gogo jili helens

gogo jili helens LOS ANGELES — The four words were first spoken here on a bright spring afternoon at Camelback Ranch, my astonished syllables joining similar tones of amazement floating from every corner of a crowded press box. "Are you kidding me?" Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Mercer, a global leader in workforce and investment solutions, released its 2024 Quality of Life Cities ranking, evaluating 241 cities for living conditions suited to international assignees and their families. Santo Domingo placed 167th globally, reflecting ongoing challenges in public services and transportation. In Latin America, Montevideo leads the region at 92nd, followed by San Juan (95th), Buenos Aires (97th), and Santiago (98th). Notably, Mexico City showed significant improvement, climbing 14 positions to 116th. Zurich, Switzerland, claimed the top spot globally due to its robust infrastructure, safety, cultural vibrancy, and sustainability initiatives. Other top-ranked cities include Vienna (Austria), Geneva (Switzerland), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Auckland (New Zealand). European cities dominate the top ten, solidifying the continent’s appeal to international assignees. Mercer emphasized the importance of assessing factors like political stability, social environment, and cost implications for expatriates. According to Yvonne Traber, Mercer’s Global Mobility Leader, companies must prioritize quality of life and affordability to manage global mobility effectively. Latin American cities continue to grow in attractiveness for international mobility, offering natural beauty, recreational options, and competitive costs despite infrastructural hurdles.NoneNone

Mohammad Dilshad worked as a retail manager before foraying into the field of journalism out of sheer passion for the field. Armed with over a decade of experience with various news channels & print media, he covers crime, politics, education and human-interest issues in the Agra/Aligarh region as senior correspondent Read More ​How to make Masala Chicken Curry at home​ 10 beautiful animals that are pink in colour 10 easy-to-care-for beautiful freshwater fish for home aquariums 9 vegetarian dishes shine in the ‘100 Best Dishes in the World’ list ​10 rare animals found only in Asia​ In pics: Sai Pallavi's vacation to Australia 8 books that will help develop discipline and good habits in 2025 Sanskrit names for baby boy that sound modern 18 stews and soups shine among the '100 Best Dishes in the World' 9 foods that provide over 30 grams of protein when cooked

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agora, Inc. (NASDAQ: API) (the “Company”), a pioneer and leader in real-time engagement technology, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. “Recently, we launched our Conversational AI SDK in collaboration with OpenAI’s Realtime API to allow developers to bring voice-driven AI experiences to any app. We believe multimodal AI agents that can interact with human through natural voice will gain widespread adoption across many use cases such as customer support, education and wellness, and Agora is well positioned to become a key infrastructure provider for real-time conversational AI,” said Tony Zhao, founder, chairman and CEO of Agora. “To support this vision, we recently made some structural changes, aligning our organization to fully leverage the accelerating conversational AI opportunities, and operate in a faster, leaner, and more responsive fashion. These changes will help us build the next generation real-time engagement technology for the Generative AI era and strengthen our position as the leader in real-time engagement space.” Third Quarter 2024 Highlights Total revenues for the quarter were $31.6 million, a decrease of 9.8% from $35.0 million in the third quarter of 2023, which included decreased revenue from certain end-of-sale products of $2.4 million. Agora: $15.7 million for the quarter, an increase of 2.6% from $15.3 million in the third quarter of 2023. Shengwang: RMB112.9 million ($15.9 million) for the quarter, a decrease of 20.0% from RMB141.2 million ($19.7 million) in the third quarter of 2023, which included decreased revenue from certain end-of-sale products of RMB17.5 million ($2.4 million). Active Customers Agora: 1,762 as of September 30, 2024, an increase of 5.9% from 1,664 as of September 30, 2023. Shengwang: 3,641 as of September 30, 2024, a decrease of 9.7% from 4,034 as of September 30, 2023. Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate Agora: 94% for the trailing 12-month period ended September 30, 2024. Shengwang: 78% for the trailing 12-month period ended September 30, 2024. Net loss for the quarter was $24.2 million, which included expenses of $11.4 million in relation to the cancellation of certain employees’ equity awards, severance expenses of $4.8 million, and losses from equity in affiliates of $4.2 million, compared to net loss of $22.5 million in the third quarter of 2023. After excluding share-based compensation expenses, acquisition related expenses, amortization expenses of acquired intangible assets and income tax related to acquired intangible assets, non-GAAP net loss for the quarter was $10.4 million, compared to the non-GAAP net loss of $15.6 million in the third quarter of 2023. Total cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and financial products issued by banks as of September 30, 2024 was $362.6 million. Net cash used in operating activities for the quarter was $4.6 million, compared to $3.0 million in the third quarter of 2023. Free cash flow for the quarter was negative $6.0 million, compared to negative $3.2 million in the third quarter of 2023. Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results Revenues Total revenues were $31.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 9.8% from $35.0 million in the same period last year. Revenues of Agora were $15.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 2.6% from $15.3 million in the same period last year, primarily due to our business expansion and usage growth in sectors such as live shopping. Revenues of Shengwang were RMB112.9 million ($15.9 million) in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 20.0% from RMB141.2 million ($19.7 million) in the same period last year, primarily due to a decrease in revenues of RMB 17.5 million ($2.4 million) due to the end-of-sale of certain products and reduced usage from customers in certain sectors such as social and entertainment as a result of challenging macroeconomic and regulatory environment. Cost of Revenues Cost of revenues was $10.5 million in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 16.4% from $12.6 million in the same period last year, primarily due to the end-of-sale of certain products and the decrease in bandwidth usage and costs, which was offset partially by severance expenses for customer support teams of $0.3 million. Gross Profit and Gross Margin Gross profit was $21.0 million in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 6.1% from $22.4 million in the same period last year. Gross margin was 66.7% in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 2.7% from 64.0% in the same period last year, mainly due to the end-of-sale of certain low-margin products, which was offset partially by higher severance expenses in the third quarter of 2024. Operating Expenses Operating expenses were $45.9 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 24.3% from $36.9 million in the same period last year, primarily due to the increase in restructuring and severance expenses in the third quarter of 2024, which included share-based compensation of $11.4 million as a result of the cancellation of certain employees’ equity awards and immediate recognition of relevant remaining unrecognized compensation expenses, as well as severance expenses of $4.4 million. Research and development expenses were $29.3 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 46.1% from $20.0 million in the same period last year, primarily due to restructuring and severance expenses in the third quarter of 2024, including share-based compensation of $9.0 million due to equity award cancellation and severance expenses of $3.6 million. Sales and marketing expenses were $6.9 million in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 11.9% from $7.8 million in the same period last year, primarily due to a decrease in personnel costs as the Company optimized its global workforce, which was offset partially by severance expenses of $0.7 million in the third quarter of 2024. General and administrative expenses were $9.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 7.4% from $9.1 million in the same period last year, primarily due to restructuring and severance expenses in the third quarter of 2024, including share-based compensation of $2.4 million as a result of the equity award cancellation, which was offset partially by a decrease in personnel costs as the Company optimized its global workforce. Loss from Operations Loss from operations was $24.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $13.9 million in the same period last year. Interest Income Interest income was $3.9 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $4.9 million in the same period last year, primarily due to the decrease in the average balance of cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and financial products issued by banks and the decrease in average interest rate realized. Losses from equity in affiliates Losses from equity in affiliates were $4.2 million in the third quarter of 2024, primarily due to an impairment loss on an investment in certain private company of $4.1 million. Net Loss Net loss was $24.2 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $22.5 million in the same period last year. Net Loss per American Depositary Share attributable to ordinary shareholders Net loss per American Depositary Share (“ADS”)1 attributable to ordinary shareholders was $0.26 in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $0.23 in the same period last year. 1 One ADS represents four Class A ordinary shares. Share Repurchase Program During the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Company repurchased approximately 6.8 million of its Class A ordinary shares (equivalent to approximately 1.7 million ADSs) for approximately US$3.9 million under its share repurchase program, representing 1.9% of its US$200 million share repurchase program. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had repurchased approximately 129.4 million of its Class A ordinary shares (equivalent to approximately 32.3 million ADSs) for approximately US$113.7 million under its share repurchase program, representing 57% of its US$200 million share repurchase program. As of September 30, 2024, the Company had 368.3 million ordinary shares (equivalent to approximately 92.1 million ADSs) outstanding, compared to 449.8 million ordinary shares (equivalent to approximately 112.5 million ADSs) outstanding as of January 31, 2022 before the share repurchase program commenced. The current share repurchase program will expire at the end of February 2025. Executive Leadership Update Today the Company announced that Chief Security Officer Roger Hale will be leaving the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Hale has served in this role for the past 2.5 years, during which he made significant contributions to enhancing the Company’s security, compliance, and data protection protocols. Mr. Hale will work closely with senior leadership to ensure a smooth transition of his responsibilities. Moving forward, Patrick Ferriter and Robbin Liu will assume responsibility for security and compliance, reflecting the Company’s commitment to maintaining a strong and effective security framework. Mr. Hale will continue to provide strategic advice as an advisor to the Company. “We are grateful for Roger’s dedication and expertise over the past two and a half years. His leadership has been invaluable in strengthening our security & compliance foundation,” said Tony Zhao, founder, chairman and CEO of Agora. “Security and compliance remain top priorities for Agora, and we will continue to uphold the highest standards to protect our customers and stakeholders.” Financial Outlook Based on currently available information, the Company expects total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024 to be between $34 million and $36 million, compared to $31.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, and $33.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 if revenues from certain end-of-sale low-margin products were excluded. The Company also expects significant improvement in net income / (loss) in the fourth quarter. This outlook reflects the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change. Earnings Call The Company will host a conference call to discuss the financial results at 5 p.m. Pacific Time / 8 p.m. Eastern Time on November 25, 2024. Details for the conference call are as follows: Event title: Agora, Inc. 3Q 2024 Financial Results The call will be available at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/wie28zvr Investors who want to hear the call should log on at least 15 minutes prior to the broadcast. Participants may register for the call with the link below. https://register.vevent.com/register/BIf58a0b6f500c4362b1a8c64f9fa4cea8 Please visit the Company’s investor relations website at https://investor.agora.io on November 25, 2024 to view the earnings release and accompanying slides prior to the conference call. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company has provided in this press release financial information that has not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally in analyzing its financial results and believe that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors as an additional tool to evaluate ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing its financial results with other companies in its industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures. Besides free cash flow (as defined below), each of these non-GAAP financial measures represents the corresponding GAAP financial measure before share-based compensation expenses, acquisition related expenses, amortization expenses of acquired intangible assets, income tax related to acquired intangible assets and impairment of goodwill. The Company believes that such non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be distorted by the effects of such share-based compensation expenses, acquisition related expenses, amortization expenses of acquired intangible assets, income tax related to acquired intangible assets and impairment of goodwill that it includes in its cost of revenues, total operating expenses and net income (loss). The Company believes that all such non-GAAP financial measures also provide useful information about its operating results, enhance the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by its management in its financial and operational decision-making. Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP financial measures and should be read only in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of its historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures has been provided in the tables captioned “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures” included at the end of this press release, and investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation. Definitions of the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release are presented below. Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss) Non-GAAP net income (loss) is defined as net income (loss) adjusted to exclude share-based compensation expenses, acquisition related expenses, amortization expenses of acquired intangible assets, income tax related to acquired intangible assets and impairment of goodwill. Free Cash Flow Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment (excluding the acquisition of land use right and the payment for the headquarters project). The Company considers free cash flow to be a liquidity measure that provides useful information to management and investors regarding net cash provided by operating activities and cash used for investments in property and equipment required to maintain and grow the business. Operating Metrics The Company also uses other operating metrics included in this press release and defined below to assess the performance of its business. Active Customers An active customer at the end of any period is defined as an organization or individual developer from which the Company generated more than $100 of revenue during the preceding 12 months. Customers are counted based on unique customer account identifiers. Generally, one software application uses the same customer account identifier throughout its life cycle while one account may be used for multiple applications. Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate is calculated for a trailing 12-month period by first identifying all customers in the prior 12-month period, and then calculating the quotient from dividing the revenue generated from such customers in the trailing 12-month period by the revenue generated from the same group of customers in the prior 12-month period. As the vast majority of revenue generated from Agora’s customers is denominated in U.S. dollars, while the vast majority of revenue generated from Shengwang’s customers is denominated in Renminbi, Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate is calculated in U.S. dollars for Agora and in Renminbi for Shengwang, which has substantially removed the impact of foreign currency translations. Shengwang excluded the revenues from certain end-of-sale products, Easemob’s CEC business and K12 academic tutoring sector. The Company believes Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate facilitates operating performance comparisons on a period-to-period basis. Safe Harbor Statements This press release contains “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 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical or current fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company’s financial outlook, beliefs and expectations. Forward-looking statements include statements containing words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “project,” “will” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. Among other things, the Financial Outlook in this announcement contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks related to the growth of the RTE-PaaS market; the Company’s ability to manage its growth and expand its operations; the continued impact of COVID-19 on global markets and the Company’s business, operations and customers; the Company’s ability to attract new developers and convert them into customers; the Company’s ability to retain existing customers and expand their usage of its platform and products; the Company’s ability to drive popularity of existing use cases and enable new use cases, including through quality enhancements and introduction of new products, features and functionalities; the Company’s fluctuating operating results; competition; the effect of broader technological and market trends on the Company’s business and prospects; general economic conditions and their impact on customer and end-user demand; and other risks and uncertainties included elsewhere in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, without limitation, the final prospectus related to the IPO filed with the SEC on June 26, 2020. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. About Agora, Inc. Agora, Inc. is the Cayman Islands holding company of two independent divisions, under Agora brand and Shengwang brand, respectively, whose businesses are conducted through separate entities. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, Agora is a pioneer and global leader in Real-Time Engagement Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), providing developers with simple, flexible, and powerful application programming interfaces, or APIs, to embed real-time voice, video, interactive live-streaming, chat, whiteboard, and artificial intelligence capabilities into their applications. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, Shengwang is a pioneer and leading Real-Time Engagement PaaS provider in the China market. For more information on Agora, please visit: www.agora.io For more information on Shengwang, please visit: www.shengwang.cn Agora, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited, in US$ thousands) Agora, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited, in US$ thousands, except share and per ADS amounts) Agora, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited, in US$ thousands) Agora, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures (Unaudited, in US$ thousands, except share and per ADS amounts) Investor Contact: investor@agora.io Media Contact: press@agora.ioThanksgiving Travel Latest: Airport strike, staff shortages and weather could impact holiday travel

Flight passenger ignites debate after posting photo of traveler's coat thrown over seatMANSFIELD, Mass., Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 3Daughters, Inc., a clinical development company fueling evolutionary healthcare for women, is proud to be honored as a 2024 Eddy Award winner at the Massachusetts Innovation Network Celebration and Awards night on November 20. This prestigious award, which counts industry leaders like Genzyme and Insulet among past recipients, recognized 3Daughters for its innovative frameless IUD and integrated system that is intended to replace the outdated T-shaped plastic-framed IUDs. Current IUDs are associated with significant insertion pain that scares women away from getting one of the most effective forms of birth control. The Eddies program, a highly competitive innovation showcase, spanned eight months and featured nearly 100 startups across diverse sectors. The event concluded in a live pitch competition, where 3Daughters was recognized as a finalist and standout innovator, spotlighting the company's contributions to advancing solutions for women's health, a sector that continues to receive less than 1% of total R&D funding. "This recognition by the Massachusetts Innovation Network is a testament to the innovative design of our IUD and integrated system and the pressing need for improved options for contraception and women's health,” said Mary Beth Cicero, CEO of 3Daughters. "Millions of women rely on birth control for decades of their lives, yet the barriers they face, such as pain during IUD insertion, have gone largely unaddressed. At 3Daughters, we are committed to breaking these barriers and delivering solutions that are truly innovative and prioritize women's needs.” 3Daughters' innovative technology platform is based on physics and geometry and is designed to deliver targeted therapy into the uterus. Our lead product, 3D-001 , is a frameless, non-hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) combined with the patented SliderTM (inserter/retriever), in essence an integrated system, to eliminate steps and pain points as well as dangling strings need for removal, to make it easier for physicians and less painful for women. This sophisticated integrated system represents a marked departure from the traditional and outdated T-shape framed IUDs that are available now and have a 'fear factor' due to insertion pain and other problems. The Eddies program is renowned for connecting startups with mentorship, entrepreneurial resources, and commercialization opportunities. This milestone recognition comes as 3Daughters pursues a Series A financing of $15 million to fund the advancement of 3D-001 into Phase 1 clinical trials next year. About 3Daughters 3Daughters is a clinical development company focused on evolutionary healthcare for women where cutting-edge research and innovation is desperately needed. The Company's technology platform is based on physics and geometry to deliver targeted therapy to the uterus. The first product, (3D-001), is a frameless, magnetic, non-hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) for long-acting contraception that conforms to a woman's body. Combined with our unique, patented SliderTM system (for insertion and retrieval), we will eliminate the most painful steps in the insertion process as well as the nuisance factor of strings (needed for removal). 3Daughters' vision is to solve difficult health issues for women, particularly significant, and neglected, problems. 3Daughters plans to radically disrupt the IUD market by addressing the major adoption barrier - insertion pain. This pain is associated with all current rigid, plastic T-shape framed IUDs on the market and prevents women from selecting one of the most effective forms of birth control. Visit 3daughtershealth.com for more information. About the Eddies The Eddies, organized by the Massachusetts Innovation Network , celebrates the best of New England innovation, supporting startups in their journey toward scaling and commercialization. Winners represent the region's most promising innovators across diverse sectors, from life sciences to cleantech. Contact Louis Scotti Senior Vice President, Business Operations & Corporate Development [email protected]Ituka scores 18 off the bench, Jacksonville State downs East Carolina 86-78

By Stephanie Lai and Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News Donald Trump says he is selecting venture capitalist David Sacks of Craft Ventures LLC to serve as his artificial intelligence and crypto czar, a newly created position that underscores the president-elect’s intent to boost two rapidly developing industries. “David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas,” Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump said that Sacks would also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology. In Sacks, Trump is tapping one of his most prominent Silicon Valley supporters and fundraisers for a prime position in his administration. Sacks played a key role in bolstering Trump’s fundraising among technology industry donors, including co-hosting an event at his San Francisco home in June, with tickets at $300,000 a head. He is also closely associated with Vice President-elect JD Vance, the investor-turned-Ohio senator. Sacks is a venture capitalist and part of Silicon Valley’s “PayPal Mafia.” He first made his name in the technology industry during a stint as the chief operating officer of PayPal, the payments company whose founders in the late 1990s included billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and investor Peter Thiel. After it was sold to eBay, Sacks turned to Hollywood, where he produced the 2005 satire Thank You for Smoking. Back in Silicon Valley, he founded workplace communications company Yammer, which was bought by Microsoft Corp. in 2012 for $1.2 billion. He founded his own venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, in 2017 and has invested in Musk-owned businesses, including SpaceX. Sacks said on a recent episode of his All-In podcast that a “key man” clause in the agreements of his venture firm’s legal documents would likely prevent him from taking a full-time position, but he might consider an advisory role in the new administration. A Craft spokeswoman said Sacks would not be leaving Craft. In his post, Trump said Sacks “will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship.” Protecting free speech is a keen interest of Sacks. He regularly speaks about “woke” interests that try to muzzle unpopular opinions and positions. The new post is expected to help spearhead the crypto industry deregulation Trump promised on the campaign trail. The role is expected to provide cryptocurrency advocates a direct line to the White House and serve as a liaison between Trump, Congress and the federal agencies that interface with digital assets, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Trump heavily campaigned on supporting crypto, after previously disparaging digital assets during his first White House term, saying their “value is highly volatile and based on thin air.” The president-elect on Thursday said Sacks would “work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.” During the campaign, Trump spoke at a Bitcoin conference, accepted crypto campaign donations and met with executives from Bitcoin mining companies and crypto exchanges multiple times. Trump’s desire to give priority to the digital asset industry is also reflected in his close allies and cabinet selections, including his Commerce secretary pick, Howard Lutnick, and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent. On the AI front, Sacks would help Trump put his imprint on an emerging technology whose popular use has exploded in recent years. Sacks is poised to be at the front lines in determining how the federal government both adopts AI and regulates its use as advances in the technology and adoption by consumers pose a wide array of benefits as well as risks touching on national security, privacy, jobs and other areas. The president-elect has expressed both awe at the power of AI technology as well as concern over the potential harms from its use. During his first term, he signed executive orders that sought to maintain US leadership in the field and directed the federal government to prioritize AI in research and development spending. As AI has become more mainstream in recent years and with Congress slow to act, President Joe Biden has sought to fill that void. Biden signed an executive order in 2023 that establishes security and privacy protections and requires developers to safety-test new models, casting the sweeping regulatory order as necessary to safeguard consumers. A number of technology giants have also agreed to adopt a set of voluntary safeguards which call for them to test AI systems for discriminatory tendencies or security flaws and to share those results. Trump has vowed to repeal Biden’s order. The Republican Party’s 2024 platform dismissed Biden’s executive order as one that “hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology.” Sacks can be expected to work closely with Musk, the world’s richest person and one of the president-elect’s most prominent supporters. Musk is also a player in the AI space with his company xAI and a chatbot named Grok — efforts which pit him against Silicon Valley’s giants — and he stands to wield significant influence within the incoming administration. The appointment won’t require Sacks to divest or publicly disclose his assets. Like Musk, Sacks will be a special government employee. He can serve a maximum of 130 days per year, with or without compensation. However, conflict of interest rules apply to special government employees, meaning Sacks will have to recuse himself from matters that could impact his holdings. Sacks’s Craft Ventures is known more for enterprise software investing than for crypto, but it has made a few crypto investments, including BitGo and Bitwise. Still, Sacks has firm opinions on the sector. Speaking last month on All-In, Sacks praised a bill on crypto regulation that had passed in the U.S. House but not the Senate earlier this year. The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act would regulate certain types of digital assets as a commodity, regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “The crypto industry basically wants a really clear line for knowing when they’re a commodity and they want commodities to be governed, like all other commodities, by the CFTC,” he said on the November podcast. He also disparaged some of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s positions on crypto under its chair, Gary Gensler. “The days of Gensler terrifying crypto companies,” he said. “Those days are about to be over.” Earlier this week, Trump nominated crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the SEC. With assistance from Zoe Ma, Bill Allison, Sarah McBride, Anne VanderMey and stacy-marie ishmael. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.The bereaved whale mother who made headlines when she heartbreakingly grieved her dead baby for more than two weeks has given birth to a new calf, scientists said. The mama orca, named J35 by researchers, was unable to let her calf go in 2018, carrying her baby’s lifeless body with her along a one-thousand-mile grief journey. But last Friday, scientists spotted the devoted mom with a new female calf in the Puget Sound, according to a Facebook post from the Center for Whale Research. By Monday scientists were confident the new little calf, called J61, belonged to J35. A nature enthusiast and photographer was excited when they realized they had photographed the tiny dorsal fin of the newborn peaking out of the water, according to CNN. “My first reaction to seeing the calf was complete shock. I was just looking through my photos to see who the whales were that passed close to the port side of the ferry I was on and noticed a much smaller dorsal on one of the photos,” the person told the news outlet. “As I scrolled through the series I realized it was very tiny calf, much smaller than any of the known young ones in the group. Based on the size and color of the calf, I realized it was a new calf and traveling with J35, my spark whale, the whale that started my obsession,” they said. The brand new baby will need help from her mom to survive the perilous first weeks of life for baby whales. “Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year. J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days,” the Facebook post from the Center for Whale Research said. The calf was spotted being pushed around by her mom Tuesday and didn’t look lively, but the behavior of whale babies is not well understood, according to a post on X from the Orca Conservancy. Scientists said access to salmon, the whales’ main food source, is imperative for the survival of the large mammals. “Every single birth counts and these whales need enough fish to be able to support themselves and their calves,” the Center for Whale Research’s Facebook post said. This is the second baby J35 has given birth to since she famously lost her other baby in 2018. In 2020 J35 was seen with another newborn. The mother whale is part of a critically endangered pod of whales who live in the Pacific Northwest and roam the Pacific Ocean between Washington state and British Columbia. Killer whales have strong social ties and continue to help their children even after they are fully grown, according to researchers. As of December 2023, the J-pod of whales had 75 members, according to whale researchers who have been monitoring the pod of whales since the 1970s. Originally published as Killer whale mum who carried her dead baby for 17 days across 1,600km of ocean gives birth to new calf

Texas lawmakers are scrutinizing university professors’ influenceWomen’s advocates say provincial and federal governments need to step up efforts to create housing for people escaping gender-based violence because too many women are forced to remain in unsafe situations after being abused. A study released last week by Women’s Shelters Canada says the country’s housing crisis is preventing many people from finding affordable and safe housing after leaving their abuser. Of the 381 shelters and transition houses that responded, 94 per cent of emergency shelters and 83 per cent of transition homes said victims were staying longer than they had in the past while searching for housing. The report also said when people do leave the facilities, about half return to their abusers because they have no other options. More than two-thirds of the women end up in housing situations considered precarious, which meant they were living with friends or families or trading work for rent. A full 36 per cent experience homelessness at some point. Anna Morgan, manager of programs and services at Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter in Etobicoke, Ont., says her organization has seen enormous demand for services as rents in the Greater Toronto Area soar. Her shelter is meant to provide short-term accommodation for women escaping violence, but it has become more like a transition house as people struggle to find a new place to live. READ MORE: Sooke Transition House sounds alarm over lack of options for women with pets fleeing domestic abuse “We’re over capacity,” Morgan said in a phone interview this week. “The shelter system is becoming basically transitional housing for people, and they (the shelters) are really not set up to be housing.” She said the shelter had to turn away 312 people in the fiscal year that ended March 31, and it is on track to turn away a high number again this year. The shelter helps women and gender-diverse people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Many people come from the GTA and neighbouring communities, but Morgan says sometimes people arrive from out of province or even as refugees. The vast majority of people coming to the shelter are “deeply poor,” she says, either on social assistance or working minimum wage jobs. The average rent in Toronto is $3,091 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Rentals.com, and the wait for social housing is 10 years after getting on the wait-list. Morgan said the report’s findings ring true. In her experience, it’s common for people leaving the shelter system to either couch-surf or get back together with their abusers or into “other precarious, exploitative situations.” “They’re getting stuck in that cycle of experiencing gender-based violence and housing instability and precarity,” she said. As well, private landlords sometimes discriminate against people looking to rent based on their race, gender or sexual orientation. Morgan says many landlords also don’t want to rent to people with children, adding further barriers. Outside of Canada’s major urban hubs, smaller communities are also seeing high rates of gender-based violence and increased demand for help. In Moose Jaw, Sask., Jenn Angus of the Moose Jaw Transition House says the lack of affordable housing has driven up the length of stays for clients in her shelter every year for the last five years. “It’s disheartening,” Angus said in a phone interview this week, adding that it is becoming more common for people to stay between 50 and 70 days, when in previously people could find housing within three weeks. Women with children experience the longest stays, Angus added. SEE ALSO: ‘One is too many’: Vigil held to remember the women killed by femicide Angus added she’s noticed a growing trend of people seeking affordable shelter leaving Moose Jaw — a city of about 40,000 people with what she called a good slate of social services — for rural areas, where there are fewer support services. Saskatchewan had the highest rate of police-reported domestic violence among the provinces in 2023 according to Statistics Canada. Jessica Montgomery of the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation in Morinville, Alta., said finding affordable housing can be difficult for women leaving their abusers because they often leave with little more than “the clothes on their back” and a suitcase. “A lot of survivors coming to us have also experienced economic abuse,” she said, explaining their abusers either had control over their finances or didn’t allow them to work. “It makes them harder to leave because they don’t have the resources to establish a new life.” Montgomery and Angus said the cost of setting up a new home — hooking up utilities, stocking the pantry, finding furniture — is an obstacle for victims trying to make a fresh start. They both said there’s an urgent need for governments at the federal and provincial levels to add funding to housing projects specifically for survivors of gender-based violence and to cut down on wait times for people applying for social assistance programs. In Nova Scotia, the commission of inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting — which began with the gunman brutally assaulting his spouse — called for “epidemic-level funding” to deal with domestic violence. And in September, the province’s legislature adopted a bill naming domestic violence an epidemic. Caira Mohamed of YWCA Halifax says there isn’t necessarily a dollar figure that represents epidemic-level funding. Instead, it involves a consistent level of assistance from the provincial and federal governments for shelters, transition houses and non-profits looking to end gender-based violence. “More programs which are targeted towards survivors of gender-based and intimate-partner violence will start to address some of these gaps (in services) we’re seeing and hopefully meet that threshold of epidemic-level funding,” she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.

Yankees have these 2 free agents at the top of their bullpen wish list‘Not an asset’: Meghan blasted by neighbour

Netanyahu blames Albanese for Melbourne synagogue attackFox News correspondent David Spunt has the latest on efforts to combat migrant crime on 'Special Report.' ICE officials in Washington, D.C., deported a former high-ranking Somalian military officer who they say carried out torture, terror and other human rights abuses on civilians . The officer, 71-year-old Yusuf Abdi Ali – also known as "Tukeh" – was removed from the U.S. by ICE officials on Dec. 20. He was a lieutenant colonel in the Somali National Army and commander of the Fifth Brigade in northwest Somalia during the dictatorship of Siad Barre from 1987 to 1989. As a high-ranking officer in the Somali National Army, Ali allegedly oversaw terror activities against the Isaaq clan in northwestern Somalia. He is believed to have carried out an array of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention. ICE DEPORTATIONS CATCH UP TO TRUMP-ERA NUMBERS IN FY 2024 AS BIDEN ADMIN COMES TO A CLOSE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) According to a Dec. 23 statement by ICE, the Somali National Army committed numerous human rights violations against civilians in those years, including the execution of suspected political opponents, the burning of entire towns, the unlawful use of landmines and the destruction of water reservoirs to target civilian populations. In February 2024, a Department of Justice immigration judge issued a 65-page decision determining that Ali personally engaged in torture while in leadership in the Somali National Army. According to the decision, Ali ordered soldiers under his command to detain, torture and assist in extrajudicial killings. The judge ordered him removed to Somalia. The U.S.-based law firm the Center for Justice & Accountability, which has represented one of Ali’s alleged victims, Farhan Warfaa, calls him "one of the most ruthless commanders" of the Barre Somalian dictatorship. Warfaa was abducted as a teenager by soldiers under Ali’s command, held for months, repeatedly beaten and eventually shot and left for dead. ICE NABS ILLEGAL MIGRANT ACCUSED OF HEINOUS CRIME AND RELEASED BY MASSACHUSETTS SHERIFF’S OFFICE Soldiers patrol outside the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, Aug, 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) Warfaa ended up surviving, and in 2019 a federal civil court in Alexandria, Virginia, found Ali liable for his torture. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ali was living as a permanent resident in Springfield, Virginia, until Homeland Security Investigations arrested him in November 2022. "The United States will not be a safe haven for those who commit human rights violations, and we will persist in our efforts to pursue justice for the victims of these crimes," said Russell Hott, acting executive associate director for Washington, D.C., ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations . Hott said that "though justice was delayed in this case, it ultimately prevailed." Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.