Atlassian CEO Michael Cannon-Brookes sells $2.19 million in stock
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the ongoing testing of the country's latest military innovation, the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, promising that a stock is ready for combat scenarios. This statement followed Ukraine's report of working on developing air defense systems to counter the burgeoning threat. The launch of this new intermediate-range weapon into Ukraine marks a significant escalation, described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a breach, aided by Western allies, in creating systems to mitigate new risks. This move is seen as a response to Ukraine's deployment of U.S. and British missiles against Russian targets. Experts highlighted the Oreshnik's innovative design, which allows it to carry multiple warheads to strike various targets simultaneously, echoing capabilities of longer-range missiles. As tensions rise with Western countries, the missile's firing acts as a stern warning from Moscow, urging restraint against further involvement in the Ukraine conflict. (With inputs from agencies.)Looking at long-dated bonds...Vader case: What it's like to watch a parole hearing if you're the son of homicide victims
DALLAS, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beneficient (NASDAQ: BENF) (“Ben” or the “Company”), a technology-enabled platform providing exit opportunities and primary capital solutions and related trust and custody services to holders of alternative assets through its proprietary online platform AltAccess, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Mercantile Bank International Corp. (“Mercantile Bank”), a Puerto Rico-based International Financial Entity (“IFE”), in exchange for an aggregate purchase price of $1.5 million, which is payable in up to approximately 2.1 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock and cash. “We are very excited about the potential avenues for revenue growth that would be facilitated through this acquisition,” said Beneficient. “Acquiring Mercantile Bank would enable the Company to offer an expanded range of companion custody and other fee-based services that complement our existing businesses on a broader scale with the potential to generate additional cash flow in the near term. Our objective is to deliver additional alternative asset custody services to customers with the potential to generate higher fee rates than are generally available for traditional custody services. We also believe the acquisition has the potential to enhance and broaden our current offerings in ways that may open new international opportunities, allowing us to further democratize the market for illiquid alternative assets.” IFEs are licensed and regulated by the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerto Rico (the “OCIF”) and may provide specific banking and other financial activity from Puerto Rico for persons, entities, and organizations around the globe that are non-residents of Puerto Rico. An IFE’s authorized activities may include custody, clearing, and payments and related traditional and digital products and services and, as approved by the OCIF, traditional banking services, such as deposits, lending, investments, and trusts. Upon closing of the acquisition, the Company, which has primarily focused on meeting the needs of individual investors and small-to-midsized institutions, expects to expand its offering of custody services to also address the current needs of large institutional investors and the growing needs of third-party alternative trading systems and foreign securities exchanges. The acquisition would position Ben to offer alternative asset custody services that include, among other potential items, a companion line of business focused on issuing depositary receipts to assist holders of foreign investments gain access to the capital markets of additional international jurisdictions. The Company believes these alternative asset custody services may yield higher fee assessments than more traditional custody offerings. The Company expects this companion business line to begin generating custody and depositary receipt issuance fee-based revenue and cash flow during calendar year 2025 that it would deploy to fund Ben’s ongoing operations and ultimately our core alternative asset liquidity product offerings. The acquisition reflects Beneficient’s execution on its objective of expanding its alternative asset custody fee-based service offerings to third parties and institutional investors. Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including, among other things, approval by OCIF, and is anticipated to be completed in the second calendar quarter of 2025. About Beneficient Beneficient (Nasdaq: BENF) – Ben, for short – is on a mission to democratize the global alternative asset investment market by providing traditionally underserved investors − mid-to-high net worth individuals, small-to-midsized institutions and General Partners seeking exit options, anchor commitments and valued-added services for their funds− with solutions that could help them unlock the value in their alternative assets. Ben’s AltQuoteTM tool provides customers with a range of potential exit options within minutes, while customers can log on to the AltAccess ® portal to explore opportunities and receive proposals in a secure online environment. Its subsidiary, Beneficient Fiduciary Financial, L.L.C., received its charter under the State of Kansas’ Technology-Enabled Fiduciary Financial Institution (TEFFI) Act and is subject to regulatory oversight by the Office of the State Bank Commissioner. For more information, visit www.trustben.com or follow us on LinkedIn. Contacts Matt Kreps: 214-597-8200, mkreps@darrowir.com Michael Wetherington: 214-284-1199, mwetherington@darrowir.com Investor Relations: investors@beneficient.com Disclaimer and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements can be generally identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and, in each case, their negative or other various or comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements relating to the anticipated timing of closing the acquisition, benefits of the acquisition and the Company’s anticipated product and service offerings following the closing of the acquisition. These forward-looking statements reflect our views with respect to future events as of the date of this document and are based on our management’s current expectations, estimates, forecasts, projections, assumptions, beliefs and information. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. All such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control, and could cause future events or results to be materially different from those stated or implied in this document. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. These risks include, but are not limited to, the ultimate outcome of the acquisition; the Company’s ability to consummate the acquisition in a timely manner or at all; the ability of the parties to satisfy the closing conditions to the acquisition; the possibility that the Company may be unable to successfully integrate Mercantile Bank’s operations with those of the Company or realize the expected benefits of the acquisition; the possibility that such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming, or costly than expected; the risk that operating costs, customer loss, and business disruption (including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, contractors, and customers) may be greater than expected following the acquisition or the public announcement of the acquisition; the Company’s ability to retain certain key employees of Mercantile Bank; the ability to launch and receive market acceptance for new products and services; and risks related to the entry into a new line of business; the risk factors that are described under the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this document and in our SEC filings. We expressly disclaim any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weeks-long delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs, an essential step for a smooth transiton of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Teams of investigators have been standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers. “This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day,” said Susie Wiles, Trump’s designate to be White House chief of staff. Related Articles The announcement comes a week after the Trump transition team signed an agreement with the Biden White House to allow transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump’s team to sign on. Security clearances are required to access classified information, including on ongoing operations and threats to the nation, and the Biden White House and outside experts have emphasized to Trump’s team the importance of having cleared personnel before Inauguration Day so they could be fully briefed and ready to run the government. Republican Senators have also insisted on FBI background checks for Trump’s nominees before they face confirmation votes, as has been standard practice for decades. Lawmakers have been particularly interested in seeing the findings of reviews into Trump’s designated nominee for defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. “That’s why it’s so important that we have an FBI background check, a committee review of extensive questions and questionnaires, and a public hearing,” said. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine on Monday. John Thune, the incoming Senate Republican leader, said the Trump team “understands there’s going to have to be a thorough vetting of all these nominees.” AP congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.One of the 39 people pardoned by President Joe Biden’s administration is a Utah woman who has turned her life around after struggling with substance abuse. Stevoni Doyle of Santaquin is a wife, mother and grandmother who also fosters animals and volunteers. "I'm a therapist with Wasatch Behavioral Health, with the jail transition program,” said Doyle. "If you would have asked me 20 years ago if I would be here today, I never would have imagined that,” said Doyle. She has come a long way. "In 2000, I was introduced to meth, and I instantly become addicted,” explained Doyle. “It was the one thing that I felt like just completed me. Within a year, I lost custody of my 4 kids to DCFS and I had racked up a bunch of charges." Doyle served time at the Utah State Prison and then at a federal prison in Arizona. There, she decided to make some changes. "I started to take accountability for my actions and realized that I didn’t want to live this lifestyle," she said. RELATED STORY | Biden commutes 1,500 sentences in largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history Doyle started helping people who were struggling with substance abuse and even went back to school to study social work. "I never thought I would graduate college, let alone get a master’s degree,” Doyle said. On Wednesday, she got a special phone call and was pardoned by President Biden. "I was like, no way, I can’t believe this is happening.” She said. "I won’t have to explain myself all the time. Even though I don’t have a problem sharing it, it’s part of my story, it’s part of who I am, it’s still nice to not have to do that." RELATED STORY | January 6 defendant tells Scripps News he may not accept a potential pardon from Trump This story was originally published by Mythili Gubbi at Scripps News Salt Lake City .None
'We've just walked around it': Tourists unfazed by Seoul's impeachment protests Published: 14 Dec. 2024, 06:00 Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI Entrance to the Myeong-Dong shopping streets on a cold Thursday morning [HA YUN-JI] President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s martial law declaration threw Korea into a political crisis last week. Citizens, it was widely reported, fell into a nationwide panic, taking to the streets to protest, clearing daily necessities from convenience store shelves and flooding the country's social networks with a deluge of traffic that likely took their servers down. The won crashed, and the stock market has struggled to recover. On the streets of Seoul's most Instagram-able tourist districts, however, international visitors largely seem to be getting on with things. Related Article 'Travel advisory: Korea': Martial law scare threatens tourism with national warnings Railway workers' strike disrupts commutes as union fails to reach agreement Tourism minister aims to hit inbound traveler targets with foreigner friendly infrastructure boost Crowds were slightly below their usual levels in Seoul's famous Myeong-dong shopping center on a crisp Thursday winter morning. Dotted throughout the throng were several pairs of Walking Tourist Guides, dressed in bright red, who'd been sent to help overseas travelers find their way. A group of five Australian visitors in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, said that they were “stoked” to be in Korea, having experienced nothing so far that would prompt them to cut their trip short. “We haven’t experienced anything with regards to the martial law stuff,” one mid-20s tourist told the JoongAng Daily, seated in front of a large Christmas tree. Although the group had recently crossed paths with a protest in Busan, none of the five had viewed it as a concern. “It was fine,” the tourist said of the experience. Fewer visitors than usual enter and exit Lotte Young Plaza in Myeong-dong, central Seoul. [HA YUN-JI] Government officials, however, clearly don't feel the same way. Several countries have issued travel warnings: China told its citizens to “enhance security awareness and reduce unnecessary outings” while in Korea while the United States recommended avoiding large crowds. Domestically, stakeholders including businesses and tourism associations have expressed public fear that the political crisis could hurt future tourism, pushing officials to spring to damage control. In response, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced several countermeasures, to promote “Safe Seoul,” at a meeting of tourism stakeholders on Wednesday. “We will do our best to ensure that tourists who experience Seoul return home with the conviction that Seoul is a safe, enjoyable city that they would want to visit again,” the mayor said. Oh’s office promised to provide targeted incentives to small businesses, such as employment subsidies for skilled workers and support to develop travel packages and events. Alongside deploying more Walking Tourist Guides, the city is pushing out more promotional material with the message that Seoul is a “consistently safe and tourist-friendly city.” A group of students explore their surroundings. [HA YUN-JI] On Thursday, the government extended the K-ETA temporary exemption, which grants free entry to visitors from 67 countries, by one year to the end of 2025. How the aftermath of Yoon's declaration will impact international tourism numbers — which had recovered to 97 percent of pre-Covid levels as of October of this year — remains to be seen. The key demographic of concern is Chinese tourists, who represented more than 29 percent of Korea’s international visitors between January and October of 2024. That number represented an increase of 158.9 percent from the January-October 2023 period and grew 57.2 percent in October alone. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, there could be a reduction in Chinese visitor levels of as much as 19 percent early next year, as public safety concerns have a greater resonance among them. Japanese visitor levels were the second most populous group, making up 19.2 percent of Korea's total. The group grew 42.9 percent year-over-year in 2024. Shoppers frequent Myeong-dong stores. [HA YUN-JI] But the Australian tourists on the streets of Myeong-dong, for their part, remain undeterred by the occasional protest they encounter. “We've just sort of walked around it,” a member of the group said. BY KAYA SELBY [ [email protected] ] var admarutag = admarutag || {} admarutag.cmd = admarutag.cmd || [] admarutag.cmd.push(function () { admarutag.pageview('3bf9fc17-6e70-4776-9d65-ca3bb0c17cb7'); });A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk also sought to be CEO and in an email outlined a plan where he would “unequivocally have initial control of the company” but said that would be temporary. He grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI's board in early 2018. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund, Inc. November 2024 Monthly Update
Oliver Glasner: Crystal Palace are heading in right direction after Ipswich winGaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general, averting confirmation battle in the Senate WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation. The Florida Republican made the announcement Thursday. Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party. Trump said in a social media post that Gaetz “did not want to be a distraction for the Administration.” Gaetz said “it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work" of the transition team. He added, “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle.” Warrants put Israeli PM and others in a small group of leaders accused of crimes against humanity Arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas leader put them in a small group of leaders to be accused of crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court in the Hague issued the warrants Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and Mohammed Deif, a Hamas leader Israel claims it killed. The court says Hamas committed murder, rape and torture in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The court also says Israel used starvation as a method of warfare and committed murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Several of Trump's Cabinet picks — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct WASHINGTON (AP) — Former congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name as President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general in the face of sexual misconduct allegations. He's not the only member of Trump’s chosen staff and Cabinet accused of some form of misconduct. Others include: Elon Musk, his choice to help lead a new outside panel seeking to boost government efficiency, Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s choice for defense secretary Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon, his choice to lead the Department of Education. They all deny the claims. Elon Musk's budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump's second term WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of finding ways to cut government spending and regulations. It's possible that their efforts will lead to a constitutional clash. This week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage the Republican president-elect to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress, which would conflict with a 1974 law that's intended to prevent presidents from blocking funds. If Trump takes such a step, it would quickly become one of the most closely watched legal battles of his second administration. Musk and Ramaswamy also aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. Death toll in Gaza from Israel-Hamas war passes 44,000, Palestinian officials say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian health officials say the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year. Putin touts Russia's new missile and delivers a menacing warning to NATO The new ballistic missile fired by Russia struck a military-industrial facility in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, but its real mission was delivering a deadly new message to NATO. Hours after Thursday’s strike touched off a debate over whether the Ukrainian plant was hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile, President Vladimir Putin cleared up the mystery in a rare and surprise appearance on Russian television. He described it as a new, intermediate-range ballistic missile that raced to its target at 10 times the speed of sound and couldn't be stopped by modern anti-missile systems. One Western expert said it was the first time that such a missile was used in the war — and perhaps in any conflict. What to know about a storm bringing high winds, heavy rain, snow to California and Pacific Northwest SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of the strongest storms on the West Coast in decades knocked out power for thousands of people and unleashed strong winds that toppled trees and left two dead in Washington before making its way through Oregon to Northern California. The storm was dumping heavy snow and record amounts of rain in the region on Thursday. The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco. The storm system roared ashore Tuesday and it’s expected to bring moderate to heavy rain through Saturday, increasing the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in some areas. Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people on charges of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings are to be delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied to Chicago police. The state’s highest court ruled Thursday on Smollett’s argument that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the local state’s attorney initially dropped charges. The 5-0 decision did not address Smollett's claims of innocence. The Black, gay actor claimed two men assaulted him, spouted slurs and tossed a noose around his neck. Smollett was on the television drama “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago. Testimony at his trial indicated Smollett paid $3,500 to two men to carry out the attack. US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water NEW YORK (AP) — Fights are cropping up nationwide over fluoride in drinking water. Communities in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere have debated the idea in recent months. And several have decided to stop adding it to drinking water. In August, a federal agency for the first time reported that there is a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. And in September, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate it in drinking water. The decision to add fluoride to drinking water rests with state and local officials, but advisers to Donald Trump have suggested he would push to remove it.
Jean-Philippe Mateta struck in the second half with the only real piece of quality in a nervy encounter between two struggling teams. It is now two wins and three draws from the last six matches for Glasner’s side, whose winter revival is gathering pace nicely following a sticky start to the campaign. “I feel very happy, we’re all very pleased with the result, it was not the best performance but the result was more important,” said the Eagles boss. “Most of the time we controlled the game and we scored an amazing goal, a fantastic finish from JP. “We had more chances to decide the game but we couldn’t, but I think the win was well deserved. “We didn’t give them any chances from open play and with a clean sheet you can always take the win. “It’s a big win. Now it’s not time to sit back and relax but to keep going. In four days we face Manchester City. We stay humble. There are still many things to improve but we are on the right path.” Ipswich looked the likelier to score as a low-key first half drew to a close and were denied by a point-blank save by Dean Henderson from Harry Clarke’s near-post header. Shortly after the interval Wes Burns got clear down the right and lifted an inviting cross towards Liam Delap, whose header was straight at Henderson. However, from out of nowhere Palace conjured up a lightning counter-attack to go ahead on the hour. Eberechi Eze led the charge before feeding Mateta, who surged forward with a couple of stepovers before brushing off the attention of Jacob Greaves and finishing superbly past Arijanet Muric. It was the French forward’s sixth goal of the season, and his first away from Selhurst Park. Back came Ipswich with Leif Davis fizzing in another cross for Delap, who somehow mistimed his jump and completely missed the ball from six yards. As time ticked down Greaves looped a header against the far post, with the rebound just eluding substitute Ali-Al Hamadi. “Frustrating night,” said Town boss Kieran McKenna. “It was a tight first half, we weren’t fantastic in terms of the flow of the game and didn’t create as many opportunities as we wanted. But having said that neither did our opponents. “In the second half we conceded a really poor goal and that proved decisive. We can do better than we did tonight.”
Enabling AI to explain its predictions in plain language December 10, 2024 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Researchers developed a system that converts AI explanations into narrative text that can be more easily understood by users. This system could help people determine when to trust a model's predictions. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email Machine-learning models can make mistakes and be difficult to use, so scientists have developed explanation methods to help users understand when and how they should trust a model's predictions. These explanations are often complex, however, perhaps containing information about hundreds of model features. And they are sometimes presented as multifaceted visualizations that can be difficult for users who lack machine-learning expertise to fully comprehend. To help people make sense of AI explanations, MIT researchers used large language models (LLMs) to transform plot-based explanations into plain language. They developed a two-part system that converts a machine-learning explanation into a paragraph of human-readable text and then automatically evaluates the quality of the narrative, so an end-user knows whether to trust it. By prompting the system with a few example explanations, the researchers can customize its narrative descriptions to meet the preferences of users or the requirements of specific applications. In the long run, the researchers hope to build upon this technique by enabling users to ask a model follow-up questions about how it came up with predictions in real-world settings. "Our goal with this research was to take the first step toward allowing users to have full-blown conversations with machine-learning models about the reasons they made certain predictions, so they can make better decisions about whether to listen to the model," says Alexandra Zytek, an electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) graduate student and lead author of a paper on this technique. She is joined on the paper by Sara Pido, an MIT postdoc; Sarah Alnegheimish, an EECS graduate student; Laure Berti-Équille, a research director at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development; and senior author Kalyan Veeramachaneni, a principal research scientist in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems. The research will be presented at the IEEE Big Data Conference. Elucidating explanations The researchers focused on a popular type of machine-learning explanation called SHAP. In a SHAP explanation, a value is assigned to every feature the model uses to make a prediction. For instance, if a model predicts house prices, one feature might be the location of the house. Location would be assigned a positive or negative value that represents how much that feature modified the model's overall prediction. Often, SHAP explanations are presented as bar plots that show which features are most or least important. But for a model with more than 100 features, that bar plot quickly becomes unwieldy. "As researchers, we have to make a lot of choices about what we are going to present visually. If we choose to show only the top 10, people might wonder what happened to another feature that isn't in the plot. Using natural language unburdens us from having to make those choices," Veeramachaneni says. However, rather than utilizing a large language model to generate an explanation in natural language, the researchers use the LLM to transform an existing SHAP explanation into a readable narrative. By only having the LLM handle the natural language part of the process, it limits the opportunity to introduce inaccuracies into the explanation, Zytek explains. Their system, called EXPLINGO, is divided into two pieces that work together. The first component, called NARRATOR, uses an LLM to create narrative descriptions of SHAP explanations that meet user preferences. By initially feeding NARRATOR three to five written examples of narrative explanations, the LLM will mimic that style when generating text. "Rather than having the user try to define what type of explanation they are looking for, it is easier to just have them write what they want to see," says Zytek. This allows NARRATOR to be easily customized for new use cases by showing it a different set of manually written examples. After NARRATOR creates a plain-language explanation, the second component, GRADER, uses an LLM to rate the narrative on four metrics: conciseness, accuracy, completeness, and fluency. GRADER automatically prompts the LLM with the text from NARRATOR and the SHAP explanation it describes. "We find that, even when an LLM makes a mistake doing a task, it often won't make a mistake when checking or validating that task," she says. Users can also customize GRADER to give different weights to each metric. "You could imagine, in a high-stakes case, weighting accuracy and completeness much higher than fluency, for example," she adds. Analyzing narratives For Zytek and her colleagues, one of the biggest challenges was adjusting the LLM so it generated natural-sounding narratives. The more guidelines they added to control style, the more likely the LLM would introduce errors into the explanation. "A lot of prompt tuning went into finding and fixing each mistake one at a time," she says. To test their system, the researchers took nine machine-learning datasets with explanations and had different users write narratives for each dataset. This allowed them to evaluate the ability of NARRATOR to mimic unique styles. They used GRADER to score each narrative explanation on all four metrics. In the end, the researchers found that their system could generate high-quality narrative explanations and effectively mimic different writing styles. Their results show that providing a few manually written example explanations greatly improves the narrative style. However, those examples must be written carefully -- including comparative words, like "larger," can cause GRADER to mark accurate explanations as incorrect. Building on these results, the researchers want to explore techniques that could help their system better handle comparative words. They also want to expand EXPLINGO by adding rationalization to the explanations. In the long run, they hope to use this work as a stepping stone toward an interactive system where the user can ask a model follow-up questions about an explanation. "That would help with decision-making in a lot of ways. If people disagree with a model's prediction, we want them to be able to quickly figure out if their intuition is correct, or if the model's intuition is correct, and where that difference is coming from," Zytek says. Story Source: Materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Original written by Adam Zewe. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Cite This Page :
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In a recent chat with the media, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels opened up about his experience with the New Orleans Pelicans . According to Daniels, he's relieved to no longer be playing for the "cursed" franchise. “That organization's cursed. Every year there's something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore," said Daniels via Jake Fischer . "I had like four or five ankle injuries down there as well. There's something down in that water down there or something. They got hamstrings. They got knees. They got concussions and stuff as well. They get everything down there. I don’t know what it is. Playing hard I guess?” There are plenty of NBA teams that have a limited track record of success. In fact, across league history, 10 teams have yet to win the title, including some big-market teams like the Brooklyn Nets , Los Angeles Clippers , and the Phoenix Suns . In the case of the Pelicans, however, their struggles have been worse than most. In the 22 years since their relocation to New Orleans, the franchise's regular season record stands at 831–937 (. 470) and they've qualified for the playoffs just nine times. The Pelicans are just one of six teams in NBA history to have never even reached the NBA Finals. To date, they've never even made it out of the second round. Currently, the Pelicans may be one of the deepest teams in the league on paper but constant setbacks have resulted in a miserable season. At 5-21, they are ranked dead last in the West and are already 8.5 games back from the final play-in spot. Besides poor chemistry and a flawed rotation, injuries have hurt the Pelicans the most. Dating back to 2008, almost every Pelicans season has been plagued by a large volume of injuries or injuries that occur at critically damaging times. The 2022-23 campaign was historically bad for the Pelicans, who lost Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum , and Larry Nance Jr. for a combined 123 games. This season, the trend is holding firm. Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, Zion Williamson , Herb Jones, and CJ McCollum have already missed some games just a few weeks into the season and the team has been reeling as a result. So while it may sound hyperbolic to say the Pelicans are cursed, that's exactly what it must feel like to their fans and players who have watched their team suffer for decades now. Moreso than most teams, the Pelicans are always dealing with some obstacle and it seems like we never get to see them at full strength. Until this season, Dyson Daniels was a part of that group and he suffered an unusual amount of injuries himself. Since joining the Hawks, however, his game has reached new heights and he's currently in the middle of a breakout season with averages of 13.5 points (career high), 5.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game on 44.7% shooting. It remains to be seen if the Pelicans can ever get (and stay) healthy but until they do, we'll likely never see them in a position to make a title run and some believe it'd be best for them to move on and start over . The Pelicans are off for the next two nights but they resume action on the road on Sunday, against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 5:00 PM EST. After a break for the NBA Cup finals, the Pelicans play again on Tuesday, December 19th, against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yoran presented her arguements in the Daniel Penny NYC subway chokehold trial. She told the jurors that the 26-year-old former US Marine used 'way too much force for way too long, in way too reckless a manner' as he choked a Black man, Jordan Neely, last year. "The defendant was given all the signs that he needed to stop. He ignored them, he kept going, until a man died. He must be held accountable for that," Yoran said on Tuesday. Penny could face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted of manslaughter. Read More: 'Snow Mexicans And Exile Trudeau': Viral Post Lists 'Rules' For Canada To Join US As '51st State' "He didn't recognize that Jordan Neely was a person," the Manhattan prosecutor added. "He saw him as a person that needed to be eliminated." She then replayed the video of Penny's police interrogation, where the 26-year-old could be seen referring to Neely as a 'crackhead'. He told detectives: "You know these guys, they’re pushing people in front of trains and stuff." "We’ve all spoken dismissively about people like Jordan Neely. Maybe we, too, have lumped them all together like this, but the context is very telling here. When the defendant is talking like this about Mr. Neely, he knows he very likely had killed him. Can you imagine a reasonable person speaking like this about a human being that he or she had just killed?" she added. Read More: Who Is Stephen Feinberg? Trump Picks Billionaire Investor As Pentagon Deputy Who Is Dafna Yoran? Dafna Yoran is a prosecutor in New York City who is currently representing the state in the high-profile trial of Daniel Penny, charged with manslaughter in the death of Jordan Neely on a subway in May 2023. According to pro-Trump social media commentator Laura Loomer, Yoran is lesbian who is married 'Peruvian pro-Black Lives Matter artist' named Ana De Orbegoso. Orbegoso lives in New York, the right-wing commentator added in a tweet. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News, World and around the world.Russian President Vladimir Putin says the missile fired at Ukraine on Thursday was not an intercontinental ballistic missile, as initially claimed by Ukrainian officials, but a new type of “intermediate” range weapon which could be turned against Ukraine’s allies in the future. According to the Russian president, the missile strike came in response to the use of U.S.- and British-made arms by the Ukrainian military against targets in Russia earlier this week. Russia has claimed it shot down those missiles. “In combat conditions, one of the newest Russian medium-range missile systems was tested, among other things. In this case, with a ballistic missile in a nuclear-free hypersonic equipment,” Putin said during a national television address. Putin said that in the future his use of such missiles would be announced in advance so that civilians can evacuate the target area and proclaimed that U.S. air defense systems are incapable of stopping the weapons. He was explicit in saying nation’s supporting Ukraine’s defense are viable targets. U.S. officials also pushed back on claims from Kyiv that Russia fired an ICBM at Ukraine, according to reporting . According to initial reports from Ukrainian officials, the world entered a new era of warfare after the Russian military apparently used an intercontinental ballistic missile, which would represent the first time such a weapon was used as an act of war in human history. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his “insane neighbor” is once again showing the world its true nature, “its disdain for dignity, freedom, and human life itself. And, most of all, its fear.” “Fear so overwhelming that it unleashes missile after missile, scouring the globe for more weapons — whether from Iran or North Korea. Today, it was a new Russian missile. Its speed and altitude suggest intercontinental ballistic capabilities. Investigations are ongoing,” he Thursday morning. In a statement offered in the afternoon, Zelenskyy seemed to concur with the assessment of international observers that the weapons used was not an ICBM, but a shorter range ballistic device. “Today, Putin admitted to taking a second step this year toward escalating and expanding this war. A new ballistic missile was used. Putin struck our city of Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s largest cities. This is a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war—a cynical violation of the UN Charter by Russia,” he said . The White House responded to the attack by announcing a new round of sanctions against dozens of Russian financial institutions and “50 other persons and entities operating in the Russian financial sector.” In a statement shared by the Biden Administration, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the sanctions aim to “further degrade Russia’s ability to use the international financial system to fund and prosecute its brutal war against the people of Ukraine.” “These targets include Gazprombank, Russia’s largest remaining bank not sanctioned by the United States,” Sullivan said. U.S. officials explained after the attack that the missile launched at Dnipro was technically not an intercontinental ballistic missile — which generally have an effective range of more than 3,400 miles — but a new type of shorter range ballistic missile of which Russia has a short supply. The launch comes not long after President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration loosened the rules around the use of foreign military coalition provided long-range precision arms against targets on Russia’s side of the border. Ukraine was quick to take action under the new ground rules, and began using coalition provided weaponry against targets in Russia just days later. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by lowering the threshold under which the Russian military might be ordered to use nuclear weapons. On Wednesday, the U.S. announced a 70th, $275 million military aid package would be sent to Ukraine, including a large supply of land mines. Regardless of the technical definition surrounding the Russian fired rocket, its use demonstrates that Russia is more than capable of firing on other European nations, according to Zelenskyy. “Putin must feel the cost of his deranged ambitions. Response is needed. Pressure is needed. Russia must be forced into real peace, which can only be achieved through strength. Otherwise, there will be endless Russian strikes, threats, and destabilization—not just against Ukraine,” he said Thursday. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Herald that Putin’s latest provocation is a “notable development, but not a cause for alarm.” “He is trying to scare the West,” Moulton said, while adding that Russia’s tactics are counterproductive. “Putin should not play games with nuclear bluster. Using a potentially nuclear-armed weapon to sow confusion about whether or not Russia intends to take this conflict nuclear is irresponsible and reckless,” Moulton said. Herald wire services contributed.
In its recently released blueprint, Info-Tech Research Group is providing insurers with a comprehensive framework to tackle the growing challenges of data privacy in the age of AI. In the resource, the global research and advisory firm recommends AI training, strong data governance, and proactive risk management to help insurers safeguard personally identifiable information (PII) while using AI for underwriting, claims processing, and customer engagement. TORONTO , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - As AI adoption continues to accelerate, the insurance industry is under increasing pressure to safeguard personally identifiable information (PII) against sophisticated data privacy risks. Global research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group explains in a newly published industry resource that traditional system safeguards and outdated legacy systems are proving insufficient to address the complexities of modern AI-driven processes, leaving insurers exposed to regulatory and technological vulnerabilities. To help insurers tackle these pressing challenges, Info-Tech Research Group's blueprint, Safeguard Your Data When Deploying AI in Your Insurance Systems , offers a strategic framework for integrating privacy-preserving AI solutions. The firm's resource features research insights and tools that will equip IT leaders in the insurance sector to strengthen compliance, mitigate risks, and protect PII while maintaining system performance. "Insurers handle vast amounts of data, from health records to financial histories, fed into AI systems that promise accuracy and efficiency but pose privacy concerns," says Arzoo Wadhvaniya , research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group . "A single breach could compromise thousands of customers' personal information, causing severe reputational and financial damage. It is not just about what AI can do; it is about ensuring it is done securely and ethically." In the blueprint, Info-Tech explains that traditional data safeguarding methods in the insurance industry are increasingly ineffective, as legacy systems often lack the flexibility to meet modern demands. The firm's research findings suggest that unfamiliarity with integrated AI technologies can lead to confusion among employees when assessing risks and determining appropriate applications. Complex regulatory requirements, which may not align with AI-driven processes, further heighten compliance challenges. To address these issues, Info-Tech recommends AI training programs to help employees understand associated risks and foster a culture of security and compliance. "Regulatory frameworks demand strict compliance, yet AI introduces complexities that make this harder. Insurers must ensure AI respects customer consent, limits data usage, and mitigates bias. Otherwise, the consequences could be costly in terms of both fines and lost trust," explains Wadhvaniya . Info-Tech's new resource provides IT leaders in the insurance industry with actionable strategies to address critical risks associated with generative AI. The firm emphasizes the importance of identifying insurance-specific risks and adopting a continuous improvement approach supported by metrics and a risk-based strategy aligned with a privacy framework tailored to organizational needs. The research highlights three key risks tied to generative AI: The firm advises the industry to take a proactive stance, implementing robust data governance practices, ensuring transparency, and fostering customer trust in the responsible use of AI. By leveraging insights from this blueprint, insurance companies can effectively address growing data privacy challenges while adopting advanced AI technologies for underwriting, claims processing, and customer engagement. For exclusive and timely commentary from Arzoo Wadhvaniya, an expert in IT strategies, and access to the complete Safeguard Your Data When Deploying AI in Your Insurance Systems blueprint , please contact pr@infotech.com . About Info-Tech Research Group Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant research and provides advisory services to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations. To learn more about Info-Tech's divisions, visit McLean & Company for HR research and advisory services and SoftwareReviews for software buying insights. Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@infotech.com . For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and X . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insurers-urged-to-safeguard-data-amid-rising-ai-adoption-and-privacy-risks-says-info-tech-research-group-302331530.html SOURCE Info-Tech Research GroupJordan Ivy-Curry, UCF aim to topple Tulsa
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