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By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. Related Articles Nikki Giovanni, poet and literary celebrity, has died at 81 Percival Everett, 2024 National Book Award winner, rereads one book often Gift books for 2024: What to give, and what to receive, for all kinds of readers Our critic’s picks: Best mystery fiction books of 2024 10 best books of 2024: The surprising reads that stuck U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”By HILLEL ITALIE NEW YORK (AP) — Even through a year of nonstop news about elections, climate change, protests and the price of eggs, there was still time to read books. Related Articles Column: Meet Mark Vancil, the sportswriter who’s old friends with Michael Jordan Nikki Giovanni, poet and literary celebrity, has died at 81 Percival Everett, 2024 National Book Award winner, rereads one book often A British musician traced an unusual sound to CT. You wouldn’t guess what the instrument is made of. Gift books for 2024: What to give, and what to receive, for all kinds of readers U.S. sales held steady according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print market, with many choosing the relief of romance, fantasy and romantasy. Some picked up Taylor Swift’s tie-in book to her blockbuster tour, while others sought out literary fiction, celebrity memoirs, political exposes and a close and painful look at a generation hooked on smartphones. Here are 10 notable books published in 2024, in no particular order. Asking about the year’s hottest reads would basically yield a list of the biggest hits in romantasy, the blend of fantasy and romance that has proved so irresistible fans were snapping up expensive “special editions” with decorative covers and sprayed edges. Of the 25 top sellers of 2024, as compiled by Circana, six were by romantasy favorite Sarah J. Maas, including “House of Flame and Shadow,” the third of her “Crescent City” series. Millions read her latest installment about Bryce Quinlan and Hunter Athalar and traced the ever-growing ties of “Maasverse,” the overlapping worlds of “Crescent City” and her other series, “Throne of Glass” and “A Court of Thorns and Roses.” If romantasy is for escape, other books demand we confront. In the bestselling “The Anxious Generation,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt looks into studies finding that the mental health of young people began to deteriorate in the 2010s, after decades of progress. According to Haidt, the main culprit is right before us: digital screens that have drawn kids away from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods. Although some critics challenged his findings, “The Anxious Generation” became a talking point and a catchphrase. Admirers ranged from Oprah Winfrey to Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee, who in a letter to state legislators advocated such “commonsense recommendations” from the book as banning phones in schools and keeping kids off social media until age 16. Bob Woodward books have been an election tradition for decades. “War,” the latest of his highly sourced Washington insider accounts, made news with its allegations that Donald Trump had been in frequent contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin even while out of office and, while president, had sent Putin sophisticated COVID-19 test machines. Among Woodward’s other scoops: Putin seriously considered using nuclear weapons against Ukraine, and President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president, for some of the problems with Russia. “Barack never took Putin seriously,” Woodward quoted Biden as saying. Former (and future) first lady Melania Trump, who gives few interviews and rarely discusses her private life, unexpectedly announced she was publishing a memoir: “Melania.” The publisher was unlikely for a former first lady — not one of the major New York houses, but Skyhorse, where authors include such controversial public figures as Woody Allen and Trump cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And its success was at least a minor surprise. Melania Trump did little publicity for the book, and offered few revelations beyond posting a video expressing support for abortion rights — a break from one of the cornerstones of GOP policy. But “Melania” still sold hundreds of thousands of copies, many in the days following her husband’s election. Taylor Swift was more than a music story in 2024. Like “Melania,” the news about Taylor Swift’s self-published tie-in to her global tour isn’t so much the book itself, but that it exists. And how well it sold. As she did with the “Eras” concert film, Swift bypassed the established industry and worked directly with a distributor: Target offered “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively. According to Circana, the “Eras” book sold more than 800,000 copies just in its opening week, an astonishing number for a publication unavailable through Amazon.com and other traditional retailers. No new book in 2024 had a better debut. Midnight book parties are supposed to be for “Harry Potter” and other fantasy series, but this fall, more than 100 stores stayed open late to welcome one of the year’s literary events: Sally Rooney’s “Intermezzo.” The Irish author’s fourth novel centers on two brothers, their grief over the death of their father, their very different career paths and their very unsettled love lives. “Intermezzo” was also a book about chess: “You have to read a lot of opening theory — that’s the beginning of a game, the first moves,” one of the brothers explains. “And you’re learning all this for what? Just to get an okay position in the middle game and try to play some decent chess. Which most of the time I can’t do anyway.” Lisa Marie Presley had been working on a memoir at the time of her death , in 2023, and daughter Riley Keough had agreed to help her complete it. “From Here to the Great Unknown” is Lisa Marie’s account of her father, Elvis Presley, and the sagas of of her adult life, notably her marriage to Michael Jackson and the death of son Benjamin Keough. To the end, she was haunted by the loss of Elvis, just 42 when he collapsed and died at his Graceland home while young Lisa Marie was asleep. “She would listen to his music alone, if she was drunk, and cry,” Keough, during an interview with Winfrey, said of her mother. Meanwhile, Cher released the first of two planned memoirs titled “Cher” — no further introduction required. Covering her life from birth to the end of the 1970s, she focuses on her ill-fated marriage to Sonny Bono, remembering him as a gifted entertainer and businessman who helped her believe in herself while turning out to be unfaithful, erratic, controlling and so greedy that he kept all the couple’s earnings for himself. Unsure of whether to leave or stay, she consulted a very famous divorcee, Lucille Ball, who reportedly encouraged her: “F— him, you’re the one with the talent.” A trend in recent years is to take famous novels from the past, and remove words or passages that might offend modern readers; an edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” cuts the racist language from Mark Twain’s original text. In the most celebrated literary work of 2024, Percival Everett found a different way to take on Twain’s classic — write it from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. “James,” winner of the National Book Award, is a recasting in many ways. Everett suggests to us that the real Jim was nothing like the deferential figure known to millions of readers, but a savvy and learned man who concealed his intelligence from the whites around him, and even from Twain himself. Salman Rushdie’s first National Book Award nomination was for a memoir he wished he had no reason to write. In “Knife,” he recounts in full detail the horrifying attempt on his life in 2022, when an attendee rushed the stage during a literary event in western New York and stabbed him repeatedly, leaving with him a blinded eye and lasting nerve damage, but with a spirit surprisingly intact. “If you had told me that this was going to happen and how would I deal with it, I would not have been very optimistic about my chances,” he told The Associated Press last spring. “I’m still myself, you know, and I don’t feel other than myself. But there’s a little iron in the soul, I think.”Minutes after the University of North Carolina announced it had hired Bill Belichick as its next head football coach, the Tar Heels’ Instagram account posted a photo of the legendary NFL coach — at no more than 3 years old — sitting in the UNC bleachers. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Minutes after the University of North Carolina announced it had hired Bill Belichick as its next head football coach, the Tar Heels’ Instagram account posted a photo of the legendary NFL coach — at no more than 3 years old — sitting in the UNC bleachers. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Minutes after the University of North Carolina announced it had hired Bill Belichick as its next head football coach, the Tar Heels’ Instagram account posted a photo of the legendary NFL coach — at no more than 3 years old — sitting in the UNC bleachers. “Welcome home, Coach,” the post reads, dredging up the memory of when the young Belichick shadowed his father, Steve, who was a UNC assistant from 1953 to 1955. As news of his hiring spread around the NFL world, the reaction ranged from excitement at seeing him back on the sideline to disbelief. The most decorated coach in NFL history after earning six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, and two more as the defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Belichick is officially making his next challenge college football after agreeing to a five-year deal with UNC. “I will have to see him on the sideline to believe that’s happening,” Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury joked Thursday. “We’ll see how the NFL job search goes and all that. I will have to see him on the sideline coaching in Chapel Hill to believe that’s happening.” While Belichick’s knowledge of the sport, and his success, are unquestioned, there has been debate among those who have played for the 72-year-old coach during his 40-plus years in football about how well his style will translate to the college game. Some of his former players believe his skill set will work at any level. That list apparently includes Tom Brady, the quarterback during all six of Belichick’s Super Bowl wins with New England. “Congrats, coach. The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing,” Brady posted on Instagram on Thursday, referencing “The Patriot Way” that he popularized in New England. Some cautioned that the players he brings into the UNC program should prepare to have their limits tested like never before. “I think he’s going to do good,” said Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne, who played under Belichick during his final three years in New England. “Bill does a good job of developing players, developing young men. I think it will be a challenge for the young man. He’s a tough coach, which we all know. But I think it will be good for certain players that have the right mindset.” Bourne’s advice? Always stay locked in mentally. “Just stay tough,” Bourne said. “Have a gritty mindset because it’s not going to be easy, but in the end, it’s going to be worth it.” Though some have questioned why the Tar Heels would even consider hiring Belichick after parting ways with 73-year-old Mack Brown this season, current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said good coaching is ageless. “To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re a young man or a 10-year vet in the league, he’s a great teacher,” said Mayo, who played eight seasons under Belichick, winning a Super Bowl during the 2014 season, and then succeeded him as head coach after last season. “I wish him nothing but the best. It doesn’t really matter what level, I think he’ll be successful.” NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is a relative newcomer to the college game himself. He spent three seasons at Jackson State before going to Colorado in 2023. In a message posted to the X social media platform, he welcomed Belichick as a competitor. “Coach Bill Belichick is a coaches coach to all us Coaches along with my man coach (NIck) Saban,” Sanders posted. “They’re game changers and they know how to move people forward. I know this is a great thing for College Football & for North Carolina. God bless u Coach, if you’re happy I am 2.” But former Patriots defensive back Je’Rod Cherry wonders how well Belichick’s old-school coaching style will be received in an era in which in-your-face methods don’t always fly as well as they did when Belichick began his career. “You can’t coach hard anymore,” Cherry said during an appearance on ESPN GameNight. “You can’t yell at guys, curse at guys and that’s what he does. You are going to have to find guys who are going to accept that brand of coaching and will accept someone constantly getting on them.” New York Jets safety Jalen Mills, who played for Belichick with the Patriots from 2021 to 2023, said he was surprised by the news. “I thought he definitely was going to try to wait it out until after the season and come back to the NFL,” Mills said. “But I think it’s gonna be a good thing for him because now you get a guy who has won and, of course, he’s going to try to turn that program around. But he also gets to connect with the younger generation and kind of modify and adjust to this younger generation of football on top of what he already knows. So I think that’ll just help him as far as coaching. And then, of course, he’ll give those guys, those young guys, structure as far as what the NFL looks like, too.” Just how much the Belichick on the college sidelines will resemble the one in the cutoff hooded sweatshirt who patrolled NFL sidelines is unclear. Belichick hinted they will be one and the same. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN prior to agreeing to the UNC job, Belichick laid out what his approach at the college level would be. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. “The program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players than have the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques — that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level.” ___ AP National Writer Howard Fendrich and Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement AdvertisementThis story is part of the November 24 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . Malabar Coast, Arabian Sea. There’s romance enough just in the names. I’m rattling along in a rickety local bus (no windows, driver perched on the springs of a seat that long ago lost its padding) towards Kochi in Kerala state, south-west India. The city, once known as Cochin, was a relatively sleepy place in the 1960s. Since then, the population has exploded from a manageable 250,000 to more than 31⁄2 million. What you’ll see today is a colonial-era district, Fort Kochi, surrounded by a vast Indian city of shopping malls, high-rise apartment blocks and motorways – pumping with life and energy 24/7. Traditional Kathakali dance on New Year carnival in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India. Credit: Getty Images Fort Kochi was a significant trading port long before the local raja (king) negotiated a deal with the Portuguese in 1500. He got the worst of the arrangement, slowly losing power to his erstwhile ally. The Portuguese built a fort, hence the name, and held on to the territory for the next 163 years before losing it in turn to the Dutch. The British wrested it away in 1795, holding on to the growing town until India gained its hard-won independence in 1947. It’s no surprise Kochi is a major tourist attraction. It’s small enough to navigate around easily and is packed with the magnificent architecture of three successive colonial influences alongside Indian, with the whole lot surrounded by sea. With an international airport well serviced by flights from Australia, Kochi is a great place to begin your Indian adventure, especially if you’re a first-time visitor to India. Kerala is considered a politically and socially progressive state relative to the rest of India. It’s also one of the wealthiest and this is evident in Kochi. It’s a city of fine restaurants, hipster cafes, boutiques packed with original designs and a surprisingly large number of art galleries, many housed in exquisite, well-maintained colonial buildings. The city is home to the government-supported Kochi-Muziris Biennale, which has had quite an impact on the art world since its inception in 2012. The sixth edition gets underway in December this year. Wander in the narrow, winding lanes edged by buildings in the Dutch and Portuguese styles housing shops, cafes and private homes. Drop in for coffee at Kashi Art Cafe. Stroll with the locals at sunset on Kochi Beach, dine at a waterfront restaurant watching the boats coming and going across the harbour. There’s a wide range of accommodation here, from luxury hotels to modest guesthouses. Take a state-of-the-art electric ferry to the wharf near the iconic Chinese fishing nets and next door to the gorgeous Brunton Boatyard Hotel, which began life as a British colonial shipyard on the waterfront. Stay here, or pop in for a drink or a meal on the promenade. Loading Nearby, tucked down a quiet, flower-filled lane, you’ll find SeaCoast Inn. This newly built, mid-range guesthouse is owned by Kochi local Shaan. The former IT executive has drawn on his own international travel experience to organise this attractive residence in a way that works for foreign visitors while still being essentially Indian. It’s pristine, well designed and full of lovely artisanal furnishings and fittings that reflect the Portuguese heritage of the area. Fort Kochi is not nearly as busy as many Asian cities with similar attractions. There’s still a homely feel to it, easygoing and genuine. My first day in Kochi, I lunch at Qissa cafe and find myself gravitating back there often during my stay. On one visit, as I step out into the street to take a phone call, I notice I’ve left my bag at my table. I’m about to double back when the waiter, a young man with the delicate beauty typical of the people of this region, his abundant black hair hauled into a topknot, makes me a sign: “No worries, I’ve got my eye on it, go do what you need to do.” Kochi is still that sort of place.
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Ludhiana: The Tuesday-afternoon shocking incident of Giaspura in which a man and his two children had a narrow escape after falling into an open manhole of a municipal sewer ha prompted municipal commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal to initiate an inquiry to determine accountability. The father was riding his bike with his children after school when he lost control and fell into the 12-foot-deep manhole. Passers-by quickly came to their aid, using a ladder to rescue the trio. Fortunately, they sustained only minor injuries and were taken to a nearby clinic for treatment. The incident has sparked outrage among locals, who condemned the MC for its negligence in maintaining safety standards at construction sites. Videos of the fall circulated on social media, further fuelling public anger. Residents questioned why proper barricades were not erected around the manhole, emphasising that such an accident could have been fatal. In response, the MC’s operation and maintenance (O&M) cell is issuing notices to the contractor responsible for the project. If the contractor's explanation is deemed unsatisfactory, further action will be recommended. Senior officials have also instructed various branches within the MC to ensure strict adherence to safety protocols at all project sites. This incident highlights ongoing concerns regarding public safety in Ludhiana, in areas undergoing construction particularly. We also published the following articles recently Step carefully: Manhole menace continues in city Dangerous, damaged manholes plague Lucknow's Mahatma Gandhi Marg, especially near popular public spaces, endangering pedestrians. Residents express fear after multiple accidents, including fatalities, caused by missing or broken covers. Authorities blame theft and plan to replace iron covers with cement ones, while also pursuing legal action. Step carefully: Manhole menace continues in city Dangerous, damaged manholes plague Lucknow's Mahatma Gandhi Marg, especially near popular public spaces like Kargil Shaheed Park, posing a severe threat to pedestrians. Residents express fear and recount near-misses due to missing or broken covers. Tragically, similar hazards have led to fatalities in other city areas. Electrical safety inspections being conducted at Chennai hospitals after Guindy fire incident Following a recent fire incident at Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH) that disrupted power for two hours, Chennai's Tangedco and PWD have initiated joint inspections of government and private hospitals. The inspections focus on electrical installations, including Tangedco power points, generators, cables, and changeover switches, especially for intensive care units.
By 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: Getting started 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. How do I find interesting people? 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. How to post 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. What about trolls? 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.
2024’s most costly climate disasters killed 2,000 people and caused $229bn in damages, data showsRichards' 17 help Chattanooga beat Bryant 84-76
Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Increases Stock Position in Immersion Co. (NASDAQ:IMMR)STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For most employees, company-backed retirement plans and affordable health insurance are perks that come with full-time work. But according to a new report by The Penny Hoarder -- a personal finance brand whose purpose is to help people make smart money decisions -- there are several big-box brands that offer generous benefit packages for their hourly part-time employees. Here’s a look at 10 companies that offer a healthy benefits package -- even for employees with flexible part-time roles -- as reported by PennyHoarder.com: 1. Costco Hourly part-time employees who work at least 24 hours per week can receive benefits from Costco once they’ve accumulated 60 days of service. Health-care coverage includes medical, vision, prescription drugs and core dental benefits. All hourly employees working at least 10 hours per week can also enroll in voluntary short-term disability insurance, which provides tax-free income replacement in the event of a non-work-related accident or illness. 2. Lowe’s Part-time employees at Lowe’s are immediately eligible for medical benefits, including prescription drugs, short-term disability, life insurance and dental and vision coverage. After one year, Lowe’s offers an employee stock purchase option to its part-time workers, as well as a 401(k) after 180 days. Eligible family members can also opt-in for group medical, dental and vision coverage and dependent life insurance. 3. Staples Staples offers its part-time associates access to dental and vision coverage, life, dependent life, accidental death and short-term disability insurance coverage. They’re also eligible for the company’s 401(k) plan. Staples also offers a 10% employee discount on online or retail items, adoption assistance and its own confidential employee counseling program. 4. Starbucks Starbucks is well-known for its benefits program for part-time employees. To be eligible, employees must work at least 240 hours over three consecutive months, then continue to average 20 hours per week. Health coverage offered by Starbucks includes routine medical visits and hospitalization along with dental, vision and life insurance coverage, as well as fertility benefits. After 90 days, employees can opt-in to Starbucks’ 401(k) plan. 5. UPS Part-time employees who work between 225 and 400 hours at UPS within a three-month period are eligible for medical and dental coverage, vision insurance, hearing, prescription drugs and an employee assistance program. Part-time employees who exceed 400 hours over three months are eligible for the same benefits as full-time employees. 6. Trader Joe’s After three months and working an average of 30 hours per week, Trader Joe’s “crew members” are eligible for medical, dental and vision coverage at a cost as low as $25 per month. Other employee benefits include a 20% store discount , scholarship programs, store tastings, employee assistance programs and paid relocation and transfers. 7. Chipotle All hourly crew members at Chipotle are eligible for its robust benefits package that includes medical, vision and dental insurance, as well as a 401(k) match after one year of employment. Part-time employees also receive a salary percentage-based bonus, mental health assistance, education assistance up to $5,250 annually, a stock purchase plan, gym membership discounts and one free meal per shift. 8. USPS The United States Postal Service hires career and non-career (temporary/seasonal) workers. Part-time career workers are eligible for its benefits package, which includes the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program -- a plan in which the federal government pays two-thirds of the health insurance premiums for employees and retirees. It also offers federal group life insurance (FGLI), and federally backed long-term care, dental and vision and a flex spending account. The USPS retirement system, also available for part-time career workers, offers a fixed annuity based on years of service, a defined contribution 401(k) THRIFT Savings Plan with a 5% employer match and Social Security. 9. Walmart RECOMMENDED • silive .com NYC opens affordable waterfront housing lottery at Lighthouse Point: Here’s how to apply Nov. 19, 2024, 8:21 a.m. New York’s home health care is changing: Here’s Gov. Hochul’s plan and a breakdown of what you need to know Nov. 21, 2024, 4:06 p.m. Part-time and temporary associates at Walmart who work an average of at least 30 hours per week over a 60-day period are eligible for benefits. These include medical, dental and vision, as well as a 6% 401(k) match after one year and a 10% in-store discount. 10. Home Depot Part-time employees at the home improvement retailer are eligible for dental and vision plans, short-term disability and life insurance.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Emily Atack gave fans a snapshot of her son Barney , and who has noticeably grown since his last appearance on social media. The 34-year-old star, known for her role in The Inbetweeners and her recent captivating performance in the Disney+ drama Rivals, welcomed her little one in June with her partner, scientist Alistair Garner. Now, at four months old, Barney is seen snuggling up to his mum in adorable denim dungarees. This festive update comes a year after Emily announced her pregnancy, proudly showing off her baby bump just before Christmas . As she embraces motherhood, Barney is gearing up for his very first Christmas celebration. The heartwarming post follows Emily's candid discussion about a frightening experience during her pregnancy when she suffered a haemorrhage. Recounting the ordeal, Emily expressed her initial fear: "I saw blood in the toilet and I was like, 'oh my god, I'm miscarrying' - it was just coming out of me and I thought that's it, biggest fear realised, I'm having a miscarriage." Opening up to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, she revealed the relief that followed: "I had a scan and he [the doctor] said 'the baby's fine, you've had a haemorrhage, a hematoma but the baby's ok'. I couldn't believe it, I thought there's no way - I thought it was all over and I thought having to tell everybody, you feel like you're letting them all down, it's really awful." Emily bravely opened up about the heartache of miscarriage, saying, "I don't want to upset anyone who's been through baby loss, miscarriage but it's the most horrific thing ever. And a lot of that pain comes from feeling like you're going to have to let everybody down, because you've told them you're going to have this baby and it's going to be wonderful and then you're having to take that away. The pressure is ridiculous." She also expressed her concern about how casually miscarriages are often treated and added, "It's so like 'I know this girl who had a miscarriage...' because it's technically seen as common. But what is so awful, I get really angry even when doctors say it in the early days of your pregnancy, they talk about miscarriage like it is such a common thing." Emily continued, focusing on the emotional impact of such an incident: "That it's so flippant and so throwaway. But to that person who has just lost that baby it is the most devastating thing you could ever imagine. You have lost your child. But for some reason there's this really casual narrative, like it's so common that it's something you just sometimes have to go through. I can't even imagine the agony and it's just as women something that we are told to get on with."Extensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) Shares Purchased by Caprock Group LLC
South core businesses oppose village planHOUSTON (AP) — HOUSTON (AP) — Quanex Building Products Corp. (NX) on Thursday reported a loss of $13.9 million in its fiscal fourth quarter. The Houston-based company said it had a loss of 30 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 61 cents per share. The housing materials maker posted revenue of $492.2 million in the period. For the year, the company reported profit of $33.1 million, or 90 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $1.28 billion. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/NX
ATLANTA , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cousins Properties Incorporated (the "Company" or "Cousins") (NYSE:CUZ) announced today that its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP (the "Operating Partnership"), has priced an offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 5.375% senior unsecured notes due 2032 at 99.463% of the principal amount. The offering is expected to close on December 17, 2024 , subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Cousins intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund a portion of the purchase price of 601 West 2nd Street, also known as Sail Tower, an 804,000 square foot trophy lifestyle office property in Austin (the "Sail Tower Acquisition"), and the remainder to repay borrowings under its credit facility and for general corporate purposes. In the event the Sail Tower Acquisition is not completed, Cousins will use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including the acquisition and development of office properties, other opportunistic investments and the repayment of debt. The notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by the Company. J.P. Morgan, Truist Securities, US Bancorp, BofA Securities, Morgan Stanley, PNC Capital Markets LLC, TD Securities and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint book-running managers. A shelf registration statement relating to these securities is effective with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Copies of these documents may be obtained by contacting J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York , 10179, Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, 3rd Floor, telephone collect at 1-212-834-4533; Truist Securities, Inc., Attention: Prospectus Department, 303 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30308, telephone: 800-685-4786, or e-mail: TruistSecurities.prospectus@Truist.com ; or U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., Attention: High Grade Syndicate, 214 North Tryon Street, 26th Floor, Charlotte, NC 28202, or by telephone at: (877) 558-2607. Electronic copies of these documents are also available from the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov . This press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell the notes, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. About Cousins Properties Cousins Properties is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT"). The Company, based in Atlanta, GA and acting through the Operating Partnership, primarily invests in Class A office buildings located in high growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates shareholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing, and management of high-quality real estate assets. The Company has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets, and opportunistic investments. Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws and are subject to uncertainties and risks, as itemized in Item 1A included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2024 . These forward-looking statements include information about the Company's possible or assumed future results of the business and the Company's financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans, and objectives. They also include, among other things, statements regarding subjects that are forward-looking by their nature, such as: guidance and underlying assumptions; business and financial strategy; future debt financings; future acquisitions and dispositions of operating assets or joint venture interests; future acquisitions and dispositions of land, including ground leases; future acquisitions of investments in real estate debt; future development and redevelopment opportunities; future issuances and repurchases of common stock, limited partnership units, or preferred stock; future distributions; projected capital expenditures; market and industry trends; future occupancy or volume and velocity of leasing activity; entry into new markets, changes in existing market concentrations, or exits from existing markets; future changes in interest rates and liquidity of capital markets; and all statements that address operating performance, events, investments, or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future — including statements relating to creating value for stockholders. Any forward-looking statements are based upon management's beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of our future performance, taking into account information that is currently available. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations may change as a result of possible events or factors, not all of which are known. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements due to, but not limited to, the following: the availability and terms of capital and our ability to obtain and maintain financing arrangements on terms favorable to us or at all; the ability to refinance or repay indebtedness as it matures; any changes to our credit rating; the failure of purchase, sale, or other contracts to ultimately close; the failure to achieve anticipated benefits from acquisitions, developments, investments, or dispositions; the effect of common stock or operating partnership unit issuances, including those undertaken on a forward basis, which may negatively affect the market price of our common stock; the availability of buyers and pricing with respect to the disposition of assets; changes in national and local economic conditions, the real estate industry, and the commercial real estate markets in which we operate (including supply and demand changes), particularly in Atlanta , Austin , Tampa , Charlotte , Phoenix , Dallas , and Nashville , including the impact of high unemployment, volatility in the public equity and debt markets, and international economic and other conditions; threatened terrorist attacks or sociopolitical unrest such as political instability, civil unrest, armed hostilities, or political activism, which may result in a disruption of day-to-day building operations; changes to our strategy in regard to our real estate assets may require impairment to be recognized; leasing risks, including the ability to obtain new tenants or renew expiring tenants, the ability to lease newly-developed and/or recently acquired space, the failure of a tenant to commence or complete tenant improvements on schedule or to occupy leased space, and the risk of declining leasing rates; changes in the preferences of our tenants brought about by the desire for co-working arrangements, trends toward utilizing less office space per employee, and the effect of employees working remotely; any adverse change in the financial condition or liquidity of one or more of our tenants or borrowers under our real estate debt investments; volatility in interest rates (including the impact upon the effectiveness of forward interest rate contract arrangements) and insurance rates; inflation; competition from other developers or investors; the risks associated with real estate developments (such as zoning approval, receipt of required permits, construction delays, cost overruns, and leasing risk); supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and increased construction costs; risks associated with security breaches through cyberattacks, cyber intrusions or otherwise, as well as other significant disruptions of our information technology networks and related systems, which support our operations and our buildings; changes in senior management, changes in the Company's board of directors, and the loss of key personnel; the potential liability for uninsured losses, condemnation, or environmental issues; the potential liability for a failure to meet regulatory requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar laws or the impact of any investigation regarding the same; the financial condition and liquidity of, or disputes with, joint venture partners; any failure to comply with debt covenants under debt instruments and credit agreements; any failure to continue to qualify for taxation as a real estate investment trust or meet regulatory requirements; potential changes to state, local, or federal regulations applicable to our business; material changes in dividend rates on common shares or other securities or the ability to pay those dividends; potential changes to the tax laws impacting real estate investment trusts and real estate in general; risks associated with climate change and severe weather events, as well as the regulatory efforts intended to reduce the effects of climate changes and investor and public perception of our efforts to respond to the same; the impact of newly adopted accounting principles on our accounting policies and on period-to-period comparisons of financial results; risks associated with possible federal, state, local, or property tax audits; and those additional risks and environmental or other factors discussed in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company cannot guarantee the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements contained in this press release, and the Company does not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contacts Roni Imbeaux Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations 404-407-1104 rimbeaux@cousins.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cousins-properties-announces-pricing-of-senior-notes-offering-302330787.html SOURCE Cousins PropertiesConnor Gaydos, a man connected with a satirical project on the relaunch of the energy company Enron, was hit in the face with a pie in New York City on Thursday. A video of the moment surfaced where the 28-year-old is seen entering a building in New York City before a person threw a pie at his face. The video quickly went viral on social media. Here's the video: Enron, a Houston, Texas-based energy company, went bankrupt and shut down its operation in 2007. However, in the first week of December, a company claiming to be Enron, announced that it was relaunching 27 years after the shut down. Gaydos was revealed as the new CEO of the company, along with Magan Redino as COO, Daniel Wong as the chief technology officer and Rich Sybert as the general counsel. The return was announced last week with a new website, billboards in the Houston area and a social media account under the name 'Enron.' A video was posted online, featuring the company's comeback with its original logo unchanged. Additionally, a full-page ad appeared in the Houston Chronicle, prominently displaying the Enron logo alongside the tagline. Houston-based news channel KHOU 11 conducted a detailed investigation into the company, claiming to be Enron. It found in the website's terms and conditions that it is a "First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art and is for entertainment purposes only." Furthermore, KHOU11 revealed thaty trademark records show the Enron logo is owned by Arkansas-based 'The College Company,' which uses it for selling clothing. The company is led by the Gaydos, the co-creator of "Birds Aren't Real," a satirical conspiracy theory movement. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world.
Coal and gas-fired power plants will stay open for longer under the coalition's $330 billion nuclear transition plan. Login or signup to continue reading Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to build seven publicly-owned nuclear power plants across the country, with predictions the first will come online from the mid-to-late 2030s - a timeline rubbished by some experts. Renewables would make up just over half of Australia's energy grid by 2050, with nuclear accounting for just under 40 per cent and the rest a combination of storage and gas, snippets of the plan dropped ahead of its release contend. Labor's plan is to have the grid firmed by just over 80 per cent renewable energy by 2030. This will increase to more than 90 per cent by 2050 with the rest made up of storage and gas. Nuclear energy would provide the "always-on" power to back up renewables and lead to cheaper power bills in the long run, Mr Dutton claimed. But nuclear energy does not offer a good deal for Australia, a report released just ahead of Mr Dutton unveiling his costings found, while postponing coal power station closures would heighten Australia's carbon emissions in the medium term. For the seventh straight year, the GenCost 2024-25 Report found renewable energy sources are the lowest-cost of any new-build electricity-generating technology. Nuclear energy generation would be 1.5 to two times more expensive than large-scale solar, according to the analysis by the national science agency CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator. Energy market operators would also need to establish new connection points to safely supply the national electricity grid, experts have said. The coalition's plan was modelled by Frontier Economics, which cost Labor's transition around $600 billion. Energy Minister Chris Bowen has rubbished this number, saying the government's plan would cost $122 billion, citing a forecast made by the national energy grid operator. "They're making it up as they go along," Mr Bowen told ABC TV of the coalition's costings on Friday. Mr Bowen said preliminary reports of the coalition's plan ahead of Friday's full announcement that nuclear would need fewer transmission lines - therefore bringing down the estimated cost - was incorrect. "I'm not sure how they'll get the nuclear power into the grid, maybe by carrier pigeon if they're going to assert if somehow you'll need less transmission," he said. "They have had to make some very heroic assumptions here and they have had to really stretch the truth to try to get some very dodgy figures." Keeping coal-fired power plants open beyond their lifespan was a threat to energy reliability, with outages and breakdowns happening on a daily basis, Mr Bowen said. "It's a recipe for blackouts to keep ageing coal-fired power stations in the grid for longer," he said. The coalition is pushing for an end to Australia's nuclear ban but has faced opposition from states. Nuclear power doesn't stack up for Australian families or businesses, Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest said on Friday. "As our national science agency has shown, 'firmed' solar and wind are the cheapest new electricity options for all Australians," he said in a statement. "The cost of electricity generated on a grid dominated by firmed renewable energy in 2030 will be half what you would have to pay if it came from nuclear, CSIRO found." Mr Forrest, who is a big player in the non-fossil fuels energy market, said that without continued action on "low-cost, high-efficiency renewable energy" Australians will be left with "pricier power and crumbling coal stations". "We must never forget - Australia has the best renewable resources in the world," he added. "Seizing these Australian opportunities must be our shared national goal." Australian Associated Press DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!CIBC Asset Management Inc Acquires Shares of 3,723 ATI Inc. (NYSE:ATI)Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Emily Atack gave fans a snapshot of her son Barney , and who has noticeably grown since his last appearance on social media. The 34-year-old star, known for her role in The Inbetweeners and her recent captivating performance in the Disney+ drama Rivals, welcomed her little one in June with her partner, scientist Alistair Garner. Now, at four months old, Barney is seen snuggling up to his mum in adorable denim dungarees. This festive update comes a year after Emily announced her pregnancy, proudly showing off her baby bump just before Christmas . As she embraces motherhood, Barney is gearing up for his very first Christmas celebration. The heartwarming post follows Emily's candid discussion about a frightening experience during her pregnancy when she suffered a haemorrhage. Recounting the ordeal, Emily expressed her initial fear: "I saw blood in the toilet and I was like, 'oh my god, I'm miscarrying' - it was just coming out of me and I thought that's it, biggest fear realised, I'm having a miscarriage." Opening up to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, she revealed the relief that followed: "I had a scan and he [the doctor] said 'the baby's fine, you've had a haemorrhage, a hematoma but the baby's ok'. I couldn't believe it, I thought there's no way - I thought it was all over and I thought having to tell everybody, you feel like you're letting them all down, it's really awful." Emily bravely opened up about the heartache of miscarriage, saying, "I don't want to upset anyone who's been through baby loss, miscarriage but it's the most horrific thing ever. And a lot of that pain comes from feeling like you're going to have to let everybody down, because you've told them you're going to have this baby and it's going to be wonderful and then you're having to take that away. The pressure is ridiculous." She also expressed her concern about how casually miscarriages are often treated and added, "It's so like 'I know this girl who had a miscarriage...' because it's technically seen as common. But what is so awful, I get really angry even when doctors say it in the early days of your pregnancy, they talk about miscarriage like it is such a common thing." Emily continued, focusing on the emotional impact of such an incident: "That it's so flippant and so throwaway. But to that person who has just lost that baby it is the most devastating thing you could ever imagine. You have lost your child. But for some reason there's this really casual narrative, like it's so common that it's something you just sometimes have to go through. I can't even imagine the agony and it's just as women something that we are told to get on with."
Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Manulife Financial Co. ( NYSE:MFC – Free Report ) (TSE:MFC) by 279.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,321 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. West Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Manulife Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Manulife Financial by 77.2% during the second quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Manulife Financial by 119.0% during the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 52.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Manulife Financial Trading Down 0.6 % Manulife Financial stock opened at $32.48 on Friday. Manulife Financial Co. has a 1-year low of $19.13 and a 1-year high of $33.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.90 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.67. Manulife Financial Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.296 per share. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This is an increase from Manulife Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Manulife Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.00%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Manulife Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays started coverage on Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Manulife Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $37.50. Read Our Latest Research Report on Manulife Financial About Manulife Financial ( Free Report ) Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MFC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Manulife Financial Co. ( NYSE:MFC – Free Report ) (TSE:MFC). Receive News & Ratings for Manulife Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Manulife Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Ajaz Khan, who gained fame after his appearance in ‘Bigg Boss’ began his political career after contesting the Maharashtra assembly election from the Versova seat. His political career has taken a disappointing turn after he lost the election and was only able to hit 155 votes. Shiv Sena’s Haroon Khan has won the Versova seat with 65396 votes. Ajaz’s fewer votes have become a laughing stock on the internet as netizens pointed out his huge fan following on Instagram. See how netizens have reacted to Ajaz Khan’s loss in the elections. NOTA got more votes than Bigg Bossiya Ajaz khan 😂🔥 #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/zNAE8DxLbJ Do you know Total family members of Ajaz khan is 28 And he got only 22 votes #ElectionResults pic.twitter.com/c3yzciKN3N Ajaz Khan who has 5.6 million followers on insta got 79 votes. When you realise 16 year olds cannot vote in State Elections unlike Bigg Boss evictions pic.twitter.com/j8ohPl62tV While reacting to his loss, Ajaz Khan said that something was wrong with the EVM machine. He said, “Jo saalo se Contest karrahe hai aur Politics mei hai, badi party , bada naam wo candidates haar rahe hain, ya Phir Bahut kam Votes laaye hain. Mai toh Social worker hu jo logo ki awaaz banne koshish karta hu......Sab EVM ka Khel hai Bhayya.” Also Read: Kanye West In Legal Trouble Again; Sued For Sexual Assault And Strangulation By Model Even the NOTA votes were higher than Ajaz Khan’s votes. NOTA, which means None Of The Above, has 1298 votes in the total. Whereas, Ajaz Khan only has 155 votes. Written By Simran Srivastava
Palo Alto Networks ( NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report ) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $385.00 to $450.00 in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the network technology company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 17.38% from the stock’s previous close. A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on PANW. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Palo Alto Networks from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $376.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $385.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Palo Alto Networks from $340.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Palo Alto Networks from $410.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, thirty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Palo Alto Networks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $402.03. Check Out Our Latest Report on Palo Alto Networks Palo Alto Networks Trading Down 3.6 % Shares of Palo Alto Networks are going to split on Monday, December 16th. The 2-1 split was announced on Wednesday, November 20th. The newly issued shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Friday, December 13th. Palo Alto Networks ( NASDAQ:PANW – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The network technology company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.08. Palo Alto Networks had a net margin of 32.11% and a return on equity of 26.83%. The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Palo Alto Networks will post 3.56 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Nir Zuk sold 36,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.50, for a total transaction of $11,970,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,115,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $370,926,027.50. This represents a 3.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, CEO Nikesh Arora sold 81,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.99, for a total value of $30,022,832.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 618,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $227,680,932.85. The trade was a 11.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 254,252 shares of company stock worth $89,041,637. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Palo Alto Networks Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its position in Palo Alto Networks by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 2,606 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $891,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 8.6% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 64,737 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $22,127,000 after buying an additional 5,133 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Palo Alto Networks during the third quarter valued at $5,827,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its position in shares of Palo Alto Networks by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,152 shares of the network technology company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Palo Alto Networks by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 1,690 shares of the network technology company’s stock worth $578,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.82% of the company’s stock. Palo Alto Networks Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Palo Alto Networks, Inc provides cybersecurity solutions worldwide. The company offers firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, a security management solution for the global control of network security platform as a virtual or a physical appliance. It also provides subscription services covering the areas of threat prevention, malware and persistent threat, URL filtering, laptop and mobile device protection, DNS security, Internet of Things security, SaaS security API, and SaaS security inline, as well as threat intelligence, and data loss prevention. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Palo Alto Networks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Palo Alto Networks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
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Spartan Capital Securities is Pleased to Announce the Hiring of Vito Coviello, Chief Financial OfficerIn the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence, accuracy and reliability are paramount. Recently, Google has found itself at the center of controversy regarding the methods it employs to fact-check the responses generated by its latest AI model, Gemini. Reports have emerged alleging that the tech giant is utilizing contract workers without specific domain expertise to evaluate the veracity of Gemini’s answers, raising concerns about the potential for misinformation and compromised quality control. This issue came to light last week when internal guidance documents, reviewed by TechCrunch, revealed that Google instructed GlobalLogic, an outsourcing firm responsible for evaluating AI-generated output, to have their contractors assess all prompts, regardless of their knowledge in the relevant field. Previously, contractors had the option to skip prompts that fell outside their area of expertise, such as a doctor being asked to evaluate legal advice. This change in policy has sparked debate and apprehension among industry experts and the public alike. The Implications of Using Non-Experts for Fact-Checking The implications of using novices to fact-check complex AI-generated responses are significant and far-reaching. Firstly, it raises concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the information being produced by Gemini. Without subject matter experts evaluating the responses, there is a heightened risk of errors, biases, and misleading information going undetected. This could have serious consequences, especially in fields where accuracy is crucial, such as healthcare, finance, and law. Secondly, this practice undermines the public’s trust in AI technology. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into various aspects of our lives, it is essential that the information it provides is trustworthy and accurate. If users cannot rely on the veracity of AI-generated content, it could lead to skepticism and reluctance to embrace this transformative technology. Furthermore, this situation raises ethical concerns about the exploitation of contract workers. By requiring them to evaluate information outside their expertise, Google may be placing undue pressure on these individuals and potentially jeopardizing the quality of their work. This practice could also be seen as undervaluing the importance of specialized knowledge and expertise in ensuring the accuracy of AI systems. Google’s Response and the Path Forward In response to these allegations, Google has defended its practices, stating that the evaluation process is multifaceted and involves multiple layers of review. They emphasize that the feedback from contractors is just one component of a broader system that includes automated checks and expert evaluation. However, critics argue that relying on non-experts for initial fact-checking could still allow inaccuracies to slip through the cracks, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire system . To address these concerns and ensure the accuracy and trustworthiness of Gemini’s responses, Google should prioritize the following steps: My Personal Experience with AI and the Importance of Expert Knowledge As someone who has been closely following the development of AI for many years, I have witnessed both its incredible potential and its limitations. In my own work, I have used AI tools for various tasks, such as generating content and analyzing data. However, I have always emphasized the importance of human oversight and expert knowledge to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results. I believe that AI can be a powerful tool for augmenting human capabilities and solving complex problems. However, it is crucial to recognize that AI systems are not infallible and require careful monitoring and evaluation. By prioritizing expert knowledge and investing in robust quality control processes, we can harness the full potential of AI while mitigating the risks associated with misinformation and bias. The Future of AI and the Need for Responsible Development The controversy surrounding Google’s fact-checking practices serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible AI development. As AI continues to evolve and become more sophisticated, it is crucial that we prioritize ethical considerations and ensure that these technologies are used for the benefit of humanity. This includes ensuring that AI systems are accurate, reliable, and free from bias. It also means being transparent about the limitations of AI and providing users with the information they need to make informed decisions. By working together and adhering to ethical principles, we can create a future where AI is a force for good, empowering us to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The allegations against Google highlight the critical need for rigorous fact-checking processes in the development and deployment of AI systems. By relying on non-experts to evaluate the accuracy of Gemini’s responses , Google risks compromising the integrity of its AI model and eroding public trust in this transformative technology. Moving forward, it is essential that Google prioritizes the engagement of subject matter experts, refines its evaluation guidelines, and maintains transparency and accountability in its AI development practices. By doing so, Google can help to ensure that AI is used responsibly and ethically, paving the way for a future where this technology benefits all of humanity.Meanwhile, Lucas, a successful restaurateur with a dark secret, becomes the third corner of this love triangle. As the dynamics between the three characters unfold, viewers are drawn into a world of intrigue, desire, and heartbreak. The intense chemistry between Olivia, Alex, and Lucas is palpable, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats as they eagerly anticipate each new twist and turn.
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