use between one to four refinement steps, providing over the balance between generation speed and ." Professor Song added, "With NitroFusion, we're not just releasing another image generation model—we're pioneering an entirely new approach which democratizes AI interaction. "Following our DemoFusion release last year, which provided a new way to upscale AI-generated images, this innovation further establishes our position at the forefront of making powerful AI technology accessible to all." This breakthrough delivers multiple leaps for the users and industry: Professor Adrian Hilton, Director of the Institute for People-Centred AI at the University of Surrey, said, "We believe we're the first in the world to achieve interactive image generation at this scale and efficiency. This opens up access to state-of-the-art AI for image and is just the beginning of our commitment to democratizing creative AI tools. Our Institute will continue to develop open-source, groundbreaking technologies that put professional-grade AI capabilities into the hands of creators everywhere. "We're particularly proud of the great work that our SketchX Lab, creating new concepts and advancing the science of generative AI. Our research is focused on ensuring that the future of creative AI technology is inclusive, responsible and accessible to all, and we're keen to continue to work with organizations that share this ethos."
Calls for peaceful elections raised amid increasing violenceDENVER , Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - The Board of Trustees (the "Board") of Principal Real Estate Income Fund (the "Fund"), announced today that it has approved a renewal of the Fund's share repurchase program. Under the share repurchase program, the Fund may purchase up to approximately 2.1% of its outstanding common shares beginning January 21, 2025 , in the open market, until January 21, 2026 . As part of its evaluation of options to enhance shareholder value, the Board has authorized ALPS Advisors, Inc. (the "Advisor") to repurchase the Fund's common shares at such times and in such amounts as the Advisor reasonably believes may enhance shareholder value. The Board and the Advisor continually analyze options to enhance shareholder value and potentially reduce the discount between the market price of the Fund's common share and the net asset value per share ("NAV"). The Board and the Advisor believe that the share repurchase program may further these goals because the program allows the Fund to acquire its shares in the open market at a discount to NAV, which will increase the NAV and thereby benefit remaining shareholders while potentially providing additional liquidity in the trading of the fund shares. The Board will monitor the repurchase program and will continue to consider strategic options to enhance shareholder value in the long-term. The Fund's repurchase program will be implemented on a discretionary basis under the direction of the Advisor. There is no assurance that the Fund will purchase shares at any specific discount level or in any specific amount or that the market price of the Fund's shares will increase as a result of any share repurchases. RISKS An investment in the Fund is not appropriate for all investors and is not intended to be a complete investment program. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. Investing in the Fund involves risks, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or that you may lose part or even all of your investment and exposure to below-investment grade investments (i.e., "junk bonds"). The Fund's net asset value will vary and its distribution rate may vary and both may be affected by numerous factors, including changes in the market spread over a specified benchmark, market interest rates and performance of the broader equity markets. Fluctuations in net asset value may be magnified as a result of the Fund's use of leverage. Therefore, before investing you should carefully consider the risks that you assume when you invest in the Fund's common shares. Securities backed by commercial real estate assets are subject to market risks similar to those of direct ownership of commercial real estate assets including, but not limited to, declines in the value of real estate, declines in rental or occupancy rates and risks related to general and local economic conditions. The Fund's investment objectives and policies are not designed to seek to return the initial investment to investors that purchase shares. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. To obtain an annual report or semi-annual report which contains this and other information visit www.principalcef.com or call 855.838.9485. Please read them carefully before investing . Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value and initial offering prices. NOT FDIC INSURED | May Lose Value | No Bank Guarantee The Fund is a closed-end fund and does not continuously issue shares for sale as open-end mutual funds do. Since the initial public offering, the Fund now trades in the secondary market. Investors wishing to buy or sell shares need to place orders through an intermediary or broker. The share price of a closed-end fund is based on the market's value. ALPS Advisors, Inc. is the investment adviser to the Fund. Principal Real Estate Investors LLC is the investment sub-adviser to the Fund. Principal Real Estate Investors LLC is not affiliated with ALPS Advisors, Inc. or any of its affiliates. ALPS Portfolio Solutions Distributor, Inc. is the FINRA Member firm. About SS&C Technologies SS&C is a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. Founded in 1986, SS&C is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut , and has offices around the world. Some 20,000 financial services and healthcare organizations, from the world's largest companies to small and mid-market firms, rely on SS&C for expertise, scale, and technology. Additional information about SS&C (Nasdaq: SSNC) is available at www.ssctech.com . About SS&C ALPS Advisors SS&C ALPS Advisors, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SS&C Technologies, is a leading provider of investment products for advisors and institutions. With over $26.24 billion under management as of September 30, 2024 , SS&C ALPS Advisors is an open architecture boutique investment manager offering portfolio building blocks, active insight and an unwavering drive to guide clients to investment outcomes across sustainable income, thematic and alternative growth strategies. For more information, visit www.alpsfunds.com. About SS&C Technologies Principal Real Estate Investors manages or sub-advises $102 billion in commercial real estate assets, as of September 30, 2024 . The firm's real estate capabilities include both public and private equity and debt investment alternatives. Principal Real Estate Investors is the dedicated real estate group of Principal Global Investors, a diversified asset management organization and a member of the Principal Financial Group ® . PRE000436 12/18/2025 View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/principal-real-estate-income-fund-continues-share-repurchase-program-302335508.html SOURCE Principal Real Estate Income Fund
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finalist for Maxwell, Davey O’Brien awards
Donald Trump plans to purge the team that worked with special counsel Jack Smith to try to prosecute Trump and assemble teams to investigate the 2020 election, The Washington Post reported Friday. According to the report, Trump wants to immediately seek revenge against the federal prosecutors who helped outgoing special counsel Jack Smith file two criminal cases against him, firing every attorney working under him "including career attorneys typically protected from political retribution, according to two individuals close to Trump’s transition." He also plans to "assemble investigative teams within the Justice Department to hunt for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election," according to two people near the Trump transition team. Before narrowly winning the presidency in 2024, Trump lost the 2020 election and has repeatedly pushed baseless claims it was stolen. No audit in any battleground state has found evidence of fraud. ALSO READ: A giant middle finger from a tiny craven man When asked for comment Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said her boss "campaigned on firing rogue bureaucrats who have engaged in the illegal weaponization of our American justice system, and the American people can expect he will deliver on that promise." "One of the many reasons that President Trump won the election in a landslide is Americans are sick and tired of seeing their tax dollars spent on targeting the Biden-Harris Administration’s political enemies rather than going after real violent criminals in our streets," she said in a statement. There is no evidence that the prosecutions against Trump were politically motivated. Moreover, under the Biden administration, violent crime dropped to nearly a 50-year low . This comes after Trump stirred up a firestorm of controversy, including within his party, by nominating former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as attorney general, despite a House Ethics Committee report detailing allegations he engaged in child sex trafficking. After Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, another far-right Trump loyalist who represented Trump during his first impeachment trial .
Gabriel mimics Gyokeres in cheeky goal celebration in Arsenal win over Sporting in Champions LeagueThere was a young man, the son of a police officer who died on duty during the southern insurgency. He decided to follow in his Dad's footsteps and serve the country, so he applied for the job and passed the exam. Another man had, since a young age, dreamed of having a job that allowed him to travel the world. At 27, he applied to become a flight attendant and passed the exams. These two young men, like countless other people living with HIV (PLHIV), saw their dreams shattered because of their blood test results. While Thailand is advanced in its treatment of HIV and has suppressed the virus to untransmittable levels in most sufferers, the country still failed to protect people living with HIV (PLHIV) from career discrimination. Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on Dec 10. As part of events to mark the day, the Bangkok Post sat with some PLHIVs whose rights were violated as well as the human rights officials trying to protect them. Passive voices of the violated Supattra Nakapew, a commissioner of Thailand Human Rights Commission, said the commission had received 32 petitions claiming discrimination against PLHIV in employment, in both the public and private sectors, in the past three years. She said the discrimination often begins during the recruitment process when applicants are required to have an HIV test. The commission followed up by contacting employers to inform them that HIV screening in job applications is a human rights violation. Partnered hospitals were also informed about the violation and urged to cooperate with the Disease Control Department which asked them not to do HIV screening before employment. She said many had cooperated and changed their policies that discriminated against PLHIV. However, the discrimination against PLHIV during the employment process that still exists in Thailand shows that social perception against HIV/Aids in the country remained unchanged, Ms Supattra said. People still believe PLHIV are physically weak and may spread disease easily, regardless of advanced HIV treatment and medication which suppress the virus and allow them to live a long and healthy life, she said. She said the authorities need to create awareness of HIV/Aids based on rights and the Public Health Ministry needs to take the lead in doing so. "They should explain the matter not just on a medical level but also on the societal level," she said. Philin Duangmala, manager of the Foundation for Action on Inclusion Rights, said the Labour Ministry published an announcement calling on businesses not to use HIV status to determine employment qualifications and support PLHIV to advance in their career. Still, she said, certain government organisations continue to marginalise PLHIV when it comes to hiring. She pointed out regulations on "prohibited characteristics of becoming police officers" issued by the Royal Thai Police. Aids and HIV infections are included among the prohibited illnesses, symptoms and characteristics. She said such regulations had barred many healthy PLHIV from pursuing their dream career. Ms Philin said many candidates passed all requirements but failed health screening due to their HIV-positive blood test. Some of them took the case to the administrative court and lost in the legal battle. "PLHIV can be as strong and healthy as others and work with as much productivity," she said. "Rejection lowers their self-esteem [and into] thinking their value is determined only by their blood, not their performance. "It also affects the economy and welfare," added Ms Philin. Philin: Candidates fail health screenings Active effort from the state Ms Supattra of the Human Rights Commission said PLHIV are among the most vulnerable people in society and there should be laws to protect them. Five anti-discrimination bills have been drafted by civil society organisations, the Prachachart, Pentham and Pheu Thai parties, and the Justice Ministry, she said. The Justice Ministry's draft was submitted to cabinet for consideration on Nov 6, 2023, and the Cabinet Secretariat conducted a hearing among various agencies. However, the Council of State Office saw the bill as "unnecessary" and overlapping with the role of the Thailand National Human Rights Commission, she said. The Cabinet Secretariat Office sent the draft back to the Justice Ministry. After two ministerial meetings, the latest one on Dec 4, the ministry decided it would submit this draft to the cabinet before the end of the year. It is expected to help the other four drafts reach cabinet because any bills proposed to cabinet require the government's draft to be considered along with them. "This bill is important for Thailand as it aligns with United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal in ending inequalities. "If a society has discrimination, social gaps widen and more people are unable to access social benefits and enjoy the rights they deserve," she added. "As Thailand has been selected to join the UN Human Rights Council for the 2025-2028 term, the government should see the importance of this bill as it will help elevate Thailand's human rights protection. "It may take some time to erase the stigma against PLHIV because it's inside people's heads, but the act of discrimination must be stopped now," said Ms Supattra. Ms Supattra said if anyone sees examples of discrimination against PLHIV, they should call the 1377 Hotline or submit a petition to the commission through the website, anonymously if they wish. Supattra: Social perception unchangedGlobal Commission on Drug Policy’s Louise Arbour —Photo from the UN GENEVA, Switzerland — International advocates of drug policy reform urged the government to ensure that former President Rodrigo Duterte’s admission of full responsibility for his war on drugs is kept to “genuine accountability, not just political theater.” “Performative gestures are insufficient—justice requires substantive follow-through,” said Louise Arbour, a member of the UK-based Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) and also a member of the advisory board of The Coalition for the International Criminal Court. In 1996, she was chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and successfully secured the conviction of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic for crimes against humanity. Milosevic died in detention at a Dutch jail in 2020 while undergoing trial by the International Court of Justice. READ: Duterte takes ‘full legal, moral responsibility’ for drug war Arbour, a former justice of the Canadian Supreme Court, said of the Philippine war on drugs that “the congressional hearings should result in concrete actions: thorough investigations, prosecutions and convictions for those responsible for extrajudicial killings, with reparations for victims, including children and youth.” Duterte, under oath before congressional investigations in November, took full responsibility for the actions of police officers who enforced his antidrugs crackdown that resulted in thousands of killings and extrajudicial executions. Arbour said the congressional probe, alongside the Drug Policy Summit last July, must follow through with actual drug policy reform and amendment of the obsolete and punitive drug law in the Philippines that allows gross human rights violations and cruel punishments. “Lawmakers, with the help of the Department of Justice and Department of Health, must consider and include the recommendations and outputs from the Summit, including those made by children and young people, such as removing the arbitrary listing of alleged drug suspects via the Drug Watch List,” she said. She urged lawmakers to investigate the disproportionate targeting of vulnerable communities, especially people in impoverished areas, including children in urban poor communities and those living on the streets. “A comprehensive reform grounded in human rights, public health, and harm reduction principles will pave the way for a more just and effective drug policy in the Philippines,” Arbour said. The statements of Arbour were in reply to emailed questions as the GCDP released last Dec. 5, its report, “Beyond Punishment: From Criminal Justice Responses to Drug Policy Reform,” that called for a re-evaluation of the global drug responses due to rising drug overdose deaths, increased violence, toxic drug supplies and strained criminal justice systems. Comprising of 28 commissioners including 15 former heads of state and prominent political, economic and cultural leaders, the GDCP promotes drug policies that prioritize public health, human rights and social justice, and advocates for a drug policy that shifts from prohibition to human rights and evidence-based approaches. The GCDP report highlights the Philippines’ failure of the war on drugs where, as of September 2022, there were 81,000 people in pretrial detention for drug offenses, accounting for 90 percent of all those detained in Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facilities for drug crimes. “This situation not only violates the prohibition of arbitrary detention, but also undermines the human right to a fair trial, exposing arrested individuals to further human rights violations and abuses, including torture and ill-treatment,” the report stated. “In the Philippines, thousands of incarcerated individuals share overcrowded cells, with no room to sleep, inadequate sanitation and limited access to basic needs such as food and medicines,” said the report, stressing that the practice of mandatory pretrial detention for certain drug offenses, such as personal use and possession, prevents judicial assessments and can delay periodic reviews of detention. Former New Zealand Prime Minister and current GCDP chair Helen Clark said: “The ‘war on drugs’ has led to skyrocketing incarceration rates, rising overdose deaths and ongoing human rights violations.” Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . She said the report presents clear evidence that a harm reduction approach to drug use works, as it is a public health necessity, not a moral stance. “It’s time for a global shift toward drug policies that respect public health and human rights.” —Contributed
Barron Trump, the son of the president-elect , is using one strategy to make friends at New York University as sources claim he "hardly exists." The 18-year-old , who is following in the footsteps of his siblings Ivanka and Eric by studying at Stern Business School, is said to be struggling to connect with his peers and spends a lot of time off campus. Since starting at NYU, reports have emerged about his experience, including his refusal of selfie requests from classmates and being constantly surrounded by Secret Service agents . "He hardly exists," a student told TMZ . Barron Trump's voice heard for first time in 15 years as he asks to become UFC fighter Barron Trump's unexpected response when friends at his New York university ask who he votes for Barron reportedly uses video games as a means to socialize with other students. The college freshman is reportedly an avid gamer and often asks fellow students for their Discord usernames and gamer tags so they can play online games together. His favorite game is said to be the popular soccer game, FIFA . Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories. It's fitting, as videos of Barron 's soccer prowess have been making a splash on the internet, with many people surprised by the former first child's skill on the field. However, some are pointing out his significant height as a potential mismatch for his chosen pastime, suggesting that perhaps another sport might be more suitable, reports the Irish Star . DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are drifting lower Tuesday in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation that’s coming on Wednesday. The S&P 500 dipped by 0.2% in late trading, a day after pulling back from its latest all-time high . The index is on track for its first back-to-back losses in more than three weeks, as momentum slows following a big rally that has it on track for one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 7 points, or less than 0.1%, with roughly an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%. Tech titan Oracle dragged on the market and sank 7.8% after reporting growth for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, even though CEO Safra Catz said the company saw record demand related to artificial-intelligence technology for its cloud infrastructure business, which trains generative AI models. AI has been a big source of growth that’s helped many companies’ stock prices skyrocket. Oracle’s stock had already leaped nearly 81% for the year coming into Tuesday, which raised the bar of expectations for its profit report. C3.ai fell 2.1% despite reporting a smaller loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The AI software company increased its forecast for how big a loss it expects to take this fiscal year from its operations. In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher ahead of Wednesday’s report on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. Economists expect it to show roughly similar increases as the month before. That and a report on Thursday about inflation at the wholesale level will be the final big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week, where many investors expect the year’s third cut to interest rates . The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to lift the slowing jobs market, after bringing inflation nearly down to its 2% target. Lower rates would help give support to the economy, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.22% from 4.20% late Monday. Even though the Fed has been cutting its main interest rate, mortgage rates have been more stubborn and have been volatile since the autumn. That has hampered the housing industry, and homebuilder Toll Brothers’ stock fell 5.2% even though it beat analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the latest quarter. CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the luxury builder has been seeing strong demand since the start of its fiscal year six weeks ago, an encouraging signal as it approaches the beginning of the spring selling season in mid-January Elsewhere on Wall Street, Alaska Air Group soared 13.6% after raising its forecast for profit in the current quarter. The airline said demand for flying around the holidays has been stronger than expected. It also approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock, along with new service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul . Boeing climbed 5.2% after saying it's resuming production of its bestselling plane , the 737 Max, for the first time since 33,000 workers began a seven-week strike that ended in early November. Vail Resorts rose 2.7% after the ski resort operator reported a narrower first-quarter loss than expected in what is traditionally its worst quarter. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in China after the world’s second-largest economy said its exports rose by less than expected in November. Stocks rose 0.6% in Shanghai but fell 0.5% in Hong Kong. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
– At last night’s WWE NXT Deadline, Giulia won the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge to secure a title shot against NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez. Cora Jade later commented on the premium live event on social media , noting that Giulia isn’t good enough to beat her best friend, Perez. Cora Jade wrote, “The @WWENXT women’s division put on one hell of a show tonight as always, but you’ll still never be good enough to beat my bestie!!!!!!! @roxanne_wwe #WWEDeadline.” You can view her post below: The @WWENXT women’s division put on one hell of a show tonight as always, but you’ll still never be good enough to beat my bestie!!!!!!! @roxanne_wwe #WWEDeadline — Cora Jade (@CoraJadeWWE) December 8, 2024
Rajnath calls on Armed Forces to remain alert to deal with any kind of threats