UK firms jittery about rise in labour costs and Trump tariffs, survey shows

As the prime minister looks to shore up support in Western Australia, senior ministers have brushed aside polling showing the coalition on track to win the most seats at the upcoming federal election. or signup to continue reading Anthony Albanese will make a three-day visit to WA, with the state proving crucial to Labor's 2022 election victory. However, polling by Redbridge has shown the path to a second term for the government looking difficult, indicating Labor would not be able to govern in its own right. The polling showed the coalition would win 64 seats to Labor's 59, while a further 14 seats were too close to call. The remaining 13 seats were given to independents or minor parties. Education Minister Jason Clare said the election, due to be held by May, would be close, but he was not fazed by the polling. "Over the next few months, people are going to have a good hard look at (Opposition Leader) Peter Dutton," he told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. "They're going to kick the Dutton tyres and they're going to find out it's a bit of lemon. "The election will be tight ... there'll be a choice between our Labor government, which is cutting everyone's taxes and lifting wages, or Peter Dutton's Liberals that, to be frank, don't have any ideas." Deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley said polling had followed a shift in voter sentiment against the government. "People have had a long, hard look at Anthony Albanese ... since the last election, they haven't liked what they've seen," she told Seven's Sunrise. "Looking at this prime minister and the complete lack of leadership, all the promises he made, and the realities, it's clear that we need a change, and a coalition government will deliver that." The prime minister's visit to WA will coincide with him spruiking a $21 million investment in clean energy incentives for the state's critical minerals sector. WA has always been a mining powerhouse and even minor changes to the industry can reverberate through the state's economy. The state was also key to Labor's victory at the 2022 federal election, with the party picking up four seats from the coalition. Mr Albanese's grants are part of his government's signature initiative called the Future Made in Australia, a manufacturing package aimed at funding clean energy projects and creating jobs in the decarbonisation transition. Though he is making the announcement from WA, the grants have been allocated to companies in Queensland and South Australia as well, and are expected to create almost 400 new jobs. "A strong resources sector means a healthy economy and good, well paid local jobs," Mr Albanese said. It comes as mining magnate Clive Palmer announced his United Australia Party would look to re-register the organisation ahead of the election. Mr Palmer voluntarily deregistered the party in 2022, but said he would lodge a challenge in the High Court to allow for candidates to run under the UAP banner at the 2025 poll. "The Electoral Act states that a deregistered party that seeks re-registration can only contest the election after next. We don't believe this is conducive to running a free and fair election as our constitution demands," he said. Mr Palmer spent more than $120 million in campaigning during the 2022 election, which resulted in just one senator, Victorian Ralph Babet, being elected. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement Advertisement

Israeli police set to probe Netanyahu’s wife over ‘harassment of witnesses’

ST. LOUIS , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Watkins , President of Abstrakt, is shedding light on the significant challenges businesses face when building in-house Sales Development Representative (SDR) teams. Rising costs, complex technology needs, and extended timelines are making outsourcing an increasingly attractive option for companies seeking efficient and effective sales solutions. "We often find companies have already tried to do this all on their own and struggled," said Watkins. "It's a lot of puzzle pieces to put together, and working with a professional team that does this exclusively often gets better results." Watkins noted that businesses often underestimate the full scope of building an SDR team, from recruiting and onboarding skilled personnel to investing in necessary software and AI tools. Additional hurdles include developing outreach strategies, maintaining accountability metrics, and ensuring consistent performance tracking. "Building your own team can be a good route if you have the fully dedicated resources to do so," Watkins said. "But it requires a lot of software, content planning, research tools, and follow-through on sequencing." The rise of AI-driven sales tools has added to the complexity, with many companies struggling to optimize these technologies for maximum impact. Watkins explained that companies often lack the expertise to effectively integrate AI into their outreach efforts, further extending the time and cost required to build a functional SDR team. For many businesses, outsourcing to specialized teams like Abstrakt provides a faster and more cost-effective solution. By eliminating the need for ongoing training, technology investment, and process development, outsourcing offers immediate access to experienced professionals and proven systems. Abstrakt, which handles over 100,000 appointments annually across industries, has seen firsthand how outsourcing delivers measurable results for its clients. "Evaluate your resources, timeline, and ability to stay accountable to your sales goals," Watkins advised. "If there are gaps, partnering with a team that specializes in this work can help you grow faster and more effectively." Abstrakt is a B2B lead generation and marketing agency based in St. Louis, Missouri . With over a decade of experience, the company specializes in omnichannel appointment setting and helping businesses achieve measurable growth. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eric-watkins-of-abstrakt-highlights-the-challenges-of-building-internal-sdr-teams-302337750.html SOURCE Abstrakt Marketing Group

The bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence released a this week that recommends more federal support for teacher AI training, school AI product procurement, AI literacy lessons, and the expansion and improvement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes nationwide. The 24-member AI Task Force was by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in February to find out how Congress can help advance the responsible use and development of AI in America, according to a Wednesday. Those recommendations came in this week’s , which spans 253 pages and covers AI issues in 15 areas, from national security and civil rights to energy usage and agriculture. In a 23-page section on education and the workforce, the task force calls on Congress to boost support for K-12 STEM and AI education. Specifically, the report asks Congress to back federal funding for teacher professional development, with an emphasis on AI literacy for educators. It also states that Congress and the executive branch should find a way to simplify the process of choosing effective AI tools for education. The goal is to equip U.S. schools and students with the technology, curriculum and skills to ensure the U.S. has “the appropriate talent needed to research, develop and deploy AI applications,” the document states. Currently, math and science scores in the U.S. lag behind those of other developed countries, there’s a widespread lack of basic STEM skills among U.S. students, and 40 percent of U.S. public high schools have no computer science classes, per the report. These are barriers to AI proficiency that must be addressed, according to Pat Yongpradit, chief academic officer of the nonprofit Code.org and leader of the initiative, who testified before the AI Task Force. “With computer science, I mean, kids don’t even have access to it. There are lots of kids in schools that might want to learn computer science that can’t because it’s just not on the menu,” he said. “Let’s start with that access and participation, and maybe then we can start worrying about whether kids are really learning what they need to learn in an age of AI. That’s a huge fundamental gap right now, if we want people to be AI literate.” To bridge that gap, the task force recommends a targeted focus on improving STEM education and access in all schools, including those in rural and underserved communities. This will allow U.S. students to achieve basic AI literacy and, in turn, open the door to more advanced AI work, according to the report. The document defines AI literacy as understanding how AI works, using AI responsibly, awareness of its social and ethical impacts, and understanding of its potential benefits and risks. The report makes many of the same recommendations for higher education, with an added focus on increasing AI-related workforce training and university access to the computational power and data needed to train complex AI systems. The hope is that the report will build knowledge and consensus among members of Congress as to how the federal government can best support educators in the age of AI, according to Erin Mote, chief executive officer of the nonprofit InnovateEDU and leader of the . EDSAFE members met with the AI Task Force to provide content and advice for the education chapter, Mote said, adding that the goal was to “close the feedback loop between policy and practice.” She said she believes recommendations in the report will have strong bipartisan support at the federal level. “If we want to continue to be the most innovative country in the world, we need to invest not just in the technology and the infrastructure, but we need to invest in our workforce and in our education system,” Mote said. “I think there are some uncommon alliances around this work that we all need to do to really think about the AI in education use case and public infrastructure.”We have been at the edge of a precipice since December 1990 and more so since April 1991. The foreign exchange crisis constitutes a serious threat to the sustainability of growth processes and orderly implementation of our development programmes. Due to the combination of unfavourable internal and external factors, the inflationary pressures on the price level have increased very substantially since mid-1990. The people of India have to face double digit inflation which hurts most the poorer sections of our society. In sum, the crisis in the economy is both acute and deep. We have not experienced anything similar in the history of independent India... ET Year-end Special Reads Corporate Kalesh: Top family disputes of India Inc in 2024 The world of business lost these eminent people in 2024 Fast, faster, fastest: How 2024 put more speed into your shopping Also Read: Manmohan Singh: The reformist who mastered the art of wielding delegated authority Also Read: Manmohan Singh passes away at 92; PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and others mourn former PM's demise There is no time to lose. Neither the government nor the economy can live beyond its means year after year. The room for maneuver, to live on borrowed money or time, does not exist any more. Any further postponement of macroeconomic adjustment, long overdue, would mean that the balance of payments situation, now exceedingly difficult, would become unmanageable and inflation, already high, would exceed limits of tolerance. Also Read: Remembering Dr. Manmohan Singh: A legacy of economic reforms and leadership Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program For improving the management of the economy, the starting point, and indeed the centre-piece of our strategy, should be a credible fiscal adjustment and macroeconomic stabilisation during the current financial year, to be followed by continued fiscal consolidation thereafter. This process would, inevitably, need at least three years, if not longer, to complete. But there can be no adjustment without pain. The people must be prepared to make necessary sacrifices to preserve our economic independence and restore the health of our economy. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Key Medical Aesthetics Market Trend 2024-2033: Robotic-Assisted Surgery AdoptionThe Reds ultimately left St James’ Park with only a point after Fabian Schar snatched a 3-3 draw at the end of a pulsating encounter, but Salah’s double – his 14th and 15th goals of the season – transformed a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead before the Switzerland defender’s late intervention. The 32-year-old Egypt international’s future at Anfield remains a topic of debate with his current contract running down. Asked about Salah’s future, Slot said: “It’s difficult for me to predict the long-term future, but the only thing I can expect or predict is that he is in a very good place at the moment. Two goals and an assist for Mo tonight 👏 pic.twitter.com/tMXidgeA0P — Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 4, 2024 “He plays in a very good team that provides him with good opportunities and then he is able to do special things. “And what makes him for me even more special is that in the first hour or before we scored to make it 1-1, you thought, ‘He’s not playing his best game today’, and to then come up with a half-hour or 45 minutes – I don’t know how long it was – afterwards with an assist, two goals, having a shot on the bar, being a constant threat, that is something not many players can do if they’ve played the first hour like he did. “That is also what makes him special. If you just look at the goals, his finish is so clinical. He’s a special player, but that’s what we all know.” Salah did indeed endure a quiet opening 45 minutes by his standards and it was the Magpies who went in at the break a goal to the good after Alexander Isak’s stunning 35th-minute finish. Slot said: “The shot from Isak, I don’t even know if Caoimh (keeper Caoimhin Kelleher) saw that ball, as hard as it was.” Salah set up Curtis Jones to level five minutes into the second half and after Anthony Gordon has restored the hosts’ lead, levelled himself from substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 68th-minute cross. He looked to have won it with a fine turn and finish – his ninth goal in seven league games – seven minutes from time, only for Schar to pounce from a tight angle in the 90th minute. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was delighted with the way his team took the game to the Reds four days after their disappointing 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. Howe, who admitted his surprise that VAR official Stuart Attwell had not taken a dimmer view of a Virgil van Dijk shoulder barge on Gordon, said: “It’s mixed emotions. “Part of me feels we should have won it – a big part of me – but part of me is pleased we didn’t lose either because it was such a late goal for us. “Generally, I’m just pleased with the performance. There was much more attacking output, a much better feel about the team. “There was much better energy, and it was a really good performance against, for me, the best team we’ve played so far this season in the Premier League, so it was a big jump forward for us.”

None