https www facebook com milyon88
https www facebook com milyon88
https www facebook com milyon88
None
(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts Sunday, Dec. 29 COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S) Noon BTN — Indiana St. at Ohio St. 1 p.m. PEACOCK — Penn at Penn St. 1:30 p.m. PEACOCK — Northeastern at Northwestern 2 p.m. BTN — Chicago St. at Illinois PEACOCK — Morgan St. at Minnesota 3 p.m. ESPNU — Buffalo at Temple PEACOCK — NJIT at Washington People are also reading... 4 p.m. BTN — Winthrop at Indiana 6 p.m. BTN — Toledo at Purdue 8 p.m. ACCN — Campbell at North Carolina BTN — W. Kentucky at Michigan COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) Noon ACCN — Virginia at Notre Dame, Noon SECN — Alabama A&M at Vanderbitl 1 p.m. ESPN2 — South Florida at Rice 2 p.m. ACCN — Louisville at Boston College SECN — Wofford at South Carolina 4 p.m. ACCN — North Carolina at Miami SECN — Texas Rio Grande Valley at Texas 6 p.m. ACCN — Clemson at NC State 10 p.m. BTN — Michigan at Southern Cal HORSE RACING 3 p.m. FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races IIHF HOCKEY (MEN’S) Noon NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Switzerland vs. Sweden, Group B, Toronto 2:30 p.m. NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: U.S. vs. Finland, Group A, Ottawa, Ontario 5 p.m. NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Czechia vs. Slovakia, Group B, Toronto 7:30 p.m. NHLN — World Junior Championship Group Stage: Canada vs. Germany, Group A, Ottawa, Ontario NBA G-LEAGUE BASKETBALL 2 p.m. NBATV — Osceola at Raptors 905 NFL FOOTBALL 1 p.m. CBS — Regional Coverage: N.Y. Jets at Buffalo, Carolina at Tampa Bay, Tennessee at Jacksonville FOX — Regional Coverage: Las Vegas at New Orleans, Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants, Dallas at Philadelphia 4:05 p.m. CBS — Miami at Cleveland 4:25 p.m. FOX — Green Bay at Minnesota 8:20 p.m. NBC — Atlanta at Washington PEACOCK — Atlanta at Washington NHL HOCKEY 8:30 p.m. ESPN — Dallas at Chicago SOCCER (MEN’S) 10 a.m. USA — Premier League: Nottingham Forest at Everton 12:15 p.m. USA — Premier League: Liverpool at West Ham United 12:40 p.m. CBSSN — English League Championship: Leeds United at Derby Country TENNIS 6 a.m. TENNIS — Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds 6:30 p.m. TENNIS — United Cup: Britain v. Argentina; Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds; Hong Kong-ATP, Auckland-WTA Early Rounds 6 a.m. (Monday) TENNIS — Brisbane-ATP/WTA Early Rounds The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive TV listings provided by LiveSportsOnTV . Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
3 Top Stocks to Buy in 2025The internet can’t handle the United Healthcare CEO’s alleged shooter being Italian
Toronto could hike spending on its road safety program by about 25 per cent later this month as it continues to grapple with dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries each year on its streets. City staff are asking councillors to approve the largest budget in the history of the Vision Zero strategy, created in 2016 to eliminate all road fatalities. Staff want spending to increase to $99 million, up from nearly $80 million this year, as they step up work to improve intersections, install more traffic calming measures and double the number of automated speed enforcement cameras. While fatalities and injuries have dropped since the program's inception, this latest Vision Zero annual report comes after 46 people including pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, have died on Toronto roads this year. "It is really hard to talk about killed or seriously injured as statistics," said Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, chair of the city's infrastructure committee. "They are people. And they are people that did not get home to their families, or people that following a horrific incident, will never be the same." The committee greenlit the additional spending this week but it will still need a final approval from city council later this month. Speed cameras will increase to 150 under plan Under the plan, the city would more than double its complement of speed cameras across Toronto early in 2025 from 75 to 150. Most of the city's current camera stock is moved to different locations twice a year. Barbara Gray, the city's general manager of transportation services, said 25 of the new cameras would be permanently installed in places with a high number of collisions. Those cameras raise tens of millions for the city in ticket revenue each year. But Gray defended their use as a safety tool and not a money-maker for Toronto. Toronto city councillors are being asked to spend more on their Vision Zero road safety plan this year. The increased funding would pay for intersection safety redesigns and other traffic calming measures. (Patrick Morrell/CBC) "Our goal would be that the cameras didn't generate any revenue at all, because people would not be traveling above the speed limit," she said. "Sadly, that's not been the case so far, but we hope that as we continue to expand the program, we really start to see that impact." The plan would also see staff push ahead with a multi-year effort to lower the speed limit on local roads citywide to 30 km/h. So far, that has been done in 15 of the city's 25 wards, with two more wards set to change each year until 2028. The transition takes four to six months in each ward as staff need to install between 500 and 1,000 new signs. The city will also roll out hundreds more traffic calming measures, including an estimated 735 speed humps next year and 810 in 2026. "We do know that speed is such a huge issue," Gray said. "That's a lot of what a lot of what our tools support is managing speeds... So, we know that the toolkit that we're using on Vision Zero is the right tool kit." Injuries up in recent years The number of deaths and injuries on Toronto roads have been coming down since the program's start eight years ago. In 2016, 78 people died and 337 were injured. In 2023, the last year with complete data available, 45 people died and 294 were injured. Despite the overall decrease, Coun. Dianne Saxe said she's troubled by the number of injuries sustained on city roads in recent years. Those numbers jumped between 2021 and 2023, from 241 to 294. After 6th cyclist dead this year, Toronto advocates want change Could more red light and speed cameras be coming to Toronto streets? "We are absolutely getting value for the dollar. I have no doubt about that," she said of Vision Zero spending, adding that an increase in the program's budget is warranted. "We have people feeling that because congestion is bad, they're entitled to take shortcuts, break the rules, go through red lights, drive on sidewalks, race whenever they see a spot, and they don't take into account who will pay the price," she added. But Coun. Anthony Perruzza said while the work — and spending — to curb dangerous driving habits is important, so too is public education to ensure pedestrians and cyclists exercise caution on city streets. "It's really, really difficult to fix stupid," Perruzza said of distracted pedestrians often on their cell phones. "You have a 2,000 pound vehicle, and you meet it on foot or you meet it on your bike or in some other way — you're going to lose." Could truck side guards help save lives? Toronto considers retrofitting heavy duty vehicles GTA drivers urged to slow down as students return to class
James Van Der Beek selling 'Varsity Blues' jerseys to help pay for cancer treatment costs
Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF ( NYSEARCA:SCHC – Free Report ) by 564.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 94,819 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 80,553 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF were worth $3,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF by 21.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 584,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,938,000 after purchasing an additional 103,768 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its position in Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF by 713.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 63,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,265,000 after buying an additional 55,494 shares during the period. 25 LLC grew its holdings in Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF by 193.2% during the 2nd quarter. 25 LLC now owns 19,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 13,127 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF by 58.8% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its stake in shares of Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF by 1.1% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,044,349 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,388,000 after acquiring an additional 11,095 shares during the last quarter. Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF Stock Performance Shares of NYSEARCA:SCHC opened at $36.77 on Friday. Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF has a 52 week low of $32.54 and a 52 week high of $38.94. The firm has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $37.09 and its 200-day moving average is $36.69. Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF Company Profile Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF (the Fund) seeks to track the total return of the FTSE Developed Small Cap ex-US Liquid Index (the Index). The Fund’s index consists of small capitalization companies in developed countries outside the United States. The Index defines the small capitalization universe as approximately the bottom 10% of the eligible universe with a minimum free float capitalization of $150 million. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF ( NYSEARCA:SCHC – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Adult Chat Rooms: A Modern User’s GuideSingularity alert: AIs are already designing their own chipsOne of the more curious promises of technology in the 21st century is that it can confirm someone’s humanity. It sounds counterintuitive. But as AI becomes an established feature of our daily lives, and bots, and scams proliferate, the question of how to verify that an entity is a person and not a machine has become central to , authentication and the quest to digitize anything and everything. In a recent for Wired, author Kate Crawford says that “in 2025, it will be commonplace to talk with a personal AI agent who knows your schedule, your circle of friends, the places you go. These anthropomorphic agents are designed to support and charm us so that we fold them into every part of our lives.” Accordingly, an industry has grown to make sure we know who’s real and who’s not. The question has been framed as “ ” (PoP), and biometrics is central to its operations. A key feature of biometrics (and what adds an element of additional risk if they are stolen) is their uniqueness. Your face, fingerprint or iris are like no one else’s. As such, it provides the “one and one only” element of digital personhood – which, after all, wants not only to distinguish you from a machine, but also from other identities. But the technical and technological problems of personhood come with extra baggage. In dealing with the language of fundamental rights and verified humanness, firms are treading ethical grounds that have implications beyond the . Firms are coming at the problem of how to preserve personhood – in data and in language – from different perspectives, but with a similar, massive goal: to service everyone on planet Earth with a unique digital identity. Among those positioned to make an impact is . Founded in 2015 in San Francisco, Civic uses a tokenized identity model for identity management that prioritizes privacy. Its website says its user management tools allow clients to “deploy seamless in just a few lines of code.” It prevents so-called Sybil attacks, which involve gaining an unfair advantage over a network by controlling multiple accounts. But, in a recent email interview with , the company says its primary objective is “to be the world’s most trusted identity solution, used by billions every day.” Civic’s says it is “working toward a world where identity is not only defined by documents, but also personality. Where the unique expression of an individual contributes to the security of a digital identity that they own and control.” While others deal in PoP, Civic’s notion of a ‘digital personality’ shows how the language of being is fusing with the language of . The company believes identity and its attached personality are “a synthesis and expression of three primary areas: who you are, what you have, and what you’ve done.” Like identity, digital personality “may be expressed in anonymous, pseudonymous or fully proven ways depending on the objective.” Who you are could be anything from a name claimed on a platform to verifiable third-party attested data like a government-issued passport. What you have refers to private , “which can be verified on-chain can then be correlated to ongoing ownership through mechanisms like proof of wallet ownership.” Identity verification is a use case; so are NFTs. What you have done is identity attached to traceable histories – for instance, proof of “membership in organizations like decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) via voting history, trading volumes and participation in any other on-chain activity. The more demonstrable history you have, the more you build trust with potential counterparties, but without needing the middle layer of things like credit bureaus.” Civic, which works with , offers two main products. In the most basic terms, its Civic Pass blockchain product “provides users an entry point to the verifiable internet, enabling developers to implement user verification and access control in applications and smart contracts.” “What this means,” the company says, “is that developers can choose to leverage Civic’s offerings like Liveness, Uniqueness or Document Verification as a gating criteria, or issue on-chain passes based on their own criteria. In this way, users’ unique biometrics or verifiable data (i.e. who you are) can be tied to wallet ownership (i.e. what you know – the private key).” The Civic Auth product “further lowers the barriers to entry for developers and users to present a familiar login experience, while optionally pairing it with the power of the verifiable internet.” The provided example is a developer choosing to “simply ask their users to log in with Google or add an embedded and issue an on-chain Civic Pass to gate access to any smart contract using the Civic Auth toolkit. Later, the developer could choose to add biometric checks or other authentications.” In other words, “Civic Pass provides secure, permissioned access to on-chain assets while Civic Auth offers single sign-on for identity verification.” In a recent interview with the Metaverse Post, Chief Product Officer summarizes further: “we developed a proof-of-personhood solution that links one human to one wallet. Using biometrics, like a video selfie, we create a unique 3D facial map to ensure only that individual can access their account.” So far, so good: everyone likes and biometric authentication. But the picture that emerges raises questions about where “digital identity” ends and digital “proof of personhood” begins. Civic believes there will be “a convergence of these two concepts,” but doesn’t see “those terms as becoming synonymous in all cases.” One may not have to prove personhood for some uses of digital identity, while others – for example, – will require measures to ensure that accounts posting on their platforms are run by actual people. Civic says that “overall, in the next 5-10 years we expect that everyone will have variants of their that are used at various times (e.g. anonymous, pseudoanonymous, transparent), some of which will require proof of personhood and some of which will not.” The piece is key. “It is important to ensure that tools developed to establish digital personhood be widely accessible, well supported, and with outlet processes to allow for equal and fair access to economic and social products and services.” Again, we are to understand that PoP is a way for technology to enable human participation in digitized human affairs. Civic is confident enough in its mission to know where to draw the line between people and agglomerations of data. It says that “personhood is an inalienable human right which should not be confused with our digital shadows, which ultimately are simply tools to express that personhood.” Yet, there are obvious cognitive shifts going on in how we as humans relate to machines and their , and define ourselves against them. In giving an example of how digital identity and digital humanness diverge, Civic notes “AI agents will have a digital identity and may execute actions on behalf of their owners, but themselves may not have a proof of personhood.” The implication is startling: algorithms are now understood to have identities, or to possess the ability to have them. The linguistic framework for how we define ourselves is no longer the exclusive property of organic beings. While we have long given cute names to and recently gotten cozy with our , the notion that an AI agent can express the same degree of “identity” as a real human is a shift of a different magnitude. There is a paradox in making the simple fact of being human contingent on the very machines from which we must be differentiated. In a certain respect, asking someone to justify and prove their own fundamental understanding of reality is a kind of existential gaslighting, tugging at the basic notion that the real and the digital are separate realms. Aggravating this is that at least some of those shopping proof of humanness are also responsible for the AI threat in the first place. At present, the most notorious name in both AI and PoP is Sam Altman, who opened the AI floodgates in creating ChatGPT, and is now busy pushing his iris-scanning as a way for people to prove they are not just another product of his popular large language model (LLM). World, Civic and many of the firms offering digital proof of personhood offer altruistic motivations and lofty ideals – most frequently, the notion that identity is a universal human right that should be universally accessible. The world is online; so must we all be, fairly and equally. Projects like the rollout underscore this in practice. However, the wider implications of AI for the physical world are already emerging. Kate Crawford argues that “so far, generative AI is most significant from an environmental perspective: It is fundamentally reshaping Earth.” Noting that AI data centers are already using as much energy as entire nation-states, she defines AI as a “metabolic technology – burning electricity and evaporating water at an exponential rate to keep the ingestion, digestion and production of data going.” Meanwhile, World’s founders imagine a world of futuristic tupperware parties where the product is not plastic food storage but and identities collected with spherical, single-use scanning devices called Orbs, which seem destined for the e-waste landfill. Nonetheless, the material concerns that come with AI may soon be dwarfed by the metaphysical ones. When we define human rights and human culture, language lays the tracks that lead to the future. To take one technological example, before Web 2.0 and the birth of social media, entertainment media was not commonly referred to as “content.” The consequences of doing so have how we think of ourselves and tell our stories. Which is to say, once the language of humanness is attached to an algorithm, there may be no getting it back. For those wishing to be human without having to prove it, there’s always life off the grid. The risk is, if a person lives in the forest and nobody’s around to verify it, it mightn’t be thought of as living at all. | | | | | | | |
Shares of Canada Carbon Inc. ( CVE:CCB – Get Free Report ) were down 33.3% on Saturday . The stock traded as low as C$0.01 and last traded at C$0.01. Approximately 859,726 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 283% from the average daily volume of 224,190 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.02. Canada Carbon Trading Down 33.3 % The firm has a market capitalization of C$2.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.00 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$0.02 and a 200-day moving average price of C$0.02. About Canada Carbon ( Get Free Report ) Canada Carbon Inc engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of natural resource properties in Canada. The company primarily explores for graphite deposits. It holds interests in the Miller property that covers an area of approximately 100 square kilometers located to the west of Montreal in the Grenville Township; and the Asbury Graphite property, which includes 22 claims covering an area of approximately 1,205.9 hectares located in the Laurentides region of southern Quebec. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Canada Carbon Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canada Carbon and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .NEW DELHI: Leaders across party lines and stalwarts across sectors hailed former prime minister Manmohan Singh as “one of India’s greatest sons” as they condoled his death on Thursday night. Singh, the architect of India’s economic reforms, breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He was 92. In a post on X, President Droupadi Murmu said Singh will always be remembered for his service to the nation, his unblemished political life besides his utmost humility. “His passing is a great loss to all of us. I pay my respectful homage to one of the greatest sons of Bharat and convey my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and admirers,” she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed his predecessor’s contributions to the country. “India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” he said in a post on X. Several Congress leaders hailed him as one of India’s tallest leaders and the party’s strongest icons. “India has lost a visionary statesman, a leader of unimpeachable integrity, and an economist of unparalleled stature. His policy of Economic Liberalisation and Rights-based welfare paradigm profoundly transformed the lives of crores of Indians, virtually creating a Middle Class in India and lifting crores out of poverty...,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, as he recalled how he was a part of Singh’s cabinet as labour minister, railway minister and social welfare minister. “Undoubtedly, history shall judge you kindly, Dr Manmohan Singh ji!” he added. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said he has lost his mentor and guide. “Manmohan Singh Ji led India with immense wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the nation. My heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Kaur and the family,” he said in a post on X, adding that he has “lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride”. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Singh remained steadfast in his commitment to serve the nation despite being subjected to unfair and deeply personal attacks by his opponents. “Few people in politics inspire the kind of respect that Sardar Manmohan Singh ji did. His honesty will always be an inspiration for us and he will forever stand tall among those who truly love this country as someone who remained steadfast in his commitment to serve the nation despite being subjected to unfair and deeply personal attacks by his opponents,” she said in a post on X. Senior Congress leader and a minister in the UPA government P Chidambaram said Singh’s life and work as well as the period from 1991 till 2014 will be a golden chapter in the history of India. “His story has not been told fully. His achievements have not been recorded fully. I am sure when we look back upon the 23 years that Dr Singh was in active politics, we will realise his true contribution,” he said. Leaders from other parties also paid their respects. Union home minister Amit Shah prayed for peace to his soul and strength for his family to bear this grief. “From being the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India to the Finance Minister of the country and as the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh played an important role in the governance of the country.” West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said: “I had worked with him and saw him from very close quarters in the Union cabinet. His erudition and wisdom were unquestionable, and the depth of the financial reforms ushered in by him in the country are widely acknowledged.” The sentiment was echoed by captains of industry, many of whom were able to build on his vision in a liberalised economy post the 1991 reforms. Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra posted on X: “Farewell Dr. Manmohan Singh. You loved this nation. And your service to it will long be remembered.” Members of the sports fraternity, such as Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Vinesh Phogat remembered Singh’s “calm leadership and wisdom”.
Article content Saskatchewan political leaders and commentators characterize a potential U.S. import tariff or retaliatory Canadian export tax on potash as “destructive” and “damaging.” The industry’s financial reports tell a different story. Nutrien, the largest potash company, sold nearly four million tonnes to the U.S. and seven million tonnes offshore in the first nine months of 2024. Because sanctions exclude Russian and Belarusian potash from the U.S. market, Nutrien was able to charge an average price per tonne of $287 there versus $183 offshore. Both markets were lucrative because it costs the company only $102 per tonne to extract potash from Saskatchewan. If Nutrien had to pay a tariff or export tax of 25 per cent on U.S. sales, it would have received $215 per tonne, still above what it accepts offshore. At that price, profitable production would continue for the American market as it does for the offshore market. A border levy would simply redirect most of the extra profit on U.S. potash sales to Washington or Ottawa. This profit should go to Saskatchewan people who own the resource. In the first nine months of 2024, Nutrien collected profits of $1.3 billion from Saskatchewan potash, but paid only one-fifth to the province: $62 million of royalties and $210 million of mining taxes. Rather than railing against a hypothetical export tax on potash, we might insist that Ottawa return the proceeds of any such levy to the province. More fundamentally, stronger provincial royalties and taxes are needed to collect a fair return from potash without federal assistance. Erin Weir, Regina (The letter above was originally published in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.) SaskPower collecting carbon tax on electricity Your recent article regarding SaskPower’s announcement to increase carbon charges beginning in 2025 does not tell the whole story and is misleading to readers. The national pollution pricing benchmark is increasing from $80 to $95 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. However, this federally mandated increase is much more than the average 2.9 per cent increase for carbon charges on customer bills announced by SaskPower. Has SaskPower previously been overcharging customers with respect to pollution pricing? As SaskPower modernizes the power grid with $256.7 million of federal funding to support clean power generation, customers can expect to pay much less in carbon charges. SaskPower recently removed important information from their webpage explaining where all this money goes. The blurb that was removed clearly states that Saskatchewan’s output-based performance standards program includes electricity generation: “ As a result, the 2023-2030 carbon tax revenue SaskPower collects is paid to the provincial government, effective January 1, 2023.” For the past two years, the Saskatchewan government has been collecting its own carbon tax on SaskPower bills. The provincial government should be held accountable for reinvesting these carbon funds back into Saskatchewan; however reports indicate that 11 of the 13 recipients of the $25 million funding from the Saskatchewan Technology Fund are oil and gas companies based in Calgary. SaskPower and our Saskatchewan government continue to blame the federal government for pollution pricing and clean energy regulations rather than being honest and transparent with residents about the Saskatchewan carbon tax. All of us together will benefit from a clean power grid. Shannon Wright, Vanscoy (The letter above was originally published in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.) The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe. Share this Story : Letters: Potash tax threat exposes meagre return for Sask. resource Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn TumblrSaudi Arabia seeks military cooperation pact with US, not Defense Deal: Reuters
With 7,042 cases, Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra reported the highest number of forest fire incidents in the country. The fire incidents were detected with the help of the SNPP-VIIRS system by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) between November 2023 to June 2024. Meanwhile, with 16,008 similar occurrences reported between November 2023 and June 2024, Maharashtra ranks fifth among the states with the highest number of forest fire incidents reported. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) recently published a report titled ‘India State of Forest Report 2023’ (ISFR 2023) on Saturday, December 21, which provided detailed information about the forest fire incidents detected in the country. According to the report’s statistics, the number of fire hotspots detected by the SNPP-VIIRS sensor during the 2023-24 season was 2,03,544, compared to 2,23,333 in the 2021-22 season and 2,12,249 in the 2022-23 season. The top three states with the most fire incidents in the 2023-24 season were Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. In this report, the ministry also shared details of the burnt area assessment, which was carried out to assess forest areas affected by forest fires and damage to forest and biodiversity. Remote sensing and GIS techniques are being actively used for real-time forest fire monitoring and damage assessment. Multi-temporal satellite data plays an important role in the identification of the changes in forests. As per the data, Maharashtra reported the second-highest burnt area in the country at 4095 km2. The highest burnt area was reported in Andhra Pradesh as 5286.76 km2. Between November 2023 and June 2024. This assessment showed that nearly 93% of the fires observed are surface fires and are classified as low-burnt areas. The ministry is likely to publish a detailed State/UT-wise analysis of burnt areas and their severity classes, fuel load estimates, and fire risk zones in a separate report. Forest fire alerts have become one of the most important activities of FSI. Pre-fire alerts, near real-time alerts, have been sent for several years. Since 2004, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has been alerting the State Forest Departments and other agencies regarding forest fire detections using remote sensing and the latest information technology. In Maharashtra, 9,671 people who have subscribed to the fire alert message service received the alert warning between November 2023 and June 2024. Stating the significance of this report Anoop Singh, director general, FSI, said, “In the report on forest fire, we have given information on forest fires in 705 protected areas for the first time. Similarly, burnt area assessment has been done for the first time at the national level and can support course correction for the policymakers.”By HALELUYA HADERO The emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce novel and detailed online reviews with almost no work has put merchants , service providers and consumers in uncharted territory, watchdog groups and researchers say. Related Articles National News | Bluesky finds with growth comes growing pains — and bots National News | Mega Millions jackpot nears $1 billion ahead of Christmas Eve drawing National News | The Container Store, buffeted by rough housing market and competition, seeks bankruptcy protection National News | An ex-police officer is convicted of lying about leaks to the Proud Boys leader National News | 2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident, US military says Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. They are typically traded on private social media groups between fake review brokers and businesses willing to pay. Sometimes, such reviews are initiated by businesses that offer customers incentives such as gift cards for positive feedback. But AI-infused text generation tools, popularized by OpenAI’s ChatGPT , enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts. The deceptive practice, which is illegal in the U.S. , is carried out year-round but becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season , when many people rely on reviews to help them purchase gifts. Fake reviews are found across a wide range of industries, from e-commerce, lodging and restaurants, to services such as home repairs, medical care and piano lessons. The Transparency Company, a tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews, said it started to see AI-generated reviews show up in large numbers in mid-2023 and they have multiplied ever since. For a report released this month, The Transparency Company analyzed 73 million reviews in three sectors: home, legal and medical services. Nearly 14% of the reviews were likely fake, and the company expressed a “high degree of confidence” that 2.3 million reviews were partly or entirely AI-generated. “It’s just a really, really good tool for these review scammers,” said Maury Blackman, an investor and advisor to tech startups, who reviewed The Transparency Company’s work and is set to lead the organization starting Jan. 1. In August, software company DoubleVerify said it was observing a “significant increase” in mobile phone and smart TV apps with reviews crafted by generative AI. The reviews often were used to deceive customers into installing apps that could hijack devices or run ads constantly, the company said. The following month, the Federal Trade Commission sued the company behind an AI writing tool and content generator called Rytr, accusing it of offering a service that could pollute the marketplace with fraudulent reviews. The FTC, which this year banned the sale or purchase of fake reviews, said some of Rytr’s subscribers used the tool to produce hundreds and perhaps thousands of reviews for garage door repair companies, sellers of “replica” designer handbags and other businesses. Max Spero, CEO of AI detection company Pangram Labs, said the software his company uses has detected with almost certainty that some AI-generated appraisals posted on Amazon bubbled up to the top of review search results because they were so detailed and appeared to be well thought-out. But determining what is fake or not can be challenging. External parties can fall short because they don’t have “access to data signals that indicate patterns of abuse,” Amazon has said. Pangram Labs has done detection for some prominent online sites, which Spero declined to name due to non-disclosure agreements. He said he evaluated Amazon and Yelp independently. Many of the AI-generated comments on Yelp appeared to be posted by individuals who were trying to publish enough reviews to earn an “Elite” badge, which is intended to let users know they should trust the content, Spero said. The badge provides access to exclusive events with local business owners. Fraudsters also want it so their Yelp profiles can look more realistic, said Kay Dean, a former federal criminal investigator who runs a watchdog group called Fake Review Watch. To be sure, just because a review is AI-generated doesn’t necessarily mean its fake. Some consumers might experiment with AI tools to generate content that reflects their genuine sentiments. Some non-native English speakers say they turn to AI to make sure they use accurate language in the reviews they write. “It can help with reviews (and) make it more informative if it comes out of good intentions,” said Michigan State University marketing professor Sherry He, who has researched fake reviews. She says tech platforms should focus on the behavioral patters of bad actors, which prominent platforms already do, instead of discouraging legitimate users from turning to AI tools. Prominent companies are developing policies for how AI-generated content fits into their systems for removing phony or abusive reviews. Some already employ algorithms and investigative teams to detect and take down fake reviews but are giving users some flexibility to use AI. Spokespeople for Amazon and Trustpilot, for example, said they would allow customers to post AI-assisted reviews as long as they reflect their genuine experience. Yelp has taken a more cautious approach, saying its guidelines require reviewers to write their own copy. “With the recent rise in consumer adoption of AI tools, Yelp has significantly invested in methods to better detect and mitigate such content on our platform,” the company said in a statement. The Coalition for Trusted Reviews, which Amazon, Trustpilot, employment review site Glassdoor, and travel sites Tripadvisor, Expedia and Booking.com launched last year, said that even though deceivers may put AI to illicit use, the technology also presents “an opportunity to push back against those who seek to use reviews to mislead others.” “By sharing best practice and raising standards, including developing advanced AI detection systems, we can protect consumers and maintain the integrity of online reviews,” the group said. The FTC’s rule banning fake reviews, which took effect in October, allows the agency to fine businesses and individuals who engage in the practice. Tech companies hosting such reviews are shielded from the penalty because they are not legally liable under U.S. law for the content that outsiders post on their platforms. Tech companies, including Amazon, Yelp and Google, have sued fake review brokers they accuse of peddling counterfeit reviews on their sites. The companies say their technology has blocked or removed a huge swath of suspect reviews and suspicious accounts. However, some experts say they could be doing more. “Their efforts thus far are not nearly enough,” said Dean of Fake Review Watch. “If these tech companies are so committed to eliminating review fraud on their platforms, why is it that I, one individual who works with no automation, can find hundreds or even thousands of fake reviews on any given day?” Consumers can try to spot fake reviews by watching out for a few possible warning signs , according to researchers. Overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. Jargon that repeats a product’s full name or model number is another potential giveaway. When it comes to AI, research conducted by Balázs Kovács, a Yale professor of organization behavior, has shown that people can’t tell the difference between AI-generated and human-written reviews. Some AI detectors may also be fooled by shorter texts, which are common in online reviews, the study said. However, there are some “AI tells” that online shoppers and service seekers should keep it mind. Panagram Labs says reviews written with AI are typically longer, highly structured and include “empty descriptors,” such as generic phrases and attributes. The writing also tends to include cliches like “the first thing that struck me” and “game-changer.”Drop in Boxing Day footfall ‘signals return to declining pre-pandemic levels’
Apple @ Work: What happens when you trade-in an old Apple product? Inside Assurants new facility to save devices from landfillsCerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ( NASDAQ:ALNY – Free Report ) by 133.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,019 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,445 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals were worth $3,581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals by 292.3% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,281 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,536,000 after purchasing an additional 7,660 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,084,000. Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter valued at about $238,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 33,213 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,964,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.97% of the company’s stock. Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ALNY shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from $248.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from $291.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from $282.00 to $371.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $298.09. Insider Activity at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals In related news, CMO Pushkal Garg sold 1,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.98, for a total value of $422,148.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 17,457 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,381,357.86. The trade was a 8.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, EVP Tolga Tanguler sold 1,469 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.98, for a total transaction of $368,689.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,191 shares in the company, valued at $3,310,677.18. This represents a 10.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,370 shares of company stock valued at $2,100,703. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:ALNY opened at $253.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.85 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 31.64, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 2.69. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $271.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.29. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $141.98 and a 12 month high of $304.39. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals ( NASDAQ:ALNY – Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.87) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.51) by ($0.36). The business had revenue of $500.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $532.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.15 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 33.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Profile ( Free Report ) Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel therapeutics based on ribonucleic acid interference. Its marketed products include ONPATTRO (patisiran) for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in adults; AMVUTTRA for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy in adults; GIVLAARI for the treatment of adults with acute hepatic porphyria; and OXLUMO for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria type 1. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — If the Giants' franchise-record 10th straight loss proved anything, it's that New York could use a young franchise quarterback. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. showed what a young QB can do on Sunday against the Giants, who need to learn from it. The No. 8 overall pick in the draft, Penix played a nearly flawless game in his first career start to help the Falcons thrash the woeful Giants 34-7 in their best performance in weeks. The Giants gambled in 2019 that Daniel Jones would be their franchise QB and it really never panned out. The one exception was the 2022 season, when the No. 6 overall pick had a career year and led New York to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff berth in the first season after Joe Schoen was hired as general manager and Brian Daboll was named coach. The Giants even won a playoff game. With the release of Jones last month, the Giants (2-13) are now a team without a quarterback who can perform at the level required of an NFL starter. Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock have split the last four starts but neither has provided much of a spark for the league's worst offense. Lock handed the Falcons the game with two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. To turn things around next season, the Giants must find a quarterback. “I’d say it’s very important,” Daboll said Monday. New York is going to have a high pick in the draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in late April. It could even be the No. 1 overall selection. Choosing the right quarterback is going to be hard. There isn't a can't-miss choice in 2025 draft and forcing one early would be a mistake. Unless the Giants are convinced that Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe or someone else is the next franchise player, they have have so many needs that it would be better to wheel and deal and fill as many holes as possible. Even if the Giants take a quarterback in the second round, there's bound to be someone available who has a chance to be better than what they have now. What’s working The calendar. The season ends in less than two weeks. What needs help The franchise is in disarray, and a shakeup appears likely. Daboll's future as the coach is not bright, considering the current skid and two straight losing seasons. Schoen has to share the blame and so do co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, who hired the GM and coach. Stock up LB Darius Muasau. The sixth-round draft pick out of UCLA has started the last three games since Bobby Okereke (back) was hurt and eventually put on injured reserve last week. Muasau had 11 tackles Sunday along with a quarterback hit and a tackle for a loss. He made the defensive calls after LB Micah McFadden left with a neck injury. Stock down Lock. In his starts, Lock has had three interceptions returned for touchdowns. He also lost a fumble on a strip-sack at Atlanta. Lock sustained a shoulder injury during the game and had an MRI on Monday. Injuries Besides Lock and McFadden, S Jason Pinnock (eye) also left the game. C John Michael Schmitz and RB Tyrone Tracy were evaluated for ankle injuries on Monday. Key number 1 — Thanks to the Raiders' victory over the Jaguars, the Giants will have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft with two more losses. Next steps For the ninth and final time, the Giants will try to find a way to win at MetLife Stadium. New York is 0-8 heading into Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Its only other winless season at home was in 1974 when New York played at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, while Giants Stadium was being built. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Tom Canavan, The Associated Press
Supreme Court Disposes 4,372 Cases In CJP Afridi's First MonthCollege football transfer portal opens as Oklahoma's Arnold, other top players look for a move
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints quarterback Derek Carr was willing to risk his health to improve New Orleans’ chances of playing meaningful football in mid-December. Now the Saints, who’ve remained mathematically alive in the playoff race by winning three of four, might have to play without Carr again — and it didn’t go well the last time. Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi declined on Monday to rule out Carr for any of New Orleans' final four games because of his injured non-throwing hand or his concussion . Both injuries occurred when he tried to leap for a first down and crashed hard to the turf during the fourth quarter of New Orleans' 14-11 victory over the reeling New York Giants on Sunday. “We’re not going to rule him out just yet,” Rizzi said. “We have to see in the next day or two what the healing process is like and see if he can function. “The good news it’s not his throwing hand,” Rizzi said. “The bad news is we’re obviously dealing with an injury here that we have to kind of play it by ear.” Rizzi noted that Carr must clear the concussion protocol first. After that, he said, the Saints can see how well Carr can operate with his hand injury. “It's been done before,” Rizzi said when asked about the prospect of an NFL QB playing with an injured non-throwing hand. “It appears at moment that it's non-surgical, which is a big aspect of it. ... That's why we're going to discuss the options.” Last season, Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert played with a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand . Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen has played part of this season with an injured non-throwing hand . If Carr can't play, his replacement will be either second-year pro Jake Haener or rookie Spencer Rattler. Rattler started three games earlier this season when Carr had an oblique injury — all losses by New Orleans, which was in the midst of a seven-game skid. “We've just got to surround whomever it is and pick him up and get him rolling with the rest of us,” guard Lucas Patrick said. “It's just another step of adversity in this long season that we’ve had.” What’s working New Orleans' interior defensive line is coming off one of its better games. Defensive tackles Bryan Bresee and Khalen Saunders accounted for both New Orleans' sacks in New York. The Saints also held the Giants to 112 yards rushing — a lower opponent rushing total than in seven other games this season. What needs help The Saints' 92 yards rushing offensively was their fourth-lowest total all season and the lowest in any of their victories. Stock up Running back Kendre Miller's future is looking a bit brighter now. He has played in just three games this season because of hamstring injuries and his lack of readiness was criticized by since-fired coach Dennis Allen earlier this season. Miller also has yet to rush for more than 36 yards in a game. But against the Giants, he earned praise for the speed, strength and elusiveness he was able to show on a couple of clutch runs, including an 8-yard run for his first and only touchdown this season. Patrick said Miller deserved credit on his scoring run for staying upright and continuing to push forward — with the help of some teammates — after he was met at the 5-yard line by a Giants defender. Patrick said if Miller didn't give the extra effort and stay on his feet, his teammates would not have had the chance to help push him across the goal line. “Kendre's definitely a bright, young runner and he's exciting to block for,” Patrick said. Stock down Blake Grupe was 0 for 2 on field goal attempts, although both were from beyond 50 yards and one was blocked. Those were Grupe's first two failures from beyond 50 yards this season. Injuries In addition to Carr, reserve linebacker D’Marco Jackson left Sunday's game with an ankle injury. Key number 0 — The number of games the Saints have won when Carr does not play. They've gone 5-5 in his starts this season. Next steps The Saints are back home Sunday against Washington in what could be ex-New Orleans cornerback Marshon Lattimore's first game with the Commanders. The game also marks the return to Louisiana of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the Heisman Troply last year at LSU. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Brett Martel, The Associated Press
The defending champions NZFFI Auckland All Stars showcased their dominance once again, defeating Flick Lautoka FC 2-0 in the first semi-final of the Flick Hygiene Pacific Community Cup at Churchill Park, Lautoka. Right from the kickoff, the Auckland side showed their strength, controlling possession and maintaining relentless pressure on Lautoka. James Hoyt broke the deadlock with a clinical finish in the 43rd minute, silencing the home crowd and putting his side in control. The hosts, despite showing glimpses of brilliance, struggled to keep up with the pace and precision of the defending champions. Lautoka created a few promising opportunities, but their finishing lacked the sharpness needed to trouble the Auckland defense. The second half saw Lautoka attempting to regroup, but the Auckland All Stars continued their aggressive play. Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Mohammad Nabeel found the back of the net, extending their lead to 2-0. The defending champions now await the winner of the second semi-final between the USA All Stars and NZFFI Manukau All Stars to see who they will face in the title clash.Brothers91/E+ via Getty Images As I was researching this article about AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV ), its price fell 16.8% due to negative data from two Phase 2 clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of emraclidine in treating schizophrenia. The stock fell in five consecutive sessions before Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Ex-DePaul guard leads N. Illinois against Chris Holtmann's Blue DemonsLos Angeles Chargers (7-4) at Atlanta (6-5) Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week
