Latest news with #MichaelSohn
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Why Amazon may ditch its own AI coding assistant for Cursor that CEO Andy Jassy says is behind explosion of coding agents
FILE - An Amazon company logo marks the facade of a building, March 18, 2022, in Schoenefeld near Berlin. AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File) Amazon is in advanced talks to roll out the popular AI coding assistant Cursor across its workforce, responding to growing internal pressure from employees seeking access to the development tool, according to internal company communications reviewed by Business Insider. An Amazon HR manager overseeing artificial intelligence adoption told staff via Slack that the company is working "asap" to formally adopt Cursor, though deployment hinges on resolving "a few high priority security issues" to meet Amazon's stringent security requirements. The potential deal represents a significant shift for Amazon, which typically discourages employees from using external AI tools when the company offers competing products. Amazon already provides its own AI coding assistant called Q and maintains an internal AI chatbot named "Cedric." Internal pressure mounts as 1,500 workers join cursor channel by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The discussions emerged after several Amazon employees actively lobbied for Cursor access through internal channels. A dedicated Slack channel for Cursor enthusiasts has attracted approximately 1,500 Amazon participants, demonstrating substantial employee interest in the tool. Internal polling within the channel showed more than 60 Amazon employees preferred Cursor over competing tools like Windsurf, with only about 10 choosing the latter option. Employees praised Cursor's speed and user experience, with one noting that "Cursor changes are almost instantaneous, whereas Q dev still takes minutes to make a change." Cursor's $9B valuation signals competitive threat to Amazon's Q The timing coincides with Cursor's meteoric rise in the AI development space. Anysphere , Cursor's maker, recently secured $900 million in funding at a $9 billion valuation, representing a dramatic increase from its $2.4 billion December valuation, according to reports from the Financial Times and TechCrunch. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged Cursor's market impact during last month's earnings call, citing the company as a key driver behind the "explosion of coding agents." The potential adoption comes as Amazon develops its own advanced AI coding tool, codenamed "Kiro," designed to compete directly with Cursor's capabilities. iQoo Z10 Review: 7300mAh battery packed in a slim design AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Swimming world body to banish athletes and supporters of doping-fueled event in Las Vegas
FILE - Australia's James Magnussen smiles as he hold the gold medal he won in the Men's 100m freestyle final at the FINA Swimming World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File) LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Swimmers and officials who compete in and support a doping-fueled sports event planned in Las Vegas will be banished from the sport, the governing body World Aquatics said on Tuesday. Organizers of the Enhanced Games scheduled next May promise $1 million bonuses for athletes who beat world record times over sprint distances in the pool or on the track. Weightlifting also is on the program. Advertisement A small group of past Olympic swimmers, including three-time medalist James Magnussen of Australia, are among athletes who signed up for the event that aims to push limits beyond the rules of clean sport. 'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,' its president Husain al-Musallam said in a statement after the decision. The new rule targets those who 'support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods,' the world swim body said. 'This ineligibility would apply to roles such as athlete, coach, team official, administrator, medical support staff, or government representative.' Advertisement Enhanced Games organizers had a launch event last month for the inaugural event at a Vegas resort, with plans for a year-round training base. Athletes are not subject to doping tests though they should have their health monitored. The project also involves selling personalized programs of supplements and substances to people who pay a refundable $99 deposit. One investment group is backed by Donald Trump Jr. The World Anti-Doping Agency has criticized the idea first touted in 2023 as dangerous and irresponsible. ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Berlin presents bid to rehost Olympics with 100th anniversary of 1936 Games looming
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 photo people walk down the stairs in the stands of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file) FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 photo people walk down the stairs in the stands of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file) BERLIN (AP) — Berlin formally presented its bid to rehost the Olympics on Tuesday in the same stadium where Jesse Owens starred during the 1936 Games under the Nazis. Berlin sports minister Iris Spranger said the city wants to put on a sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044, making use of existing sports venues. Advertisement But her announced plans to include the former airport Tempelhof are likely to be resisted by locals who already opposed any development of the popular city park in a 2014 referendum. Spranger envisaged beach volleyball at the Brandenburg Gate, and water sports in Grünau, a riverside locality which also staged water sports in 1936. Otherwise, Spranger gave few details during the presentation, saying the bid was still at concept phase. 'You'll have to be patient,' she told a journalist. Berlin's bid — titled 'Berlin+' with support from the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein — is to be presented to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) before an end-of-month deadline. Advertisement It will be up to the DOSB to decide which Games to bid for. Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Olympics and Brisbane the 2032 Olympics, so the next available edition will be 2036, the 100th anniversary of the Berlin Games. The DOSB previously said a German bid for 2040 was also possible. 'I believe that the 2036 Games, regardless of where they take place, will also focus on the Nazi Games of 1936. That's part of history and attention will be paid to it,' Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner said. 'I have to tell you, I'm proud to be the governing mayor of a city that has changed in the last 100 years, that we no longer stand for dictatorship, exclusion, and mass violence, but that Berlin is now a cosmopolitan, international metropolis, a colorful, diverse city.' Wegner said it was 'important for Germany to make a bid. We're making an offer here today.' Advertisement Wegner, Spranger, and the governors from the other four states made their presentation in the same battle-scarred stadium, Berlin's Olympiastadion, where Adolf Hitler watched Owens, the Black American athlete, win four gold medals in the 1936 Games, dealing a blow to Hitler's notions of racial superiority. Hitler was personally involved in the design and construction of the 100,000-seat track-and-field stadium after the Nazis assumed power in 1933, two years after the Games were awarded to the city. ___ AP sports:
The Hill
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hill
GOP phasing out green energy credits
The Big Story House Republicans on Monday announced they plan to repeal Democrats' tax credits for electric vehicles (EVs) and phase out those that apply to climate-friendly energy sources. © Michael Sohn, Associated Press file The green energy credits have long been in the GOP's crosshairs, as party leaders have decried climate spending. But they have also emerged as a point of conflict within the party, as Republicans whose districts house low-carbon energy projects have called for at least some of them to remain in place while Freedom Caucus members have called for a full repeal. In the text of their 'big beautiful bill' released Monday, Republicans called for terminating tax credits for pre-owned EVs purchased after the end of this year and new vehicles put in service after the end of next year. Meanwhile, the legislation also seeks to phase out credits for low-carbon energy sources. While these tax credits were expected to be a particular boon for wind and solar, they apply to any energy source that meets certain emissions thresholds. In the GOP's legislation, these credits will reduce to: After 2031, new projects will not be eligible for the credits. The bill also phases out tax credits for nuclear energy along the same timeline. Meanwhile, it ends a tax credit for hydrogen energy whose construction starts after this year, while Democrats would have had the credit apply for facilities whose construction begins before 2033. After this year, tax credits for EV chargers, home energy efficiency updates and home renewable energy like rooftop solar are also axed. Read more at Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: EPA tells scientists to apply for new jobs within the agency Political leaders at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have told scientists there to apply to new jobs, implying that those who do not may be fired, according to an official with a union representing the agency's employees. House Republicans cut green programs, boost fossil fuels in budget bill The House Energy and Commerce Committee's text for Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill' to advance President Trump's agenda and fund the government slashes a number of green programs and regulations — and seeks to bolster fossil fuels. Trump's firing of FEMA leader plunges disaster agency into uncertainty The dismissal of acting Federal Emergency Management Agency head Cameron Hamilton plunges an already fraught agency into deeper uncertainty. Energy Department proposes to cut 47 rules in 'largest deregulatory effort in history' The Energy Department has announced proposals to cut dozens of energy efficiency and other rules in what it is describing as the ''largest deregulatory effort in history.' What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: FEMA cuts emergency training under Trump as hurricane season looms (Reuters) First US Trial Over PFAS Injuries to Focus on Kidney Cancer (Bloomberg Law) How the Pacific Northwest's dream of green energy fell apart (Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica) On Tap Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: What Others are Reading Two key stories on The Hill right now: House panel releases sweeping GOP tax bill The House Ways and Means Committee on Monday released a fuller version of its part of Republicans' bill full of President Trump's legislative priorities, kicking off what is expected to be a showdown over the tax provisions in the sprawling measure. Read more Senate Democrats, worried about Fetterman, discussing ways to help Democratic senators are having private conversations about how to help Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in the wake of an explosive report that the first-term Pennsylvania senator is behaving erratically and in a way that may pose a danger to himself or others, according to sources familiar with those discussions. Read more You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
From 'conclave' to 'white smoke,' a glossary of terms used in a papal transition
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A change in popes — through death or resignation — is a complicated process, with centuries-old rituals involving the transition in leadership for both the spiritual head of the global Catholic Church and the Vatican's head of state. These are the need-to-know terms — some of them in Latin — to help make sense of news in the coming days: Who is in the College of Cardinals? FILE - Black smoke emerges from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel as cardinals voted on the second day of the conclave to elect a pope in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File) There are 252 cardinals worldwide, and as a body, they are in charge of the Holy See's affairs between popes, albeit with limits. Of them, 135 are 'cardinal electors,' who gather in the Vatican to choose the new pope. Only 133 are participating in this conclave because two are sick. For centuries, they have chosen one of their own. The vast majority of the electors — 108 — were made cardinals by Pope Francis, according to Vatican statistics. What is the conclave? This is the closed-door meeting of the cardinal electors to choose the new pope in the Sistine Chapel. Its name, literally 'with a key,' was used in the 13th century to describe the process of locking up the cardinals until the election is completed. It must begin no more than 20 days after the death or resignation of a pope. The electors are sequestered from all outsiders for the duration. The last three popes were chosen within days. Who is the dean of the College of Cardinals? The current dean is Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. He is the head of the College of Cardinals who informs the rest of the cardinals and the ambassadors to the Holy See of the pope's death once he learns of it from the camerlengo. He convenes the conclave and presides as the electors take their oaths. Since Re is 91, he cannot vote, so he will leave the Sistine Chapel once the conclave begins and the most senior cardinal, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, takes over. What is St. Peter's Basilica? The 16th century church, built over the traditional tomb of the apostle St. Peter, is one of the largest Catholic basilicas in the world and is the centerpiece of Vatican City, headquarters of the 1.4 billion-strong Catholic Church. The Renaissance masterpiece was built and decorated by some of the most illustrious architects and artists of the time. Its grottoes contain the remains of popes, and its vast, marbled interior is home to some of the Vatican's greatest treasures, including Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture and Gian Lorenzo Bernini's bronze baldacchino canopy over the main altar. What is the Domus Santa Marta? This Vatican guesthouse, built in 1996, specifically houses cardinals during a conclave and is used at other times as a hotel for visiting priests and Vatican officials. Pope Francis never moved out after he was elected, choosing to live in suite 201 rather than the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Because there are so many electors this time and not enough room in the main building, some are being housed in an adjacent residence. What does 'extra omnes' mean? A Latin phrase for 'all out,' it's spoken by the master for papal liturgical celebrations, currently Italian Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to ask all those present except the cardinal electors to leave the Sistine Chapel to begin the voting process during the conclave. What does it mean when they say, 'Habemus Papam'? This Latin phrase translates to 'We have a pope.' These are the words used by the 'protodeacon' of the College of Cardinals to announce from the gallery of St. Peter's Basilica that a new pope has been elected. He then says the new pope's birth name and the name he has chosen to use as pope, also in Latin. The current protodeacon is French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti. Who are the infirmarii? These are the three cardinals, chosen by a random drawing from the electors, who are charged with gathering the ballots of any electors who made it to Rome but are ill during the conclave. Who are the revisers? These are the three cardinals, chosen by a random drawing from the electors, who are charged with reviewing the ballots during the conclave. Who are the scrutineers? These are the three cardinals, chosen by a random drawing from the electors, who are charged with reviewing each ballot and announcing it to the assembled conclave after each round of voting. They then tally the votes — to win the election, two-thirds of the votes are necessary — and they burn the ballots. What does the saying 'sede vacante' mean? This is Latin for 'vacant seat,' the period between the pope's death or resignation and the election of a new one. What does the text 'Universi Dominici Gregis' contain? Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up This Latin phrase means 'the Lord's whole flock.' It's the Vatican constitution that regulates the processes from a pope's death until a new one is elected. St. John Paul II issued it in 1996 during his papacy, and Pope Benedict XVI twice amended it, most significantly by removing John Paul's provision that after about 12 days of balloting a simple majority could elect a new pope rather than a two-thirds majority. If the conclave lasts that long, the top two vote-getters go to a runoff, with a two-thirds majority required to win. Neither of the top two candidates casts a ballot in the runoff. What does white or black smoke mean during a papal transition? After sessions of voting in the Sistine Chapel, the ballots are burned in a special furnace to indicate the outcome to the outside world. If no pope is chosen, the ballots are mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar), and sulfur to produce black smoke. If there is a winner, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke. Bells usually are rung to further signal there is a new pope. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
