jili 7xm CMA Sri Lanka, the national professional management accounting body, in collaboration with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) on 3 December hosted the 10th anniversary awards celebrations of the ‘CMA Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards 2024’ at the Taj Samudra Hotel. The Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards was held to promote Sri Lankan companies both unlisted, and state-owned institutions/companies, to undertake integrated reporting which will be beneficial to investors and stakeholders. The key objective of an integrated report is to communicate to financial capital providers how an organisation generates, sustains, or diminishes value across the short, medium, and long term. However, its benefits extend beyond investors, offering valuable insights to a broad range of stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, business partners, local communities, policymakers, legislators, and regulators, all of whom have a vested interest in the organisation’s capacity to create value over time. Delivering the keynote address, Panel of Judges Chairman Prof. Ho Yew Kee urged the importance of concise reporting for better understanding that will aid informed decision-making. He called Sri Lanka and Burma the shining lights in Asia and expressed his gratitude in partnering with CMA Sri Lanka, hoping to promote Sri Lankan listed and unlisted companies via a gradual transfer of technical knowledge to the nation. Supreme Court of South Africa former Judge and Global Reporting Initiative Chairman Prof. Mervyn King emphasised the need for reporting that adheres to global financial standards, only then would the country and its companies become globally recognised for its accountancy and business standards, ensuring trust in Sri Lanka’s economy. The event was also attended by Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Prof. D.B.P.H. Dissabandara as a special guest of honour, who spoke about the leverage integrated reporting has over traditional accountancy reports, stating that, “Traditional reports often failed to capture the full potential, picture, prospects and long-term value of companies. This is because, not only do integrated reports have the capacity to capture financial information, but even non-financial information can be recorded.” Elaborating on the benefits of integrated reporting, he described management effectiveness as a result of a more holistic approach to strategy and performance, and brand value enhancement. He also emphasises the alleviation of asymmetrical information (a common crisis faced by businesses) as integrated reports encourage investors to make informed decisions in the long-term. Speaking about the inception of this competition since 2015, CMA Sri Lanka Founder and President Prof. Lakshman Watawala said, “We have witnessed an increasing number of companies both quoted, unquoted, state owned enterprises and SMEs adopting integrated reporting and many of them with a high level of compliance from top conglomerates, banks, finance companies, insurance companies, manufacturing sector, plantation companies, hotel and tourism sector, apparel and over 20 sectors. We are the best in the Asian region in preparing integrated reports.” He labelled the event an auspicious gathering meant to celebrate practices of good governance and corporate social responsibility. “Integrated reporting creates value to organisations by providing a comprehensive and transparent view of an organisation’s performance, including financial, environmental, social, and governance factors, which enhances accountability, supports better decision-making, and builds trust with stakeholders,” he opined. Prof. Watawala, while praising the present administration’s efforts at alleviating bribery and corruption, called for greater support and collaboration from the private sector in steering economic development. The private sector shoulders the responsibility of leading by example via transparent business practices, strong corporate governance, and anti-corruption legal frameworks. CSE Chairman Dilshan Wirasekara said: “CMA related programs encourage institutions to think holistically and create value for stakeholders, set a benchmark for what corporate sustainability looks like while enhancing the quality of financials and non-financials. In addition, risk assessment and management is done in a transparent and accessible manner. All these are the cornerstone for a strong, sustainable market and economy.” Reiterating Watawala’s words, Wirasekara believes that all organisations, State-owned, private, and non-profit must prioritise societal, economical, and environmental wellbeing for a sustainable future. The event concluded with the declaration of Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC as the overall winner, followed by Softlogic Life Insurance PLC and John Keells Holdings PLC as runners up. Other companies awarded for excellent integrated reports were – Commercial Bank PLC, LB Finance, and NDB Bank.Ottawa police arrest suspect in Mooney's Bay area shootingSpaniards protest housing crunch and high rents in Barcelona

For survivors of strokes, the device implanted in her chest could be a game changer in recovery.One defensive lineman ends an 11-year family streak at OSU. Another considers culinary school

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Big E. attended the Rate Bowl on Thursday, which drew a heated comment from Xavier Woods. The WWE star appeared at the game in a promotional appearance for WWE, and the game shared video of E. as you can see below. Woods retweeted one of the posts, writing: “Playing in my face, mocking my craft, but im the bad guy?” BIG E with the MVP! Congratulations to @KStateFB LB @austinmoore_21 , our #RateBowl Defensive Player of the Game! pic.twitter.com/7r1ALe6SGS — Rate Bowl (@RateBowl) December 27, 2024 🎺 @WWEBigE is having a fun time at the #RateBowl ! pic.twitter.com/R78JHpvHeF — Rate Bowl (@RateBowl) December 27, 2024 Playing in my face, mocking my craft, but im the bad guy? https://t.co/ocvFAp3R5C — Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) December 27, 2024Indiana coach Mike Woodson is happy that his team has won three straight games but concerned that it's committing too many turnovers. Limiting miscues is at the top of his wish list for Monday night's Big Ten Conference opener against visiting Minnesota in Bloomington, Ind. While the Hoosiers (7-2) shot 53.8 percent and dominated Miami (Ohio) 46-29 on the glass during a 76-57 win at home Friday night, they also had more turnovers (16) than assists (15). Having played for Bob Knight at Indiana, Woodson is fanatical about his team executing its offense without making mistakes. "We were taking chances on passes that weren't there," Woodson said. "We have to fix it. If we start Big Ten play like that, it puts you in a hole." In between careless mistakes, the Hoosiers got a huge game out of Oumar Ballo, the Arizona transfer who had 14 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. It was his 35th career double-double but his first at Indiana. Ballo (12.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds) is one of four players averaging double figures for the Hoosiers. They're led by Malik Reneau, who's hitting for 15.4 ppg on 58.9 percent shooting. While Indiana tries to fine-tune its game, the Golden Gophers (6-4, 0-1 Big Ten) aim to get to the .500 mark in conference play after absorbing a 90-72 beating Wednesday night against visiting Michigan State. There was good news for Minnesota in that game. Mike Mitchell Jr. returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a high ankle sprain and drilled 5 of 9 3-pointers in a 17-point performance. Mitchell's shooting should aid an attack that ranks 311th in Division I in 3-point percentage at 29.7 percent as of Sunday. "He's a difference-maker in terms of being able to space the floor," Gophers coach Ben Johnson said of Mitchell. "He provides offensive firepower and a guy who can make shots and take pressure off our offense." Dawson Garcia leads the team at 19 ppg, while Lu'Cye Patterson and Mitchell are scoring 10 ppg. The Hoosiers own a 109-69 lead in the all-time series. --Field Level MediaThe Year in Review – Part II

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In a significant development in Maharashtra's political landscape, candidates who switched parties before the recent assembly elections faced notable defeats across the state, suggesting public disapproval of political opportunism. Former state minister Harshvardhan Patil experienced a decisive loss in Indapur. Running under Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) banner, Patil was defeated by sitting Congress MLA Dattatray Bharne, who had the backing of Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Bharne secured 1,17,236 votes against Patil's 97,826 votes. Similarly, in Kagal and Tasgaon, other political figures who shifted allegiances also met with losses. Samarjeet Ghatge, previously of the BJP, lost to NCP minister Hasan Mushrif, and former BJP MP Sanjaykaka Patil, now with NCP, was defeated by Rohit Patil in Tasgaon, as voters largely favored continuity and party loyalty. (With inputs from agencies.)Best Buy Co. Inc. stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitors

Lawmakers call for progress on marijuana law before end of Biden administrationAP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:40 p.m. EST(The Center Square) – More than $225 million in grants have been allocated to assist and expand law enforcement and prosecutorial jobs in rural areas of Texas. Recognizing the need to increase salaries and recruit and retain law enforcement staff in rural areas where resources are limited and can’t compete with larger cities, in 2023, the state legislature passed SB 22, the Rural Law Enforcement Grant Program, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was an advocate for the bill, which received bipartisan support. The law appropriated $330 million for the program in the 2024-2025 biennium. In fiscal 2024, which ended Aug. 31, the Texas Comptroller’s Office awarded $125.7 million to 502 grant recipients. In fiscal 2025, it awarded $98.4 million to 396 grant recipients. “Many rural law enforcement and prosecutor offices have lacked the resources they need to attract and retain personnel or to buy much-needed safety equipment, and this program bridges that gap. I'm humbled that the Legislature placed this responsibility with my agency,” Comptroller Glenn Hegar said. “These men and women form the backbone of rural communities across the great state of Texas, and it is critical that we ensure they have what they need to keep Texans safe and secure." Earlier this year, Hegar visited several recipients of the grant program through his Good for Texas Tour series to highlight how they used the funds. Grant money helped increase minimum salaries for constables and sheriffs; increase deputy, jailer and corrections officer salaries; hire new deputies and corrections officers; fill open positions; and purchase equipment. In county attorney offices, grant money helped supplement the salaries of assistant district attorneys or hire additional ones, hire legal assistants, investigators, victim assistant coordinators and others. Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez, who advocated for the legislation, told The Center Square, “The Rural Law Enforcement Grant Program has been critical to sheriffs in disadvantaged rural counties with budgetary shortfalls. I’ve been a recipient of the grant program and greatly appreciate the support of the legislature for approving Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s pledge to increase law enforcement funding.” Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd agrees, saying it’s the first time in his 30-plus year career “that the legislature has done something like this for law enforcement. It’s a huge benefit because it enabled us to provide much-needed pay raises for the deputies and the jailers.” Boyd founded and leads an Operation Lone Star Task Force with sheriffs and law enforcement officials from nearly 50 agencies in dozens of counties, The Center Square has exclusively reported. He explained that historically, commissioner’s courts have underfunded sheriff’s offices because they argued state law enforcement agencies were patrolling rural areas but that hasn’t been the case for a range of reasons, leaving the sheriff’s offices underfunded and underpaid. SB 22 provided a “much-needed boost especially during hard economic times that we’ve been facing,” he said. When Patrick and state lawmakers learned “how little deputies were being paid or that they were relying on food stamps, they were shocked,” Boyd said. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! Boyd’s first partner, when he began his career, “was on food stamps. It was the only way to feed his family. A program like this helps them out,” he told The Center Square. “To put the pay raise into perspective,” he said, when he was first elected sheriff and came into office in 2021, “deputies were making $35,000 a year. Now starting pay is $51,400.” Before the legislature acted, in some poor, rural counties, some sheriff salaries were $20,000 a year. “Recruiting skilled law enforcement deputies in rural counties has always been a challenge. The impact of a grant like this that helps us better compensate and retain talented lawmen cannot be overstated,” Kinney County spokesman Matt Benacci told The Center Square. Despite the best efforts of the legislature, not all sheriffs and their deputies are receiving the money intended for them through the law because county judges or commissioners have control over the funding process and won’t approve the grant for political reasons, they told The Center Square. Several sheriffs spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation from their county judge or commissioners. If county officials don’t accept the grant, sheriffs and their deputies won’t receive salary increases and aren’t able to hire additional deputies or other staff and jobs remain vacant. In one rural county, the judge and commissioners didn’t want to pay the sheriff a full salary because he came out of retirement to take the job, one sheriff in a rural county said. The reasoning was that he didn’t need it because he was collecting retirement from his previous law enforcement job. In one border county, the county judge wouldn’t release funds for a sheriff’s office that was participating in Operation Lone Star. In another, the commissioners didn’t want the sheriff to make the minimum $75,000 under the law because it was more than they made and rejected the grant money. The sheriffs argue one way for the legislature to improve the program is to allow the sheriffs to apply directly for the grant and receive the funding directly. Criteria for the grant program can be found here . Those serving in jurisdictions with populations of 300,000 or less, whose fiscal years begins Jan. 1, have until Jan. 31, 2025, to apply.

Equinix Inc. stock rises Thursday, still underperforms market

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CALHOUN COUNTY, Ga. and FORT WAYNE, Ind. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Calhoun County E911 has achieved a significant milestone in November as the first in the United States to implement Ryzyliant's revolutionary EDGETM platform, seamlessly integrated with INdigital's Next Generation Core Services (NGCS). This partnership marks a leap forward in delivering agile, reliable, and community-focused emergency response capabilities. This deployment is a groundbreaking achievement for Calhoun County , one of Georgia's smaller Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) with two positions. It is also INdigital's third live NGCS customer in Georgia , underscoring the company's growing presence and commitment to advancing public safety infrastructure across the state. As the NGCS provider for Calhoun County , INdigital ensured the seamless delivery of 911 calls and integrated Ryzyliant's EDGETM platform into the Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet). This integration, combined with Ryzyliant's hybrid cloud-hosted solution with local survivability, provides unmatched resilience, efficiency, and security. Ryzyliant's EDGETM platform simplifies emergency call handling with integrated features such as NG9-1-1 call taking, mapping, and computer-aided dispatch (CAD). Powered by INdigital's reliable NGCS circuits, the system ensures rapid response times and full compliance with evolving NG9-1-1 standards. "This partnership represents the future of public safety technology," said Eric Hartman , Vice President of INdigital. "By combining INdigital's robust NGCS infrastructure with Ryzyliant's cutting-edge EDGE platform, we're ensuring that every 911 call is delivered and answered with precision, no matter the circumstances." INdigital's local backup capabilities and proven expertise in NGCS projects were instrumental in this deployment. The company also provided database services and implemented Texty, enabling text-to-911 functionality for the county. These services ensure that Calhoun County E911 is prepared to respond to the community's needs with the most reliable tools available. "Delivering 9-1-1 calls is INdigital's mission, and with Ryzyliant's innovative platform, Calhoun County now has the tools to handle and respond to calls seamlessly," said Caleb Branch , Vice President of Market Management at INdigital. "This collaboration exemplifies our shared commitment to enhancing public safety operations nationwide." The successful implementation in Calhoun County highlights the synergy between INdigital and Ryzyliant, setting a new standard for NG9-1-1 solutions. As public safety agencies across the country transition to next-generation systems, this collaboration demonstrates how advanced technology and reliable infrastructure can work hand in hand to serve communities effectively. About INdigital INdigital specializes in delivering Next Generation 9-1-1 services, focusing on agile, reliable, and resilient core services tailored to individual PSAP needs. With a mission to ensure every 9-1-1 call is delivered, INdigital partners with agencies nationwide to support their unique public safety requirements. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/calhoun-county-e911-becomes-first-to-launch-ryzyliants-solution-with-indigital-ngcs-support-302325294.html SOURCE INdigitalBehind the scenes in Trump's transformed Mar-a-Lago that's so exclusive even money can't get you in

NoneDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kobe Magee had 23 points in Drexel's 83-71 win against Chicago State on Tuesday. Magee had nine rebounds for the Dragons (5-3). Yame Butler shot 6 of 10 from the field and 8 for 11 from the line to add 20 points. Cole Hargrove went 5 of 7 from the field to finish with 10 points. Troy McCoy finished with 19 points and six rebounds for the Cougars (0-8). Jalen Forrest added 14 points for Chicago State. Matthew Robinson finished with 10 points and two steals. Jason Drake led Drexel in scoring with eight points in the first half to help put them up 35-28 at the break. Magee scored 16 points in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

SafeSport Center changes targeted in new bill aimed at sex abuse in sportsTrump Border Czar Praises Texas Border Effort During Pre-Thanksgiving VisitNEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in morning trading Friday as Wall Street closes out a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 fell 1.4%, with more than 80% of stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. Still, the index is managing to hold onto a modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 402 points, or 0.9%, to 42,945 as of 10:41 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 2%. Both the Dow and the Nasdaq are also holding on to weekly gains. Technology stocks were the biggest drag on the market Friday. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slumped 3.2%. Its enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes. Other Big Tech stocks losing ground included Microsoft, with a 2.2% decline. A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 2.2% and Best Buy slipped 1.9%. The sector is being closely watched for clues on how it performed during the holiday shopping season. Energy was the only sector within the S&P 500 rising. It gained 0.5% as crude oil prices rose 0.8%. Investors don't have much in the way of corporate or economic updates to review as the market moves closer to another standout annual finish. The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing. A report on Friday showed that sales and inventory estimates for the wholesales trade industry fell 0.2% in November, following a slight gain in October. That weaker-than-expected report follows an update on the labor market Thursday that showed unemployment benefits held steady last week. In Asia, Japan’s benchmark index surged as the yen remained weak against the dollar. Stocks in South Korea fell after the main opposition party voted to impeach the country’s acting leader. Markets in Europe gained ground. Bond yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury remained at 4.59% from late Thursday. The yield on the two-year Treasury slipped to 4.32% from 4.33% late Thursday. Wall Street will have more economic updates to look forward to next week, including reports on pending home sales and home prices. There will also be reports on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity.