Chicago Cubs rookie Owen Caissie had some rotten luck on Thursday in his first big-league plate appearance.
Day: August 15, 2025
When a New York Giants player was asked about Justin Fields, his response should be the reason why fans are fired up about the team’s pass rush this year.
The New York Yankees acquired Cody Bellinger in the offseason from the Chicago Cubs. However, a new update all but guarantees he will hit the open market.
Uzbekistan has introduced comprehensive measures to assist Palestinian women and children evacuated from Gaza late last year, including financial aid, housing support, free education, and healthcare. A presidential decree published on August 14 announced the creation of a special fund to finance these programs, UzA reported.
On December 26, 2024, 100 injured Palestinian women and children were evacuated from Rafah to Uzbekistan. They were admitted to hospitals and rehabilitation centers for treatment and provided with medication and medical examinations. Authorities say the new measures aim not only to address urgent needs but also to help the group adapt and integrate into Uzbek society.
Special fund and social support
The decree establishes a special fund under the National Social Protection Agency to cover living expenses, rent, and one-time material assistance. Funding will come from charitable donations, international grants, and other legal sources, with spending monitored by a national commission to ensure transparency.
The measures include monthly allowances for working-age adults, full coverage of rental costs for families, one-time payments for childbirth and funeral expenses equivalent to those granted to Uzbek citizens, and lump-sum assistance for essential non-food items. Each family will be assigned a local social worker to assess needs and provide tailored support.
A Republican Commission will coordinate the work of government agencies to resolve practical issues swiftly. Local mahalla committees and social service centers will directly assist families in adapting to community life.
Focus on education and healthcare
The decree guarantees free enrollment for children in state kindergartens and schools without waiting lists, with kindergarten fees waived until January 1, 2028. The Ministry of Higher Education will recognize the foreign academic documents of Palestinian students within two months, without fees or additional exams.
The Ministry of Health will register evacuees at family medical centers and polyclinics near their residences, granting them free care on the same terms as low-income Uzbek families. Any evacuee diagnosed with a disabling condition will be granted disability status regardless of treatment timelines, while elderly people without sufficient work records will receive pensions within two weeks.
Employment and integration
The Social Protection Agency has one month to develop proposals for helping evacuees find jobs and acquire new skills. The Ministries of Economy and Labor, along with commercial banks, will include Palestinians in entrepreneurship and small business support programs such as “Family Entrepreneurship,” “Support for Small Business,” and “First Step to Business.” Local officials and community bankers will oversee the use of funds and provide practical guidance.
Humanitarian context
Uzbekistan’s decision comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run administration, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 145,000 injured since the outbreak of war in October 2023, the Associated Press reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly suggested relocating Palestinians from Gaza to countries including South Sudan, a proposal that Juba has denied discussing. Hamas says it will disarm only if Israeli forces fully withdraw from Gaza, a condition that continues to hinder progress in ceasefire talks, Reuters reports.
Keegan Bradley responded to Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup critique, defending his captaincy role with a bold message ahead of golf’s biggest showdown.
Courtesy of Mostofa Shakib
- Convinced that AI is the future, Mostofa Adib Shakib has been pivoting his career toward AI skills.
- He’s choosing not to work in a traditional tech job so he has more flexibility to build new skills.
- He’s created projects to develop agentic AI skills and now earns $6,400 a week as an AI contractor.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 28-year-old Mostofa Adib Shakib, a software engineer from Iowa, about pivoting his career to focus on building AI skills. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
My goal has always been to be like Elon Musk and bet on myself.
I grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and I moved to the US in 2017 for my undergrad. After graduating, I worked as a software engineer, first at Snap Inc. and then at ZipRecruiter.
When ChatGPT came out, I realized the world was shifting, and I wanted to upskill in AI. So, in 2024, I left traditional software engineering to focus on building AI skills. Now, I work as a contractor for an AI-driven company and have more free time to build this skillset.
To stay relevant, people should be lifelong learners and not scared of what’s happening in the world. We should embrace change and try to upskill.
Starting my career at Snap Inc. was a phenomenal experience
During my four years of study at Texas Tech, I completed two bachelor’s degrees, in computer science and mathematics, with a minor in electrical engineering. I graduated in 2021.
Then, I landed my first full-time software engineering job at Snap Inc., starting in June 2021. My base salary was $125,000, and I also got paid in bonuses and stock. I worked on Snapchat’s messaging team, which was a core part of the business. Everyone I knew there was really smart and kind. There were great perks at that time, such as a meal card to buy food every week.
In December 2022, I started a new job at ZipRecruiter, earning $145,000 in base salary plus a bonus and stock options. I wanted experience at a smaller team where I had more zero-to-one opportunities — a chance to build things completely from scratch.
I left traditional software engineering and started earning much more money in AI
When ChatGPT first came out in November 2022, I knew the world was going to shift toward AI.
My goals have always been to maximize learning and build skills I can leverage later on. I felt getting more AI skills would be a good strategy for my future, because agentic AI skills are more niche and emerging compared to mobile application work.
My visa situation was the biggest obstacle to pivoting my career focus. I worked at Snapchat and ZipRecruiter on a type of student work authorization called Optional Practical Training, but it expired in July 2024, so I had to stop working at ZipRecruiter.
With help from lawyers, I applied for a flexible type of visa, an agent-based O-1 for “extraordinary” talent. Rather than being tied to an employer, like I would be on the alternative H-1B employment visa, lawyers arranged for a company to act as my “agent,” sponsoring my application in such a way that I could work for multiple companies or become an entrepreneur.
I received the O-1 in September. Without the same visa concerns I had before, I decided now was the right time to focus on building AI skills, instead of working for another tech company.
Courtesy of Mostofa Shakib
I had a strong foundation in AI knowledge. I’d done a lot of AI research in the past, and my mathematics classes at college were AI-related. But I lacked deep knowledge of how LLMs are built and their limitations. I learned more using books, videos, and research papers. I decided to build software projects to help me develop agentic AI skills, such as a tool that uses AI to help Bangladeshi professionals optimize their résumés.
I’m not necessarily relying on these projects for income. My income these days mostly comes from consulting and a contractor role I started in February with Mercor, an AI-driven recruitment startup.
I’m contracted with them full-time as a software engineer working on their AI products. I’d been earning $6,200 a week since February, but was recently given a raise to $6,400 a week. It’s more than I was earning weekly at ZipRecruiter. It feels good to be making more, but money was never really my goal. I’m more excited about the company and working with extremely talented people.
I don’t see myself working for a company right now
Being a full-time employee at a company is stable and offers nice benefits, but in my contractor role, I can spread out my hours as I please.
If I were still employed at a company in a non-AI role, I could build up agentic AI skills on weekends, but I’d only be putting in 10 to 20 hours a week of learning. In theory, I could have tried to join an AI company next, but I’d still have the same skillset, focused on mobile development. I wanted to upskill and get where I wanted to be, to increase my leverage in the future.
I genuinely think AI is the future. It’s similar to big shifts like the introduction of the PC and the internet, but we’re in the early phase of that shift, so a lot of opportunities are up for grabs. I think I’m making the right bet to focus on these opportunities before the market gets really crowded.
Do you have a story to share about work culture in different continents? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businessinsider.com.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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A meeting in Geneva has set the stage for closer cooperation between Tajikistan and leading Swiss tourism organizations to promote its tourism potential internationally.
Expanding Tajikistan’s global presence
Deputy Chairman of the Tajik Tourism Development Committee Ziyodullo Salimzoda and Tajik Ambassador to Switzerland Sharaf Sheralizoda held talks with Geneva Tourism Office Director General Adrien Genier, as well as executives from Swiss companies Trade Wings Voyages and Executive Travel.
Discussions focused on increasing Tajikistan’s visibility in the global tourism market. Proposals included organizing presentations of Tajik tourist routes in Switzerland, launching advertising campaigns, and participating in specialized international tourism events.
Tourism as an economic driver
Both sides emphasized the importance of attracting foreign investment to modernize tourism infrastructure, develop the hotel sector, and create jobs.
“Tajikistan is known for its unique nature and hospitality, as well as the legendary Pamir Highway, one of the highest and most picturesque roads in the world,” noted Primus Publishing, a Swiss media outlet specializing in travel content.
Officials expressed confidence that cooperation with Swiss partners will help increase foreign traveler interest in Tajikistan and strengthen bilateral economic ties.
Partners with global expertise
Trade Wings Voyages is a well established Swiss travel company offering premium business and leisure services worldwide. Executive Travel, based in Geneva, specializes in customized itineraries and full-service travel arrangements.
Both companies have signaled their readiness to include Tajikistan in their travel programs and promote it across the European market.
Following the meeting, participants agreed to pursue long-term initiatives, including cultural exchanges and joint promotional campaigns. This partnership could mark a shift from isolated marketing efforts to a coordinated, sustained promotion of Tajikistan as a distinctive destination for international travelers.
Cole’s level of relaxation “never ceases to amaze,” owner Chris Hannah told Newsweek, especially compared to his alert sister.