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slot machine number South Korea lifts president's martial law decree after lawmakers vote against it SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government has lifted the martial law he imposed during a tense night of political drama in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Yoon said early Wednesday that his government withdrew military personnel following a bipartisan parliamentary vote rejecting martial law, and the measure was formally lifted during a Cabinet meeting around 4:30 a.m. Yoon declared martial law late Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country’s parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea. Less than three hours later, parliament voted to lift the declaration. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.The top are reliable investments for starting a worry-free passive-income stream. For instance, leading utility companies in Canada, such as and , have been known for consistently paying and increasing their distributions for more than 50 consecutive years. Meanwhile, energy giants like and have been consistently increasing their dividends for multiple decades. While these are a no-brainer for income investors, they offer quarterly payouts. Here, I’ll focus on a stock that pays a monthly dividend. In addition, it offers an attractive yield, making it a solid stock for earning $124 in monthly passive income with a $20,000 investment. The TSX has several stocks that offer monthly distributions. Among the leading companies, ( ) stands out for its solid dividend payment history, dependable payouts, and high yield. It’s worth noting that this owns and operates a diverse portfolio of 195 mixed-use properties, including retail shopping centres. A key feature of its portfolio is the significant presence of grocery-anchored shopping centres. These properties add stability to its operations, as grocery stores remain resilient even during challenging economic times. Thanks to its resilient portfolio, SmartCentres generates solid net operating income (NOI) and witnesses a high demand for its real estate in all market conditions. Currently, SmartCentres pays a monthly dividend of $0.154 per share, equating to a compelling yield of about 7.5% based on its recent closing price of $24.69 (as of December 23, 2024). SmartCentres REIT is a compelling investment for investors seeking consistent and reliable income. The solid performance of its core retail business, backed by a high occupancy rate and ongoing contributions from its mixed-use development projects, lays a strong foundation for growing its net operating income. This growth is expected to drive its monthly dividend payouts. The REIT’s portfolio of high-quality, high-traffic, value-oriented centres continues to see strong demand. An increasing number of new tenants, combined with a solid mix of existing tenants, enhances cash flow and drives even higher occupancy rates. Notably, SmartCentres’s occupancy rate reached an impressive 98.5% by the end of the third quarter (Q3) of 2024. In addition, rental growth and robust cash collections further bolster its financial performance. The momentum in SmartCentres’s leasing activity reflects the strength of its tenant mix and market positioning. New tenant demand and favourable renewal rates suggest that the company’s NOI will continue to grow in the coming quarters, reinforcing its ability to deliver stable and attractive dividends. Beyond its retail portfolio, SmartCentres is actively diversifying its revenue streams through its mixed-use development strategy. By integrating residential, self-storage, and industrial formats, the company is broadening its income base while enhancing long-term growth prospects. SmartCentres also benefits from several strategic advantages, including long-term contracts with retail tenants, a high retention rate, and a vast land bank, which provides significant opportunities for future growth and will likely drive its payouts. SmartCentres’s resilient real estate portfolio, continued demand, strong renewal trends, solid cash collection, and high occupancy rate position it well to enhance its shareholders’ value through regular monthly payouts. The table below illustrates how a $20,000 investment can help you buy 810 SmartCentres stock to generate a reliable income stream of over $124 per month.(The Center Square) – Billionaire and advisor to President-elect Donald Trump Elon Musk was denied by a judge this week a $56 billion compensation package for his work as CEO of Tesla, the successful electric automaker that pioneered EV technology in the U.S. The package had been approved by more than 70% of Tesla's board of directors. A Tesla shareholder who owned just nine shares of stock in the company sued to block the 2018 compensation agreement. In addition to blocking the package this week, the judge in the case, Delaware Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, awarded the plaintiff's attorneys $345 million, which Reuters reported is “one of the largest fee awards ever in securities litigation.” The Associated Press reported that “the fee award amounts to almost exactly half the current record $688 million in legal fees awarded in 2008 in litigation stemming from the collapse of Enron.” The ruling was widely criticized as government overreach into the private sector. Cathie Wood, founder and CEO of ARKinvest, called the ruling a "mockery." "Adding judicial insult to injury, Delaware Judge McCormick has ordered #Tesla shareholders to pay the plaintiff’s lawyers $345 million! The plaintiff owned 9 shares of $TSLA," Wood wrote on X. "McCormick is making a mockery of the sense of fairness essential to our American judicial system." Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman wrote: "This decision and the payola for lawyers is absurd. We are going to see a migration of Corporate America from Delaware." The unique compensation package was high risk, high reward. If Musk hit all of his target goals to make the company hugely successful, as he did, then he would be awarded the compensation package. If he did not hit those marks, he would receive zero dollars. Musk and Tesla vowed to appeal. McCormick first voided the pay agreement in January, saying it was unfair and that the Tesla board did not negotiate well enough with Musk. More from this section In response, a supermajority of more than 70% of Tesla shareholders voted to approve the payment package for Musk earlier this year, but again McCormick sided this week against Musk and Tesla shareholders. Musk called the ruling a form of “lawfare.” “Shareholders should control company votes, not judges,” Musk wrote on X. Many other Tesla shareholders blasted the decision and the attorney fee decision. "The lawyers, judges, and attorneys did not create net-positive shareholder value from this clownery," Alex Guichet, who said he is a Tesla employee, wrote on X. "They do not deserve a single dollar. We employees did. We supported the shareholder vote with our own yes votes too. This is wrong on so many levels." Shareholder Jeremy Goldman wrote: "The majority of the owners of the company have made their desires known and it's just crazy that a single judge can basically say haha, no. I don't really care what you want. Also pay a few hundred million for the privilege of being ignored." The plaintiff's attorneys praised the ruling. “We are pleased with Chancellor McCormick’s ruling, which declined Tesla’s invitation to inject continued uncertainty into Court proceedings and thank the Chancellor and her staff for their extraordinary hard work in overseeing this complex case,” attorneys from Bernstein, Litowitz, Berger & Grossmann, the firm representing Musk’s opponents, said in a statement. A November 2024 study published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform found tort costs amounted to $529 billion in 2022, or 2.1 percent of U.S. GDP. The study found that excessive tort costs hurt the economy. "In addition to having a substantial aggregate cost on the economy, a large portion of the total tort-related expenditures go toward litigating and defending claims and lawsuits rather than compensating claimants,” authors of the study wrote.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outnumbered Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia. The official said “the pure math” of Ukraine's situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight. Currently Ukraine is not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military, the official added. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its troop levels if it's going to stay in the fight with Russia. White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett in a statement said the administration will continue sending Ukraine weaponry but believes “manpower is the most vital need" Ukraine has at the moment. “So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” Savett said. The Ukrainians have said they need about 160,000 additional troops to keep up with its battlefield needs, but the U.S. administration believes they probably will need more than that. More than 1 million Ukrainians are now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been hearing concerns from allies in other Western capitals as well that Ukraine has a troop level problem and not an arms problem, according to European officials who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic conversations. The European allies have stressed that the lack of depth means that it may soon become untenable for Ukraine to continue to operate in Russia’s Kursk border region . The situation in Kursk has become further complicated by the arrival of thousands of North Korean troops , who have come to help Moscow try to claw back the land seized in a Ukrainian incursion this year. The stepped-up push on Ukraine to strengthen its fighting ranks comes as Ukraine braces for President-elect Donald Trump to take office on Jan. 20. The Republican said he would bring about a swift end to the war and has raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the vital U.S. military support for Ukraine. “There are no easy answers to Ukraine’s serious manpower shortage, but lowering the draft age would help,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "These are obviously difficult decisions for a government and society that has already endured so much due to Russia’s invasion.” Ukraine has taken steps to broaden the pool of draft-eligible men, but the efforts have only scratched the surface against a much larger Russian military. In April, Ukraine’s parliament passed a series of laws, including one lowering its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25, aimed at broadening the universe of men who could be called on to join the grinding war. Those laws also did away with some draft exemptions and created an online registry for recruits. They were expected to add about 50,000 troops, far short of what Zelenskyy said at the time was needed. Zelenskyy has consistently stated that he has no plans to lower the mobilization age. A senior Ukrainian official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine does not have enough equipment to match the scale of its ongoing mobilization efforts. The official said Ukrainian officials see the push to the lower the draft age as part of an effort by some Western partners to deflect attention from their own delays in providing equipment or belated decisions. The official cited as an example the delay in giving Ukraine permission to use longer-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. The Ukrainians do not see lowering the draft age to recruit more soldiers as a substitute for countering Russia’s advantage in equipment and weaponry, the official said. Conscription has been a sensitive matter in Ukraine throughout the war. Russia’s own problems with adequate troop levels and planning early in the war prevented Moscow from taking full advantage of its edge. But the tide has shifted and the U.S. says the Ukrainian shortage can no longer be overlooked. Some Ukrainians have expressed worry that further lowering the minimum conscription age and taking more young adults out of the workforce could backfire by further harming the war-ravaged economy. The senior Biden administration official added that the administration believes that Ukraine can also optimize its current force by more aggressively dealing with soldiers who desert or go absent without leave. AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller and AP writer Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv contributed to this report.

Clowns to Cabinet confirmation circusIn academia, the true measure of academic rigour lies not in the quantity of words but in the depth of ideas and their clarity of expression. Yet, in Pakistan, thesis standards still prioritise the former. Research theses are often regarded as the ultimate benchmark of a student's academic journey, shaping how their contributions are evaluated. The norm in many Pakistani institutions is for PhD theses to be lengthy - spanning hundreds of pages with extensive references. This practice, widely perceived as a marker of dedication and thoroughness, can inadvertently shift the focus from quality and originality to sheer volume. However, global academic practices tell a different story. When I pursued my PhD in Sweden, my thesis was a concise document, just under 100 pages, including six of my published papers as appendices. This format, common across Europe, emphasises quality over quantity, prioritising clear synthesis of findings and robust arguments over exhaustive elaboration. The experience left me convinced that Pakistan's approach to thesis writing needs reimagining. In most of the developed countries, the expectation is that a thesis should synthesise core findings with clarity, offering concise arguments supported by robust evidence. In Pakistan, however, students often spend years producing hundreds of pages to meet institutional standards. These standards, which emphasise minimum page counts and exhaustive references, promote a "checklist" mentality. Students focus on meeting formal requirements rather than crafting impactful insights. This approach can dilute the originality and clarity of their research, creating documents that are long but lack coherence. The example of Nobel laureate John Nash's groundbreaking 26-page thesis, Non-Cooperative Games, illustrates the power of concise and impactful research. Despite its brevity and only two references, Nash's thesis introduced the Nash Equilibrium, a concept that revolutionised multiple fields, including economics and political science. This underscores that academic rigour is not measured by length but by the depth, precision and clarity of ideas. Similarly, the practice of integrating published papers into theses, common in Europe, demonstrates how a focus on quality and innovation can yield work that is both concise and impactful. These examples challenge the prevailing assumption in Pakistan that length equates to thoroughness, suggesting that clarity and originality should instead define academic rigour. Reimagining academic rigour in Pakistan requires a shift from quantity-driven metrics to quality-focused evaluation. Institutions must revise their guidelines to emphasise analytical depth, originality, and clarity over arbitrary page counts. Allowing students to incorporate published papers into their theses, as practiced in Europe, would encourage them to focus on producing high-quality, impactful research rather than meeting length requirements. Faculty mentors play a pivotal role in this transformation. By guiding students to prioritise precision and innovation, mentors can foster a research culture that values clear communication and critical thinking. Such a model would not only benefit students by enhancing their ability to present complex ideas succinctly but also ensure that theses are easier for reviewers to evaluate based on their merits. Adopting a quality-over-quantity model for research theses in Pakistan could bring the country's academic standards in line with global best practices. Shorter, well-focused theses would encourage critical thinking, originality and effective communication - qualities essential for impactful research. Moreover, students trained in this approach would be better equipped to contribute to international academia and professional fields, where clarity and precision are highly valued. By reimagining academic rigour, Pakistani institutions have the opportunity to cultivate a new generation of scholars whose work is defined by its depth, not its length. In doing so, they can foster an academic culture that prizes meaningful contributions over exhaustive verbosity, aligning with the true essence of scholarly pursuit. COMMENTS Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our

The publisher of B2B games industry website, Game Developer, Informa, has merged with TechTarget to form Informa TechTarget. In a press release, the new company said it aspired to be "the leading B2B growth accelerator for the technology industry, delivering services that help companies move faster to market and faster to revenue." This takes the company's combined headcount to over 2000 people, and a customer base of 7500 globally. It will offer "technology vendors powerful solutions built on the back of its unique B2B audiences, permissioned intent data, specialist insights and expertise." "Following the definitive agreement between TechTarget and Informa earlier this year, we are delighted to combine our strengths as Informa TechTarget," said Gary Nugent, CEO Informa TechTarget. "Our business serves an attractive, dynamic growth market, underpinned by increasing demand for B2B solutions built upon permission-based audiences and first-party data. Informa TechTarget has a unique set of assets, brands and talents that address the go-to-market challenges of today's B2B technology vendors across their product lifecycle, from R&D to ROI, helping to accelerate time to market and to revenue while delivering long-term value to our shareholders." In a post to its readers, Game Developer's publisher Alissa McAloon said the website's "commitment to [readers] remains the same."

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Makes New $211,000 Investment in Assured Guaranty Ltd. (NYSE:AGO)A Russian disinformation campaign appears to be targeting a popular video game designed in Ukraine and set in Chernobyl. In emails to journalists and a video with a fake WIRED magazine watermark, a network linked to past misinformation campaigns claims GSC Game World’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is being used to help “the government locate citizens suitable for mobilization” in the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as gather data on gamers, part of a deal with the Ukrainian government,” according to 404 Media . A Russian misinformation campaign would only be the latest hurdle for the cult-hit video game, which was released on November 20, after being delayed over three years amid the ongoing war. Its creators have faced missile attacks, cyber-attacks, and the challenges of developing a modern video game as its employees were scattered across Europe fleeing a war. GSC Game World has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine’s war effort, raising money for a charity that supplies the country’s army with equipment and barring the sale of its titles in Russia. Russian officials have responded in kind. Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the State Duma’s Information Policy Committee, suggested this month that the game might be banned in Russia and could face “the most severe measures if illegal content is found in the game upon release, such as extremism, justification of terrorism, or incitement of ethnic hatred.” Despite the game’s high profile, its developers said they did not set out to build a “propaganda thing” with the release, where players navigate a post-apocalyptic environment in the shadow of the famous nuclear disaster zone. ”We haven’t made the game a propaganda thing. We didn’t want to be very straightforward,” GSC Game World’s lead producer, Slava Lukyanenka, told the website VG247. “At the same time with the whole team travelling - half of us are in Kyiv, half in Prussia, some are scattered around Europe - we still need to keep delivering. We can’t not reflect it in the game. But we do it indirectly. We do it through the stories, through the environment, through the feeling of decay.” The Independent has contacted GSC Game World for comment. The game’s developers have described a harrowing process of bringing the title to life. "Sitting in that cellar with my wife and my cats, I felt like I was abandoned. But like a ‘stalker,’ you have to learn how to live in such situation," concept artist Anton Kukhtytskyi said in a documentary about the game. "I switched to drawing on paper, so I didn’t stop developing."

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Is Enron back? If it's a joke, some former employees aren't laughingA designated disability minister will be appointed to each Government department to “champion disability inclusion and accessibility”, the Government has announced. Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the move aims to drive “real improvements” for disabled people, whom the ministers will be encouraged to engage with on a regular basis. He told the Commons: “I am very pleased to be able to announce today the appointment of new lead ministers for disability in each Government department, they will represent the interests of disabled people, champion disability inclusion and accessibility within their departments. “I’m going to chair regular meetings with them and will encourage them to engage directly with disabled people and their representative organisations, as they take forward their departmental priorities. “And I look forward to this new group of lead ministers for disability together driving real improvements across Government for disabled people.” This came during an adjournment debate on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling raised concerns about “floating bus stops”, which have a cycle lane between the stop and the pavement. Intervening, the MP for Torbay, who is registered blind, said: “The Government needs to ban floating bus stops.” Sir Stephen said: “I do think this issue about floating bus stops is an important issue which we need to work across Government to reflect on.” Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, who led the debate, had earlier criticised the lack of accessibility for disabled people on trains. The Oldham East and Saddleworth MP said: “Our train network does not have level access, and we heard Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson from the other place make this plea back in the summer, absolutely outrageous what she was put through. “But I was absolutely shocked to find, when I had a presentation of the TransPennine route upgrade, that the rolling stock yet to be commissioned is not going to provide that level access. “It’s absolute nonsense, it’s not even in the design of that procurement, so we must do better than this.”

Argentina's Racing wins its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Honey, they shrunk the catalogs. While retailers hope to go big this holiday season , customers may notice that the printed gift guides arriving in their mailboxes are smaller. Many of the millions of catalogs getting sent to U.S. homes were indeed scaled down to save on postage and paper, resulting in pint-sized editions. Lands’ End, Duluth Trading Company and Hammacher Schlemmer are among gift purveyors using smaller editions. Some retailers are saving even more money with postcards. Lisa Ayoob, a tech-savvy, online shopper in Portland, Maine, was surprised by the size of a recent catalog she received from outdoor apparel company Carbon2Cobalt. “It almost felt like it was a pamphlet compared to a catalog,” she said. Catalogs have undergone a steady recalibration over the years in response to technological changes and consumer behavior. The thick, heavy Sears and J.C. Penney catalogs that brought store displays to American living rooms slimmed down and gave way to targeted mailings once websites could do the same thing. Recent postal rate increases accelerated the latest shift to compact formats. The number of catalogs mailed each year dropped about 40% between 2006 to 2018, when an estimated 11.5 billion were mailed to homes, according to the trade group formerly known as the American Catalog Mailers Association. In a sign of the times, the group based in Washington rebranded itself in May as the American Commerce Marketing Association, reflecting a broadened focus. But don't expect catalogs to go the way of dinosaurs yet. Defying predictions of doom, they have managed to remain relevant in the e-commerce era. Retail companies found that could treat catalogs with fewer pages as a marketing tool and include QR and promo codes to entice customers to browse online and complete a purchase. Despite no longer carrying an extended inventory of goods, catalogs are costly to produce and ship. But they hold their own in value because of growing digital advertising costs, helping retailers cut through the noise for consumers barraged by multi-format advertisements, industry officials say. In an unlikely twist, notable e-commerce companies like Amazon and home goods supplier Wayfair started distributing catalogs in recent years. Amazon began mailing a toy catalog in 2018. That was the same year Sears, which produced an annual Christmas Wish Book Wish starting in 1933, filed for bankruptc y. Fans of printed information may rejoice to hear that apparel retailer J.Crew relaunched its glossy catalog this year. Research shows that the hands-on experience of thumbing through a catalog leaves a greater impression on consumers, said Jonathan Zhang, a professor of marketing at Colorado State University. “The reason why these paper formats are so effective is that our human brains haven’t evolved as fast as technology and computers over the past 10 to 20 years. We retain more information when we read something on paper. That's why paper books remain relevant," Zhang said. “The psychology shows that three-dimensional, tactile experiences are more memorable.” Pint-sized presentations still can work, though, because the purpose of catalogs these days is simply to get customers’ attention, Zhang said. Conserving paper also works better with younger consumers who are worried about the holiday shopping season's impact on the planet, he said. Postal increases are hastening changes. The latest round of postage hikes in July included the category with the 8.5-by-11-inch size that used to be ubiquitous for the catalog industry. Many retailers responded by reducing the size of catalogs, putting them in a lower-cost letter category, said Paul Miller, executive vice president and managing director of the American Commerce Marketing Association. One size, called a “slim jim,” measures 10.5 by 5.5 inches. But there other sizes. Some retailers have further reduced costs by mailing large postcards to consumers. Lands' End, for one, is testing new compact formats to supplement its traditional catalogs. This year, that included folded glossy brochures and postcards, along with other formats, Chief Transformation Officer Angie Rieger said. Maine resident Ayoob said she understands why retailers still use catalogs even though she no longer is a fan of the format. These days, she prefers to browse for products on the internet, not by flipping through paper pages. “Everybody wants eyeballs. There’s so much out there -- so many websites, so many brands,” said Ayoob, who spent 35 years working in department stores and in the wholesale industry. Targeting customers at home is not a new concept. L.L. Bean was a pioneer of the mail-order catalog after its founder promoted his famous “Maine Hunting Shoe” to hunting license holders from out-of-state in 1912. The outdoor clothing and equipment company based in Freeport, Maine, is sticking to mailing out regular-sized catalogs for now. “By showcasing our icons, the catalog became an icon itself,” L.L. Bean spokesperson Amanda Hannah said. "Even as we invest more in our digital and brand marketing channels, the catalog retains a strong association with our brand, and is therefore an important part of our omni-channel strategy, especially for our loyal customers.”Rishabh Pant's Departure: Inside the IPL Mega Auction Dynamics

Evanson Asset Management LLC Sells 1,003 Shares of Microsoft Co. (NASDAQ:MSFT)Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug useFeds clear Va. to use to extend broadband to unserved parts of state

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the extraordinary circumstances of his impending return to the White House. “Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts,” the attorneys continued, before citing the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse the conviction, which involved efforts to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels, whose affair allegations threatened to disrupt his 2016 campaign. He has denied any wrongdoing. Trump takes office Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option.

Organizations today widely use cloud services to scale operations, improve flexibility and focus more on their daily mission, rather than managing complex IT infrastructure. But dark clouds have emerged as security breaches have wrought serious repercussions, including lengthy operational disruptions and financial damage, whether through immediate response costs or longer-term regulatory fines and/or revenue losses. Economic fallout from cloud security threats According to the IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report , the global average cost of a data breach rose to $4.88 million, from $4.45 million reported in 2023. And breaches involving public clouds were most expensive, averaging $5.17 million per incident. Undoubtedly, cloud-based attacks have surged. CrowdStrike's Counter Adversary Operations (CAO) report found that cloud intrusions have increased by 75%. A notable breach earlier this year targeted the cloud infrastructure of a leading software provider. Attackers used phishing and cloud account takeovers to infiltrate critical executive applications, exploiting weak identity management and misconfigured access controls. Intruders were able to escalate privileges and compromise sensitive executive communications and financial data. The fallout from this breach led to heightened regulatory scrutiny, stock price dips, and an erosion of customer trust, underscoring how a single cloud vulnerability can ripple across organizations. Rising cyber threats are driving the need for robust cloud security measures to better protect sensitive data, ensure business continuity, and safeguard financial stability. A deeper dive into cloud security vulnerabilities Verizon's 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) highlighted a striking 180% rise in attacks exploiting vulnerabilities, especially in web applications often used to access cloud services. Vulnerabilities in web applications can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and cloud resources. The most common vulnerabilities in cloud environments include: Zero-day exploits take advantage of software vulnerabilities that are unknown to the vendor and have no available patch, leaving "zero days" to prepare an effective response. Phishing and social engineering attacks manipulate individuals into revealing confidential information or granting unauthorized access. Misconfigurations , such as incorrect security settings or improperly managed access controls can generate security gaps that must be closed. Increasingly, cloud security vulnerabilities emerge from the flexibility inherent in cloud-based services and the challenges involved in managing third-parties, which may include: A loss of control after moving key application workloads into the cloud, which means sensitive data could be anywhere within the parameters of your organization's networks. A lack of trust in your cloud service provider, as the precise level of security provided in externally provided cloud services may not be fully understood. Multi-tenancy risks stemming from multiple customers sharing a single cloud service's resources while keeping their data and applications separate. This introduces the possibility that your organization's data may somehow be shared without authorization. Investing in proactive cloud security measures To combat cloud security threats, organizations can proactively adopt robust vulnerability management practices, continuous monitoring and comprehensive incident response plans. As a leader in the field of cloud security, Verizon's cybersecurity solutions have evolved to help customers address escalating threats and help protect against cloud-related vulnerabilities. Verizon's capabilities have been heavily influenced by zero day vulnerabilities, which demonstrate the importance of not relying on a single point of control, and opting instead on maintaining defense-in-depth. To that end, Verizon works continuously on the integration of cloud security controls. For example, its vulnerability management services include infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud security controls, via Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). There are also software as a service (SaaS) controls offered through cloud access security brokers (CASB). Proper segmentation, isolation and application of the least privilege principles can help lock down devices and help prevent lateral movements to reduce the impact of breaches. And in addition to proactive measures, organizations also look to detect and respond quickly to incidents as they happen. In many cloud services, critical vulnerabilities can be pushed to security operations centers (SOCs) for immediate action. For example, while many zero-day exploits on public-facing services are impossible to prevent, quick detection can help minimize lateral movements and can prevent threat actors from gaining access to sensitive data or critical cloud resources. Verizon provides integrated SOC services that can help organizations proactively defend against attacks, such as Cyber Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) services. And to react quickly, Verizon offers Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services as well. Also, Verizon's Zero Trust Dynamic Access solution ensures connectivity and security for private, on-premises, cloud and SaaS resources. By implementing a Zero Trust framework, organizations can eliminate blind spots and ensure that every access request is thoroughly vetted regardless of its origin. Future-proofing cloud security Because spending on global public cloud services is forecast to reach $805 billion in 2024 and double in size by 2028, according to IDC research , it's clear the need to strengthen cloud security will only grow. By leveraging technologies such as data encryption, IAM, and real-time threat detection, organizations across all sectors can help safeguard sensitive information and help better maintain customer trust in the years to come. For the latest in cloud security strategies, explore Verizon's tailored solutions that can provide enhanced protection across various sectors, helping organizations to operate smoothly, securely and profitably. For a deeper dive, review Verizon’s latest insights here . Image Credit: FreePik This post was authored by an external contributor and does not represent Benzinga's opinions and has not been edited for content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.TJ Bamba leads Oregon men’s basketball past San Diego State at Players Era Festival

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JAKE OFFENHARTZ NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal , arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short of immediate dismissal would undermine the transition of power, as well as the “overwhelming national mandate” granted to Trump by voters last month. They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of . “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’” Trump’s legal team wrote. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater “that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump’s attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing. The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” Merchan hasn’t yet set a timetable for a decision. He could decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. An outright dismissal of the New York case would further lift a legal cloud that at one point carried the prospect of derailing Trump’s political future. Last week, special counsel Jack Smith told courts that he was withdrawing both federal cases against Trump — one charging him with hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate, the other with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost — citing longstanding Justice Department policy that shields a president from indictment while in office. The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial, resulting in a historic verdict that made him the first former president to be convicted of a crime. Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump has said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. ___