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fortune gems review NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.Gray insists dramatic late equaliser can give his struggling Hibs team the confidence to climb Premiership tableSouth Korea's parliament on Saturday failed to pass President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment motion as most of ruling People Power Party lawmakers refused to vote on it. After voting against a bill to investigate scandals involving Yoon's wife, most of the 108 ruling party lawmakers left the parliament hall. One ruling party lawmaker remained at the hall and two came back after leaving. Of 300 National Assembly lawmakers, 198 voted for the bill on the special prosecutor investigation of the first lady, with 102 against it. At least two-thirds of the lawmakers need to vote yes to pass the bill in revote. Lawmakers of the opposition parties, including the main liberal Democratic Party, named the ruling party lawmakers one by one in unison, calling on them to come back and cast ballots. More than 200 lawmakers are required to vote yes to pass the impeachment motion. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik ended the voting process about three hours after waiting for the ruling party lawmakers, announcing the impeachment motion was scrapped on lack of quorum. Outside the parliament building, hundreds of thousands of civilians held a candlelight rally to demand the vote for Yoon's impeachment. The Democratic Party and five other minor parties submitted the impeachment motion over the president's martial law declaration Wednesday. Yoon declared an emergency martial law Tuesday night before repealing it early Wednesday as the parliament voted against it. The revocation was approved at a cabinet meeting. According to the proposed motion, the declaration can be made only when the country faces "state of war, serious incident or other comparable national emergency" that led to engagement with the enemy or extreme disturbance of social order. The opposition noted that no sign of national emergency was detected at the time of Yoon's declaration, denouncing Yoon for not notifying the National Assembly the martial law imposition which violates both the constitution and the martial law. The opposition said in the motion that Yoon committed an attempted treason to evade public calls to investigate and punish himself and his wife for criminal acts by instructing the defense minister to mobilize troops illegally and paralyze the parliament. According to a survey of 504 voters conducted on Wednesday by the local pollster Realmeter, 73.6 percent were in favor of Yoon's impeachment, while 24.0 percent were against it. Even in North Gyeongsang province and the city of Daegu, regraded as a traditional home turf for the conservative bloc, 66.2 percent agreed on the impeachment. Those who termed Yoon's martial law declaration as insurrection hit 69.5 percent, while 24.9 percent disagreed with it. Yoon has struggled with scandals involving his wife Kim Keon-hee during a presidential campaign and since he won the single five-year presidency in May 2022. Kim was suspected of having been involved in stock price manipulation to gain illicit profits while having interfered in candidate nominations for the 2022 by-elections and the 2024 parliamentary elections and even in public opinion manipulation during the 2022 presidential election. According to a Gallup Korea poll, Yoon's approval rating dived 3 percentage points from a week earlier to 16 percent this week, marking the lowest since Yoon took office in May 2022.

(Bloomberg) — Peru’s Congress on Tuesday fired the energy and mines minister over a bill the government had introduced to increase oversight on informal miners that had prompted nationwide protests. A majority of lawmakers voted to fire Romulo Mucho, who is a close ally of the global mining industry — but had irked the nation’s growing informal mining sector with a proposal to introduce new regulations. Hundreds of thousands of Peruvians work in informal mines, mainly extracting gold, under the umbrella of a mechanism known as Reinfo. Critics say Reinfo has become a cover for illicit economies. While Reinfo is scheduled to come to an end at the end of the year, some lawmakers are proposing to extend it. But Mucho had introduced a bill on behalf of the government ending it and proposing increased regulations instead. The motion approved by Congress said Mucho “lacked interest and suitability to solve the problem of small-scale and artisanal miners in Peru.” The congressional vote underscores the growing political clout of informal mining in Peru, which moves billions of dollars according to authorities but is also a key source of employment. Peru’s mining chamber SNMPE, which groups multinational mining corporations, vigorously opposes extending Reinfo and had backed Mucho. President Dina Boluarte, who is among the world’s most unpopular leaders, will now have to name a new minister. A key question is whether she will pick someone who will double down on regulating informal mines or someone who will support extending Reinfo. Boluarte’s administration has been marked by deferring to congress when opposed. The bill was introduced last week, prompting protests from informal miners throughout the country. On Tuesday, as many as eight highways were blocked by miners protesting the bill, including important ones like the Pan-American Highway and the so-called mining corridor that is used by several large copper mines like MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas.Hegseth meets with moderate Sen. Collins as he lobbies for key votes in the SenateThe latest development came hours after thousands of his supporters, defying government warnings, broke through a barrier of shipping containers blocking off Islamabad and entered a high-security zone, where they clashed with security forces, facing tear gas shelling, mass detentions and gunfire. Tension has been high in Islamabad since Sunday when supporters of the former PM began a “long march” from the restive north-west to demand his release. Khan has been in a prison for more than a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases that his party says are politically motivated. Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, led the protest, but she fled as police pushed back against demonstrators. Hundreds of Khan’s supporters are being arrested in the ongoing night-time operation. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters that the Red Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, and the surrounding areas have been cleared. Leaders from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, have also fled the protest site. Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army took control of D-Chowk, a large square in the Red Zone, where visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is staying. Since Monday, Mr Naqvi had threatened that security forces would use live fire if protesters fired weapons at them. “We have now authorised the police to respond as necessary,” Mr Naqvi said Tuesday while visiting the square. Before the operation began, protester Shahzor Ali said people had taken to the streets because Khan had called for them. “We will stay here until Khan joins us. He will decide what to do next,” Mr Ali said. Protester Fareeda Bibi, who is not related to Khan’s wife, said people have suffered greatly for the last two years. “We have really suffered for the last two years, whether it is economically, politically or socially. We have been ruined. I have not seen such a Pakistan in my life,” she said. Authorities have struggled to contain the protest-related violence. Six people, including four members of the security services, were killed when a vehicle rammed them on a street overnight into Tuesday. A police officer died in a separate incident. Dozens of Khan supporters beat a videographer covering the protest for the Associated Press and took his camera. He sustained head injuries and was treated in hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, fresh waves of protesters made their way unopposed to their final destination in the Red Zone. Mr Naqvi said Khan’s party had rejected a government offer to rally on the outskirts of the city. Information minister Atta Tarar warned there would be a severe government reaction to the violence. The government says only the courts can order Khan’s release. He was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In a bid to foil the unrest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services in some parts of the country. Messaging platforms were also experiencing severe disruption in the capital. Khan’s party relies heavily on social media and uses messaging platforms such as WhatsApp to share information, including details of events. The X platform, which is banned in Pakistan, is no longer accessible, even with a VPN. Last Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Mr Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible because of shipping containers blocking the roads. All education institutions remain closed.

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SAINT GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Beon Riley's 18 points helped Utah Tech defeat Denver 68-54 on Tuesday night. Riley also had 11 rebounds for the Trailblazers (2-6). Noa Gonsalves scored 15 points and added eight rebounds and three steals. Justin Bieker shot 4 of 6 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line to finish with 11 points. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Quantum computing is emerging as a game-changing technology poised to revolutionize industries, much like how artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the digital landscape . As we head toward 2025, experts predict that quantum computing will be the next major frontier in tech, unlocking unprecedented computational power and driving breakthroughs in fields such as cryptography, drug discovery, and optimization. At the heart of quantum computing's potential is the quantum bit, or qubit , which can represent multiple states simultaneously, allowing quantum computers to process data exponentially faster than classical computers. In fact, recent advancements have already shown the immense promise of this technology. For example, Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Quantum AI division, led by Hartmut Neven , recently unveiled its latest quantum chip, Willow . This chip reduces errors exponentially and completed a benchmark computation in under five minutes—an operation that would have taken one of the fastest supercomputers 10^25 years to finish. The rise of quantum computing presents a compelling complement to AI, as it has the potential to enhance AI models and algorithms, helping unlock entirely new frontiers in science and technology. As this technology advances, it could usher in a new wave of innovation, particularly in industries reliant on complex data processing and problem-solving. Also Read: Quantum Computing Stocks Roundup: D-Wave, Rigetti, IonQ Lead the Charge With Explosive Growth Market Growth and Investment Opportunities The quantum computing market is set for explosive growth. According to Fortune Business Insights, the U.S. quantum computing market, valued at $138.2 million in 2022, is projected to skyrocket to $1.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 31.7%. This surge is driven by increasing investment and initiatives like those outlined by the White House in May 2022. For investors looking to capitalize on this booming sector, top companies include Top stocks to invest: NVIDIA Corporation NVDA Honeywell International Inc. HON Microsoft Corporation MSFT International Business Machines Corporation IBM IonQ, Inc. IONQ Rigetti Computing, Inc. RGTI Quantum Computing Inc . QUBT D-Wave Quantum Inc. QBTS Quantum-focused ETFs offer a diversified approach to investing in this transformative space. Per Rising Wave, investing in quantum computing ETFs offers a distinctive chance to participate in a technological revolution. Defiance Quantum ETF QTUM WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund WCLD Global X Cloud Computing ETF CLOU ARK Next Generation Internet ETF ARKW As quantum computing approaches mainstream adoption, it will likely become one of the most exciting areas of growth in the tech industry over the next few years. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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BEIRUT: Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah are set to implement a ceasefire early on Wednesday as part of a US-proposed deal for a 60-day truce to end more than a year of hostilities. The text of the deal has not been published and Reuters has not seen a draft. US President Joe Biden announced the deal, saying it was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities. Israel’s security cabinet has approved it and it will be put to the whole cabinet for review. Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the deal, which Hezbollah approved last week. The agreement, negotiated by US mediator Amos Hochstein, is five pages long and includes 13 sections, according to a senior Lebanese political source with direct knowledge of the matter. Here is a summary of its key provisions. The halt to hostilities is set to begin at 4 a.m local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday, Biden announced, with both sides expected to cease fire by Wednesday morning. The senior Lebanese source said Israel was expected to “stop carrying out any military operations against Lebanese territory, including against civilian and military targets, and Lebanese state institutions, through land, sea and air.” All armed groups in Lebanon — meaning Hezbollah and its allies — would halt operations against Israel, the source said. Two Israeli officials said the Israeli military would withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days. Biden said the troops would gradually pull out and civilians on both sides would be able to return home. Lebanon had earlier pushed for Israeli troops to withdraw as quickly as possible within the truce period, Lebanese officials told Reuters. They now expect Israeli troops to withdraw within the first month, the senior Lebanese political source said. A Lebanese official told Reuters the deal included language that preserved both Lebanon’s and Israel’s rights to self-defense. Hezbollah fighters will leave their positions in southern Lebanon to move north of the Litani River, which runs about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border with Israel. Their withdrawal will not be public, the senior Lebanese political source said. He said the group’s military facilities “will be dismantled” but it was not immediately clear whether the group would take them apart itself, or whether the fighters would take their weapons with them as they withdrew. The Lebanese army would deploy troops to south of the Litani to have around 5,000 soldiers there, including at 33 posts along the border with Israel, a Lebanese security source told Reuters. “The deployment is the first challenge — then how to deal with the locals that want to return home,” given the risks of unexploded ordnance, the source said. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced by Israeli strikes on Lebanon, many of them from south Lebanon. Hezbollah sees the return of the displaced to their homes as a priority, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters. Tens of thousands displaced from northern Israel are also expected to return home. One of the sticking points in the final days leading to the ceasefire’s conclusion was how it would be monitored, Lebanon’s deputy speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab told Reuters. A pre-existing tripartite mechanism between the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Lebanese army and the Israeli army would be expanded to include the US and France, with the US chairing the group, Bou Saab said. Israel would be expected to flag possible breaches to the monitoring mechanism, and France and the US together would determine whether a violation had taken place, an Israeli official and a Western diplomat told Reuters. A joint statement by Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said France and the US would work together to ensure the deal is applied fully. Israeli officials have insisted that the Israeli army would continue to strike Hezbollah if it identified threats to its security, including transfers of weapons and military equipment to the group. An Israeli official told Reuters that US envoy Amos Hochstein, who negotiated the agreement, had given assurances directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel could carry out such strikes on Lebanon. Netanyahu said in a televised address after the security cabinet met that Israel would strike Hezbollah if it violated the deal. The official said Israel would use drones to monitor movements on the ground in Lebanon. Lebanese officials say that provision is not in the deal that it agreed, and that it would oppose any violations of its sovereignty.Riley scores 18, Utah Tech beats Denver 68-54

Manchester Christmas Parade 2024 - time, route and everything you need to knowHAMILTON, N.Y. (AP) — Dejour Reaves' 20 points helped Iona defeat Colgate 79-73 on Sunday. Reaves also contributed nine rebounds and six steals for the Gaels (4-8, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). Yaphet Moundi added 13 points while finishing 6 of 8 from the floor while they also had five rebounds. Adam Njie had 12 points and shot 5 of 11 from the field, including 1 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 1 for 4 from the line. The Raiders (3-10) were led in scoring by Nicolas Louis-Jacques, who finished with 27 points. Jalen Cox added 16 points, four assists and two steals for Colgate. Parker Jones also had seven points and two steals. Reaves scored 11 points in the first half for Iona, who led 36-32 at the break. Iona used a 7-0 run in the second half to build an eight-point lead at 43-35 with 16:42 left in the half before finishing off the win. Up next for Iona is a matchup Sunday with Harvard at home. Colgate hosts Army on Thursday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .None