The Washington Commanders put kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve Tuesday, just over 48 hours since he missed an extra point that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left against Dallas. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * The Washington Commanders put kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve Tuesday, just over 48 hours since he missed an extra point that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left against Dallas. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? The Washington Commanders put kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve Tuesday, just over 48 hours since he missed an extra point that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left against Dallas. Seibert also missed a field-goal attempt and another extra point in the loss to the Cowboys. He missed the previous two games with a right hip injury but said afterward he was fine and made the decision to play. The Commanders filled that roster spot by signing running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. off their practice squad. Austin Ekeler had a concussion and Brian Robinson Jr. sprained an ankle Sunday. 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. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement AdvertisementU.S. stock indexes drifted lower Tuesday in the runup to the highlight of the week for the market, the latest update on inflation that’s coming on Wednesday. The S&P 500 dipped 0.3%, a day after pulling back from its latest all-time high. They’re the first back-to-back losses for the index in nearly a month, as momentum slows following a big rally that has it on track for one of its best years of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%. Tech titan Oracle dragged on the market and sank 6.7% after reporting growth for the latest quarter that fell just short of analysts’ expectations. It was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500, even though CEO Safra Catz said the company saw record demand related to artificial-intelligence technology for its cloud infrastructure business, which trains generative AI models. AI has been a big source of growth that’s helped many companies’ stock prices skyrocket. Oracle’s stock had already leaped more than 80% for the year coming into Tuesday, which raised the bar of expectations for its profit report. In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher ahead of Wednesday’s report on the inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling. Economists expect it to show similar increases as the month before. Wednesday’s update and a report on Thursday about inflation at the wholesale level will be the final big pieces of data the Federal Reserve will get before its meeting next week, where many investors expect the year’s third cut to interest rates. The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to take pressure off the slowing jobs market, after bringing inflation nearly down to its 2% target. Lower rates would help give support to the economy, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts through next year have been a big reason the S&P 500 has set so many records this year. Trading in the options market suggests traders aren’t expecting a very big move for U.S. stocks following Wednesday’s report, according to strategists at Barclays. But a reading far off expectations in either direction could quickly change that. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.22% from 4.20% late Monday. Even though the Fed has been cutting its main interest rate, mortgage rates have been more stubborn to stay high and have been volatile since the autumn. That has hampered the housing industry, and homebuilder Toll Brothers’ stock fell 6.9% even though it delivered profit and revenue for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations. CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the luxury builder has been seeing strong demand since the start of its fiscal year six weeks ago, an encouraging signal as it approaches the beginning of the spring selling season in mid-January. Elsewhere on Wall Street, Alaska Air Group soared 13.2% after raising its forecast for profit in the current quarter. The airline said demand for flying around the holidays has been stronger than expected. It also approved a plan to buy back up to $1 billion of its stock, along with new service from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul. Boeing climbed 4.5% after saying it’s resuming production of its bestselling plane, the 737 Max, for the first time since 33,000 workers began a seven-week strike that ended in early November. Vail Resorts rose 2.5% after the ski resort operator reported a smaller first-quarter loss than analysts expected in what is traditionally its worst quarter. All told, the S&P 500 fell 17.94 points to 6,034.91. The Dow dipped 154.10 to 44,247.83, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 49.45 to 19,687.24. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in China after the world’s second-largest economy said its exports rose by less than expected in November. Stocks rose 0.6% in Shanghai but fell 0.5% in Hong Kong. Indexes fell across much of Europe ahead of a meeting this week by the European Central Bank, where the widespread expectation is for another cut in interest rates. ___ AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Tuesday in the runup to Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google The proposed merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons floundered When President Joe Biden visited Angola last week, one of
Netmarble and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have revealed Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, a newly announced action-adventure RPG set to launch in 2025. The first trailer for the upcoming title debuted Thursday night during The Game Awards, offering a glimpse of the game’s original storyline set during the events of HBO’s acclaimed fantasy series. Developed for mobile platforms with additional versions under consideration, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad places players in the role of a fresh protagonist who unexpectedly becomes heir to House Tyre, a lesser-known noble family in the North. Starting during Season 4’s timeline, the narrative has players forging their legacy while navigating Westeros’ political upheavals and its perilous frontiers, including the threats lurking beyond the Wall. Players will have access to a robust character creator and can choose between three distinct classes: Sellsword, Knight, and Assassin. Each class features unique combat abilities that will be essential to surviving the game’s challenges and seizing the opportunities the Kingsroad presents. According to Netmarble CEO Young-sig Kwon, the studio aims to expand the Game of Thrones universe by inviting fans into new stories and experiences that capture the show’s complex themes and dramatic tension. Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is slated to launch across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and the Middle East in 2025, with release plans for Asia to follow at a later date. Fans can expect more details in the coming months, including platform availability and regional releases.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether charities run by religious groups have to pay unemployment taxes that cover their employees. Most, but not all, states generally exempt religious groups from having to pay into the state's unemployment tax system. Federal law does exempt religious schools from having to participate in the federal-state program. But the court has never ruled on the question of participation by charitable organizations run by religious groups. Now the court has agreed to tackle the question in a case brought by Catholic Charities against the state of Wisconsin. The Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese Superior, Wisconsin, a non-profit corporation, is the social ministry arm of the Catholic Church. Its mission is to "carry on the redeeming work of our Lord by reflecting gospel values and the moral teaching of the church," and it carries out that mission by "providing services to the poor and disadvantaged" without making distinctions "by race, sex, or religion." The organization hires staff without regard to religion, instructs that the charity should be exercised "in an impartial manner towards members of other religions," and operates "dozens of programs in service to the elderly, the disabled, the poor, and those in need of disaster relief." In addition, the charity avowedly does not proselytize. In light of all that, Catholic Charities applied to the state for an exemption from paying unemployment taxes for its employees. But the state labor commission refused the application, on grounds that the charitable group was engaging in activities that "are not religious, per se," and thus are not entitled to be exempt from paying unemployment taxes. In March, a closely divided state Supreme Court agreed, citing what it called objective criteria. The state court said that the charity's activities were mostly secular, noting that the organization does not "attempt to imbue program participants with the Catholic faith, nor supply any religious materials." The state court also observed that the charity "did not proselytize, did not conduct worship services, religious outreach, or religious education." Therefore, the state court concluded, the charity is not qualified to be exempt from state unemployment taxes as a religious institution. Catholic Charities promptly appealed to the Supreme Court, asserting that the Wisconsin decision violates the First Amendment guarantee to the free exercise of religion, as well as the separation between church and state. The court will hear arguments in the case after the first of the year, with a decision expected by late June.Rio Ferdinand praises Arsenal's 'statement performance' in 5-1 demolition of Sporting Lisbon - and singles out one star after Champions League triumph
IN BRIEF: • AI-driven payroll solutions streamline complex international payroll operations, reducing errors and enhancing efficiency. • Automating payroll processes with AI improves accuracy, compliance, and employee satisfaction. • AI-powered chatbots provide quick, accurate responses to payroll inquiries, simplifying workloads and enhancing the employee experience. M anaging payroll for a global workforce presents a myriad of challenges due to constantly evolving political, legal, social, and economic factors. These changes impact regulatory requirements and reporting, making it difficult to navigate diverse labor laws, tax regulations, data privacy standards, and payment procedures. Consequently, the dynamic conditions increase employee inquiries, complicating payroll management. Companies need efficient, accurate, and cost-effective methods to address these inquiries, enhancing employee satisfaction and trust. CHALLENGES OF GLOBAL PAYROLL MANAGEMENT Payroll errors and delayed responses can lead to fines, damage organizational reputation, and frustrate employees, affecting costs and related functions like recruitment and retention. While preventing errors is crucial, traditional methods for handling these challenges are often costly and ineffective. Businesses are ready for an innovation — a solution that offers something greater than the sum of its parts. Finding a time-efficient, cost-effective, innovative, and globally adaptable solution that can grow with the organization demands taking stock of the entire system and adding something more: an ecosystem approach. HOW AI CAN HELP Artificial intelligence (AI) presents a significant opportunity to transform payroll functions and enhance efficiency. By automating data collection and analysis, AI can identify trends and anomalies, providing real-time insights into payroll performance. This technology can help monitor payroll metrics, track progress against targets, and identify areas where additional investment or action is needed. By leveraging AI, companies can improve the accuracy and reliability of their payroll processes while freeing up time and resources for more strategic activities. CASE STUDY: AI-DRIVEN PAYROLL SOLUTIONS Many organizations face the challenge of managing complex international payroll operations. One company needed a quick and accurate communication platform with their employees that would answer country- and employee-specific payroll questions within a broader global payroll operations environment. Weighing the desired outcomes and challenges, the company implemented an AI-driven payroll chatbot. This chatbot addressed employee payroll questions efficiently and accurately, providing accessible answers to employee questions easily and quickly. The cloud-enabled development of a large language model helped create a payroll chatbot capable of answering complex employee questions. The chatbot solved the company’s payroll needs in a way that was efficient for them as the employer, but it was also incredibly effective and beneficial for their employees. After the initial launch of a pilot version, the company scaled it to an enterprise-ready payroll chatbot that answered complex payroll questions by using an underlying large language model and vast compliance data. This solution helped reduce the burden on the employer while personalizing the employee experience. In very real terms, there were improvements across the board in providing accurate answers to queries, employee satisfaction, and first call resolution. There was also an overwhelming decrease in cost to serve. This is just one example of how AI can help accelerate and improve payroll management while simplifying the workload. AN INTEGRATED GLOBAL PAYROLL SOLUTION Taking control and driving efficiency with an integrated global payroll solution involves transforming global payrolls through a unified managed services approach, integrating domestic, mobile, and global payroll services. A centralized, modular platform handles the complexities of an international workforce, connecting legal, advisory, and compliance knowledge for an integrated payroll experience. In today’s fast-paced world, where talent is the key resource, managing the payroll of an increasingly international workforce has become complex and time-consuming. The rapid pace of regulatory compliance, labor and privacy law changes, managing the life experience of employees, and the scarcity of payroll talent are just a few of the hurdles that organizations face. Traditional payroll models struggle to keep up with modern business demands and new ways of working. The risks of noncompliance, data privacy issues, and the high costs and inefficiency of managing multiple vendors are significant challenges. Taking initiative involves governance, oversight, and control. It means having single-process ownership across employee entitlement, compliance requirements, and pay distribution. This approach provides a unified view of data, reduces duplication, ensures consistent decisions and reporting, and offers a holistic view of talent and compliance, enabling organizations to plan. Driving efficiency requires providing direct access to all subject-matter-experts and enabling effective risk management across the entire employee population. It helps reduce cost and labor leakage that occurs with disparate vendors, duplication of effort, gaps in essential knowledge and process, and inadequate business controls. Additionally, it improves in-house technology and data assets. Planning enhances the employee experience through advanced technology, streamlined processes, and easy access to on-the-ground knowledge. It also reduces the cost of developing and modifying technology. THE FUTURE OF PAYROLL A next-generation payroll managed service approach combines global reach and deep capabilities, consistent multiservice integration, and direct access to teams across the globe. Across payroll, labor and employment law, and mobility, teams can work together collaboratively to meet workforce compliance needs wherever they are. Global processes, technology, and data models are smoothly integrated, providing a single, cohesive, high-quality service. Access to core service delivery without subcontracting to third parties helps ensure effective communication and improved performance. Being part of an ecosystem facilitates the provision of comprehensive solutions beyond payroll, leveraging deep knowledge to address unique challenges. Organizations can address global payroll operational and service challenges by leveraging AI technology to create innovative solutions, such as a payroll chatbot. The proper use of AI can help simplify employer workload, answer complex payroll employee queries, provide regulatory compliance information, and enhance employee experience, leading to increased operational efficiency. This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional advice where the facts and circumstances warrant. The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of SGV & Co. Aaron C. Escartin is a tax partner and Philippine Payroll Operate leader of SGV & Co.
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UL Monroe at Georgia Tech — ACCNX Southern at Texas — SECN+ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV .Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic will face conservative rival Dragan Primorac in an election run-off in two weeks' time after the incumbent narrowly missed out an outright victory on Sunday, official results showed. The results came after an exit poll, released immediately after the polling stations closed, showed that Milanovic, backed by the opposition left-wing Social Democrats, had scooped more than 50 percent of the first round vote and would thus avoid the January 12 run-off. Milanovic won 49.1 percent of the first round vote and Primorac, backed by the ruling conservative HDZ party, took 19.35 percent, according to results released by the state electoral commission from nearly all of the polling stations. On Sunday evening, Milanovic pledged to his supporters who gathered in Zagreb to "fight for Croatia with a clear stance, one that takes care of its interests". Such a strong lead for Milanovic, whom surveys labelled a favourite ahead of the vote, raises serious concerns for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's HDZ. Late on Sunday, Primorac labelled the big difference between him and Milanovic a "challenge". "In the first round there were... a lot of candidates, it was not easy to present the programme fully. Now it's a great opportunity that Milanovic and I be one on one... to see who represents what," Primorac told his supporters in Zagreb. The election came as the European Union and NATO member country of 3.8 million people struggles with biting inflation, widespread corruption and a labour shortage. Among the eight contenders, centre-right MP Marija Selak Raspudic and green-left MP Ivana Kekin followed the two main rivals, the exit poll showed. The two women each won around nine percent of the vote. The president commands the Balkan country's armed forces and has a say in foreign policy. But despite limited powers, many believe the office is key for the political balance of power in a country mainly governed by the HDZ since independence in 1991. "All the eggs should not be in one basket," Nenad Horvat, a salesman in his 40s, told AFP. He sees Milanovic, a former leftist prime minister, as the "last barrier to all levers of power falling into the hands of HDZ", echoing the view of many that was reflected in Sunday's vote results. The 58-year-old Milanovic has been one of Croatia's leading and most colourful political figures for nearly two decades. Sharp and eloquent, he won the presidency for the Social Democrats (SDP) in 2020 with pledges to advocate tolerance and liberalism. But he used the office to attack political opponents and EU officials, often with offensive and populist rhetoric. Milanovic, who condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine, has nonetheless criticised the West's military aid to Kyiv. That prompted the prime minister to label him a pro-Russian who is "destroying Croatia's credibility in NATO and the EU". Milanovic countered that he wanted to protect Croatia from being "dragged into war". Milanovic regularly pans Plenkovic and his HDZ party over systemic corruption, calling the premier a "serious threat to Croatia's democracy". Speaking on Sunday, Milanovic said that in the current global situation, all political stakeholders in the country should be "on the same side as much as possible, at least when it comes to fundamental issues such as the national security or borders". For many, the election is a continuation of the longstanding feud between two powerful politicians. "This is still about the conflict between the prime minister and president," political analyst Zarko Puhovski told AFP. "All the rest are just incidental topics." Primorac, a 59-year-old physician and scientist returning to politics after 15 years, campaigned as a "unifier" promoting family values and patriotism. ljv/bc'Big moments in big games': Middlesbrough FC chief on his side's loss at Leeds United after strong fightback
