joy slot game Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalise the country’s stagnant economy. Mr Musk’s guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag – a sister publication of Politico owned by the Axel Springer Group – published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month that he has supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD. “The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country,” he wrote in his translated commentary. He went on to say that the far-right party “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality”. The Tesla Motors chief executive also wrote that his investment in Germany gives him the right to comment on the country’s condition. The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party. Billionaire Mr Musk, an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, challenged in his opinion piece the party’s public image. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Mr Musk’s commentary has led to a debate in German media over the boundaries of free speech, with the paper’s own opinion editor announcing her resignation, pointedly on Mr Musk’s social media platform, X. Eva Marie Kogel wrote: “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print.” A critical article by the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard, accompanied Mr Musk’s opinion piece. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” he wrote. Responding to a request for comment from the German Press Agency, dpa, the current editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt, and Mr Burgard – who is due to take over on January 1 – said in a joint statement that the discussion over Mr Musk’s piece was “very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression.” “This will continue to determine the compass of the ‘world’ in the future. We will develop ‘Die Welt’ even more decisively as a forum for such debates,” they wrote to dpa.Analysis: Jimmy Carter reshaped politics in New Hampshire

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Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined JetsBy KELVIN CHAN, Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Looking for a new social media platform because X, Threads and Mastodon just aren’t cutting it? You could try Bluesky . People seeking to avoid chaos, noise and political bluster in the aftermath of the U.S. elections are noticing a different mood on the Bluesky social platform, where the vibe is seemingly welcoming and there are noticeably fewer trolls. The site announced it had rapidly added more than a million new users in the week after Election Day, and has emerged as one of the fastest growing rivals to Elon Musk’s X and similar platforms. If you’re tempted to check out the new space, here’s a guide on how Bluesky works: Maybe you’re not ready to commit to adding yet another social media account. No problem — you can still look around on Bluesky without signing up because all posts and profiles are public. You might get a sense of deja vu because the platform’s look and feel are very similar to X. That should be no surprise because Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was an early Bluesky champion. (Dorsey’s no longer involved with Bluesky, which is owned and run by its executive team as a public benefit corporation.) If you take the plunge and get an account, you’ll need a username. You’ll notice Bluesky handles are a little bit different because they end by default in the site’s domain, .bsky.social. You can personalize your handle to make it more memorable, by using your own website’s domain or buying a custom one through Bluesky. But it might not be something most newbie users need or want to do right away. Bluesky boasts that it gives users “algorithmic choice” to tailor the content they’re shown instead of leaving it up to the whims of a centralized system. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see,” it says . What it means is that you can follow custom feeds set up by other users, or design your own. If you tap #Feeds in the menu on the left, you’ll see some default offerings like Cat Pics and Gardening. My Bangers is a list of your most popular posts by likes and Catch Up shows the site’s most popular posts from the past 24 hours. You can find more by doing a search and tapping the Feeds button. There’s also the usual “Discover” feed of suggested posts and a chronological feed of accounts that you follow. To help new users settle in, Bluesky has starter packs of recommended feeds and accounts to follow, which anyone can create and share. They don’t show up in Bluesky’s search results but can be found in directories online . Or someone might share one with you. After I signed up, a colleague pointed me to one for major news outlets . There are tens of thousands of starter packs, ranging from broadly appealing topics like Taylor Swift to niche interests like cargo bikes or U.K. comedians . You can follow the whole pack or scroll down the list to choose individual accounts. What about people you followed on X? There’s a browser extension tool called Sky Follower Bridge that will help you find X users who’ve migrated to Bluesky. But check before clicking the follow button to make sure it’s not a different user using the same display name or handle. Ready to join the conversation? You can write posts or reply to others but keep it short because there’s a limit of 300 characters — 20 more than on X. You can also upload photos and videos, though videos can’t be longer than 60 seconds. GIFs and emojis are, of course, available too. You can still @ people by typing in their username, like posts by tapping a heart icon or use hashtags to highlight a theme. Bluesky has added a menu to hashtags, so when you click on one you’ll get different options for seeing, or muting, posts on that topic. Bluesky’s decentralization ethos extends to the content control options it offers. For starters, users can choose in their settings menu whether to see replies, reposts or quote posts in their feed. Specific words or tags can be muted temporarily, or forever, while accounts can be muted or blocked individually, or in bulk by adding them a moderation list. You can even fine tune the level of adult content that shows up in your feed. Bluesky has a team of content moderators to police the site for material that’s illegal or breaks the rules. But it’s also taking a different approach by open sourcing its content moderation system in an attempt to resolve problems with traditional moderation services which it says “lack transparency and user control.” So, individuals or groups can set up their own content filters, or labelers, that go beyond what Bluesky offers. These labelers can be used to categorize content or users, which can then be blocked or hidden. But they could also be used for informational or creative purposes, like curating or verifying content. There are labelers to identify images generated by artificial intelligence or to fact check news posts. You can find lists of labelers online. After I subscribed to a U.S. politics labeler, some posts in my feeds were flagged “!Donald Trump” or “!Democrat politician” and hidden unless I click Show. Follow Kelvin Chan on Bluesky Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

Published 5:39 pm Sunday, December 29, 2024 By Data Skrive The New Orleans Pelicans (5-27) are monitoring five players on the injury report, including Yves Missi, as they ready for a Monday, December 30 game against the Los Angeles Clippers (18-13) at Smoothie King Center. The Clippers also have listed five injured players. The game tips at 8:00 PM ET. Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up. The Pelicans are coming off of a 132-124 loss to the Grizzlies in their most recent outing on Friday. Trey Murphy III recorded 35 points, three rebounds and four assists for the Pelicans. In their most recent outing on Friday, the Clippers secured a 102-92 win against the Warriors. Norman Powell recorded 26 points, three rebounds and one assist for the Clippers. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get live and on-demand access to NBA games. Get tickets for any NBA game this season at StubHub. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law that allows those who sign up to fight in Ukraine to write off unpaid debts worth almost $100,000, the government announced. The new legislation will be a strong motivation for some to join up, experts said, as Russia seeks new ways to recruit fighters for the nearly three-year conflict grinding through troops. The new legislation will allow those who sign a one-year contract to fight in Ukraine after December 1 to free themselves of existing bad debts. It also covers their spouses. The law concerns debts where a court order for collection was issued and enforcement proceedings began before December 1, 2024. The total amount of unpaid debt that can be covered is 10 million rubles, around $96,000 at current rates. Parliament approved the bill earlier this month. The legislation will largely concern younger Russians of fighting age, since those in their 30s and younger are most likely to have loans. Russia has extremely high interest rates for loans and many Russians have almost no cash savings, although the proportion of home owners is relatively high. "Previously (for those fighting) there was only provision for taking repayment holidays on loans," Sergei Krivenko of advocacy group Citizen Army Law told Vazhniye Istorii Telegram channel. The new legislation applies to those who are conscripted for national service and those mobilised for the so-called "special military operation", Krivenko said. Conscripts cannot be sent to the front line but can choose to sign a contract to join the professional army and be sent to fight in Ukraine. Russian authorities "are strengthening the motivation to sign a contract," political analyst Georgy Bovt wrote on Telegram. The legislation provides "another way to get rid of an unbearable burden of credit, at least for several hundred thousand people," Bovt wrote. Over 13 million Russians have three or more loans, according to a central bank report released last month covering the first two quarters. This was up 20 percent on the same period last year. The average amount owed by those with three or more loans is 1.4 million rubles ($13,400 at current rates). Many start with a bank loan and then apply for further loans from microfinance organisations. Russians serving on the front line are already paid far more than the national average. Ukraine also has legislation allowing those fighting to get preferential terms for loans and in some cases to write off debts. bur/tw Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.Swiss National Bank reduced its position in shares of Mr. Cooper Group Inc. ( NASDAQ:COOP – Free Report ) by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 126,400 shares of the company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Mr. Cooper Group were worth $11,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Mr. Cooper Group by 984.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 390,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,476,000 after buying an additional 354,905 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Mr. Cooper Group in the first quarter worth $5,301,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Mr. Cooper Group by 50.7% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 32,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,004,000 after acquiring an additional 10,964 shares during the period. Waterfall Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Mr. Cooper Group during the 2nd quarter worth $809,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Mr. Cooper Group during the 1st quarter worth $476,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.82% of the company’s stock. Insider Activity at Mr. Cooper Group In other news, CEO Jesse K. Bray sold 30,000 shares of Mr. Cooper Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.41, for a total transaction of $2,652,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 818,821 shares in the company, valued at $72,391,964.61. The trade was a 3.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In View Our Latest Report on Mr. Cooper Group Mr. Cooper Group Stock Performance COOP stock opened at $99.42 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $93.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.47. The firm has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 1.40. Mr. Cooper Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $59.03 and a 1 year high of $103.05. Mr. Cooper Group ( NASDAQ:COOP – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.54 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $616.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $548.09 million. Mr. Cooper Group had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 25.87%. The business’s revenue was up 32.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.79 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Mr. Cooper Group Inc. will post 10.16 earnings per share for the current year. Mr. Cooper Group Profile ( Free Report ) Mr. Cooper Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a non-bank servicer of residential mortgage loans in the United States. The company operates through Servicing and Originations segments. The Servicing segment performs activities on behalf of investors or owners of the underlying mortgages and mortgage servicing rights, including collecting and disbursing borrower payments, investor reporting, customer service, modifying loans, performing collections, foreclosures, and the sale of real estate owned. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COOP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Mr. Cooper Group Inc. ( NASDAQ:COOP – Free Report ). 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