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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos' usually stout defense has been rocked ever since losing second-year cornerback Riley Moss to an MCL injury against Las Vegas in Week 12. Without Moss there to capitalize on opponents shying away from star cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos (9-6) have had to largely abandon their preferred man coverage in favor of zone strategies and the results haven't been pretty. They allowed 32 points to the Cleveland Browns when former teammate Jerry Jeudy caught nine passes for a career-best 235 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown. Only Jonathan Taylor's fumble at the goal line as he was about to score a 41-yard touchdown and give Indianapolis a 20-3 lead saved the Broncos in Week 15 and allowed Denver to seize momentum and get the victory. They couldn't stop Justin Herbert , who led the Los Angeles Chargers back from a double-digit third-quarter deficit for a 34-27 win last week that prevented the Broncos from ending their eight-year playoff drought. It also put more pressure on the Broncos to win Saturday at Cincinnati, where the Bengals (7-8) cling to hopes of catching the Broncos and denying Denver a wild-card berth. Moss returned to practice last week and the Broncos will determine this week whether he’s ready to return to the field or if it’s better to keep him out until their season finale against Kansas City. But all signs point to Moss being on the field to help thwart Cincy's offense led by Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. “It's great to have him back,” Surtain said after practice Tuesday. “I mean, you talk about a guy who was playing lights-out before the injury, but to see him back out there with confidence, out there practicing, getting his mojo back, it brings a lot of confidence to the team, as well. So, it's good to see him back out there in action, for sure.” Moss has enjoyed a breakout season in Denver with 71 tackles, eight pass breakups and an interception in 12 starts. He played in 14 games as a rotation player his rookie season after recovering from core muscle surgery that relegated him to special teams and spot duty in 2023. “We were and have been super excited" about the third-round pick out of Iowa, coach Sean Payton said. "Obviously, the guy that plays opposite of Patrick is going to get a lot of business. All throughout training camp, he really rose to the occasion, battled, competed and throughout really a good portion of the season. “He’s a big reason why we were playing so well defensively,” Payton added. "The sooner the better when we can get him back in the lineup. Hopefully it can happen this weekend.” In Moss' dozen starts, the Broncos allowed 16.8 points per game. Without him, they've been allowing 26.3 points a game. Burrow and Chase pose a bigger challenge to the Broncos than Jeudy and Jameis Wiston did for Cleveland or Herbert and Ladd McConkey did for the Chargers. The medial collateral ligament is on the inside of the knee that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone. It’s one of four major ligaments that stabilize the knee and allow it to rotate. It typically takes a month to recover from an MCL sprain and the Broncos had their bye week earlier this month, meaning Moss might only have to miss three games. If the Broncos reach the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 in Hall of Famer Peyton Manning's last start, they'll likely need to have a healthy Moss opposite Surtain to have any realistic hopes of avoiding a one-and-done appearance. The Broncos got a scare when Surtain injured an ankle against Indianapolis two weeks ago and limped off the field in the closing minutes. However, he was a full-go at practice last week and had no issues against the Chargers. NOTES: The Broncos waived veteran CB Levi Wallace, who had been inactive the past two weeks after giving up several big plays to Jeudy on Dec. 2. Denver also designated RB Tyler Badie to return from a back injury he sustained against the Jets in Week 4. Payton said he hopes to sign Wallace to the practice squad if he clears waivers. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

How to navigate the risks of DPIPercentages: FG .333, FT .750. 3-Point Goals: 0-16, .000 (Book 0-1, Gregory 0-2, Harris 0-2, Skinner 0-2, Dean 0-3, Helterhoff 0-3, McConnell 0-3). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Book 2, Dean, Skinner). Turnovers: 4 (Dean 2, Johnson, Skinner). Steals: 10 (Dean 3, Gregory 2, Harris 2, Book, Garcia, Skinner). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .527, FT .600. 3-Point Goals: 9-21, .429 (Mulibea 3-5, Meo 2-3, Martin 1-1, Abraham 1-3, Battle 1-3, R.Jones 1-4, Hines 0-2). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: None. Turnovers: 13 (Amenhauser 5, Granger 3, Abraham, Brown, Hines, Meo, R.Jones). Steals: 3 (Meo 2, Brown). Technical Fouls: None. A_1,242 (3,600).Fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists together accounted for the largest delegation at this week’s plastics treaty negotiations in Busan, in South Korea, new analysis has found. The findings, which the Center for International Environmental Law (Ciel) released on Wednesday, revealed that 221 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists are registered to attend INC-5 — the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution. This is the highest number at any negotiation for the plastics treaty that Ciel has analysed so far. The previous high of 196 lobbyists was identified at INC-4 in Ottawa in April. The analysis, based on the UN Environment Programme’s provisional list of INC-5 participants, comes midway in the final negotiations, during which a global plastics treaty is expected to be finalised. In 2022, the UN Environment Assembly launched a two-year process to establish a first-of-its-kind, legally binding global treaty that would address the full life cycle of plastics from production to disposal. INC-5 marks the fifth and final round of negotiations. The figure of 221 lobbyists is likely to be conservative because the methodology relies on delegates at the talks disclosing their ties to fossil fuel or chemical industry interests, and some lobbyists “may choose not to disclose their connection”, the non-profit environmental law organisation said. For its analysis, Ciel collaborated with Greenpeace, the Break Free From Plastic movement, the International Pollutants Elimination Network, the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, the Environmental Investigation Agency and the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, among other civil society groups. ‘Industry influence’ They called on the assembly “to safeguard the negotiating process from industry influence ” and to implement strong conflict of interest policies “so that the plastics treaty negotiations do not become the same kind of stalemate” seen in climate negotiations. Ciel’s analysis showed fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists, taken together, would be the “largest single delegation” at INC-5, significantly outnumbering the 140 representatives from host South Korea. Lobbyists also outnumber the delegations from the EU and all of its member states combined (191) as well as the 89 delegation representatives from the Pacific Small Island Developing States and the 165 from Latin American and Caribbean countries. The analysis identified 16 lobbyists in national delegations, including those from China, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, Iran, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. Dow (5) and ExxonMobil (4) were among the “best-represented fossil fuel and chemical companies with numerous lobbyists” attending the talks. Similarly, chemical and fossil fuel industry lobbyists outnumber the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty by three to one and the Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus by almost nine to one. “With each INC, we have seen an increase in the number of fossil fuel and petrochemical industry lobbyists but the efforts to effect the future treaty extend well beyond the negotiations themselves,” the groups said. “Reports of intimidation and interference have surfaced, including allegations of industry representatives intimidating independent scientists participating in the negotiations and pressure on country delegations by industry to replace technical experts with industry-friendly representatives.” ‘Undue influence’ The Mail & Guardian has reported on concerns raised by a civil society coalition composed of, among others, WWF South Africa, groundWork South Africa and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, that the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment has given undue influence to the plastics and chemical industries in its global plastic pollution treaty delegation and in national policy work. According to the coalition, Plastics SA, which describes itself as the mouthpiece of South Africa’s plastic industry , “continues to have increased access and visibility” with the government. The coalition said that it is important for the plastics industry to participate in the national consultation for the treaty, “however, their influence over the South African position should be limited”. It cited “conflict of interest given the industry’s vested interests and their profits ”, which are directly linked to the plastic pollution crisis. This limited influence has “not been kept in check”, with recent changes and new appointments in South Africa’s delegation to INC-5. “There is growing concern that previously progressive technical experts have been replaced with experts more aligned with the petrochemical industry position,” the coalition said. It has also emerged that Thokozani Masilela, the director of plastics at the department of trade, industry and competition — who is also the deputy chairperson of Plastics SA — was on the country’s delegation to INC-3, INC-4 and is now, for INC-5. Both Plastics SA and the department strongly denied allegations of improper behaviour or conflict of interest and said that neither Plastics SA nor the broader industry has had preferential access to the SA INC delegation or to government officials. “[Masilela] participates in the South Africa INC delegation as a government official,” said Peter Mbelengwa, the department’s spokesperson. “Both civil society groups and plastics industry/business have equal access to engage the South African delegation prior and during the INC sessions.” How stakeholders view the treaty does not automatically translate into South Africa’s negotiating position, he said. The Constitution, National Environment Management Act and other pieces of legislation “guide the interest and inform the position”. “The role of the department and other government departments is to listen and consider all the views of all stakeholders in informing the South African position. “In areas where the department does not agree with any of the stakeholders, the department always makes it clear through explanation and robust engagement. The department represents all sectors of the society, including the vulnerable.” Toxic impacts Plastic’s toxic impact permeates every stage of its life cycle, Andrés Del Castillo , a senior attorney at the Ciel, wrote last week. With plastic recycling rates below 10%, downstream measures are “wholly inadequate” to address this crisis. “The solution must begin at the source. We need a treaty that caps plastic production ... A treaty that fails to limit plastic production at its source will not only fall short of its mandate to end plastic pollution, it will fail humanity at a critical juncture. To meaningfully address this crisis, a global reduction target must be paired with ambitious, binding national commitments.” Ahead of INC-5, the World Plastics Council and Global Plastics Alliance members called on the South African government “to help secure a treaty to end plastics pollution”. The final agreement shaped in Busan “should strike the right balance” between global obligations and national measures. “It should require countries to develop national action plans so they can deploy tailored solutions most effective for their circumstances.” They are pushing for an “ambitious and implementable agreement that dramatically scales up waste management and recycling”. “Countries face very different challenges and require different solutions,” World Plastics Council chairperson Benny Mermans, who is the vice president of sustainability at Chevron Phillips Chemical, which provides polymers and petrochemical products, said in a statement. “A one-size-fits-all global approach to policy and regulation cannot work. The treaty should therefore provide each country and region with the flexibility to meet the objectives of the agreement in ways which make most sense for them.” Anton Hanekom, the executive director of Plastics SA, said: “Building circularity into the entire life cycle of plastics — from design to recycling to responsible end-of-life —and developing fit-for-purpose waste management systems, should be the cornerstone of the agreement.” The most effective way to achieve the objectives of the agreement, while maintaining the utility that plastics offer, is “to make plastic waste a commodity with real value”. ‘Obstruction, distraction, misinformation’ Delphine Levi Alvares, the global petrochemical campaign coordinator at the Ciel, said: “From the moment the gavel came down at Unea-5.2 to now, we have watched industry lobbyists surrounding the negotiations with sadly well-known tactics of obstruction, distraction, intimidation and misinformation.” This strategy, “ lifted straight from the climate negotiations playbook ”, is designed to preserve the financial interests of countries and companies who are “putting their fossil-fuelled profits above human health, human rights and the future of the planet, she said. The mandate for the plastics treaty is very clear — ending plastic pollution, she said. “Ever-growing evidence from independent scientists, frontline communities and indigenous peoples clearly shows that this won’t be achieved without reducing plastic production.” Recent research conducted by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency identified four themes employed by the industry lobby vis-à-vis the plastics treaty. These were an “outsized presence” at the global plastics treaty negotiations; the promotion of false solutions and unproven technologies ; the promotion of industry-funded scientific research and studies and lobbying of domestic governments. “The corporate lobbying playbook is being deployed in full force to undermine an effective instrument and we urge greater scrutiny on the participation of industry in this process and a restriction on the access of major polluters to decision-makers,” it said. On the plastic industry’s focus on downstream measures, such as waste management and recycling, and not capping plastic production, Alvarez added: “... As we are nearing the end of negotiations there is more at stake, it’s becoming more serious. It’s clear there is an even bigger temptation to really keep the focus on what seems easy and is not going to come in contradiction with any commercial interests.”

AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:41 p.m. ESTWhile You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 3, 2024Machinery fire extinguished at Delta, B.C., coal port terminal: Port authority

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. Increases Quarterly Dividend to $0.90 Per Common ShareWhile bringing about a tech boom in every field, artificial intelligence (AI) will streamline and shape future business models, industry competition as well as public and private organisations, according to AI coaches and experts. They said this while speaking to The Express Tribune on Saturday. They explained that emerging technologies such as AI, cloud computing and big data are dramatically transforming the tech landscape, while traditional industrialists look on, enthralled by the numerous benefits AI has to offer, such as cost-effective modus operandi and low budget mechanisms with AI-based software. In the West, intelligence software was already in use, but it is being rapidly replaced by AI-based software due to a host of benefits for all kinds of organisations, whether public or private, large or small. Leading AI strategist and Workforce Commerce CEO Khawaja Fahad Shakeel said AI-based programmes vary from industry to industry, organisation to organisation, field to field and the like. For example, AI-based software can help to gather accurate facts and figures for a project in terms of budgeting and costing, while simultaneously controlling poor governance or corruption in public organisations. Additionally, it can play a vital role in the agriculture sector by ensuring soil testing, in the health sector by maintaining Electronic Medical Records (EMR) of all patients, in the hotel industry by reducing food wastage and ensuring delivery management, and in the manufacturing sector by optimising the use of resources. He stated, "Old data is crucial in making AI-based programmes for any firm or organisation. Tapping into AI is so easy and in the near future, everything will be AI dependent everywhere in the world." IT analyst and National Incubation Centre (NIC) Karachi Project Director Syed Azfar Hussain said the widespread accessibility and usability of AI is set to revolutionise industries much like satellite television, PCs, the internet, and smartphones did in the past. It's the video that killed the radio star moment with generative AI transforming technology and businesses where many believe humans and jobs performed by humans will be replaced. AI capacity to process and analyse large volumes of data will enable businesses to make faster, smarter decisions, streamline their operations, and discover new growth opportunities. He said, "We are already seeing AI-driven analytics transform industries. Companies like Amazon and Alibaba are fine-tuning their supply chains by predicting demand patterns with incredible precision. In healthcare, institutions such as the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK and Mayo Clinic in the US are using AI to improve diagnostics and tailour treatments to individual patients." Cloud computing is levelling the playing field, allowing startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale their operations without significant infrastructure costs. Platforms like Amazon Web Service (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) are making high-level technologies accessible to businesses of all sizes. At the same time, big data is offering unprecedented insights into consumer behaviour, market trends, and internal efficiencies, helping companies stay competitive and agile in evolving markets. Hussain added that companies and firms that embrace agile and lean methodologies will be the first to fully capitalise on big data and cloud computing. Tesla has embedded AI and big data analytics into their production cycles, which has allowed them to innovate at an unmatched pace. Similarly, fintech startups like Stripe and Revolut are harnessing cloud platforms to develop and launch new products rapidly. For entrepreneurs and product development teams, this technological shift is game changing. The resources and time typically needed to build and test new products are significantly reduced. AI-driven insights enable businesses to pivot swiftly, experiment with innovative models, and break into emerging markets faster than ever before. Eminent SEO expert and IT coach Mehboob Shar, who is also Founder and CEO of Icreativez Technologies, said, "As a tech CEO, I firmly believe AI is poised to revolutionise our industry." He said every tech tool and software solution or IT-enabled product will demand AI integration to unlock its full potential and achieve peak efficiency. Cloud computing has undeniably proven its ability to secure data with robust layers of protection, while also providing on-demand access to vital server resources. He commented, "Big data, too, plays a crucial role in extracting the precise information we need. The value of AI is undeniable. For instance, we recently developed logistics software for one of our Icreativez Europe clients. Their government is now providing a grant to integrate AI capabilities into this software, recognising its potential to further optimise logistics and drive economic growth. This is a clear testament to the transformative power of AI and its ability to reshape industries across the board. "What's more, I think we are touching upon a crucial point about the evolving role of AI in the workforce. It's likely that AI will automate many tasks currently done by entry-level employees. This means those jobs will require a higher level of skill and expertise." 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