FACT FOCUS: Posts misrepresent Biden administration spending on EV charging stationsThe Onion's bid to buy Infowars goes before judge as Alex Jones tries stopping sale
Medical Properties Trust: Extreme Makeover, Why I'm Buying AggressivelyA slide for market superstar Nvidia helped pull U.S. stock indexes down from their records. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% Monday, coming off its 57th all-time high of the year so far. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.6% from its own record. Nvidia was the market’s heaviest weight after China said it’s probing the chip giant for potential antitrust violations. Stocks in Hong Kong jumped after top Chinese leaders agreed on a “moderately loose” monetary policy. Prices for oil and gold rose following the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar Assad. On Monday: The S&P 500 fell 37.42 points, or 0.6%, to 6,052.85. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 240.59 points, or 0.5%, to 44,401.93. The Nasdaq composite fell 123.08 points, or 0.6%, to 19,736.69. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 16.16 points, or 0.7%, to 2,392.84. For the year: The S&P 500 is up 1,283.02 points, or 26.9%. The Dow is up 6,712.39 points, or 17.8%. The Nasdaq is up 4,725.34 points, or 31.5%. The Russell 2000 is up 365.76 points, or 18%.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government, saying that the various reforms introduced were aimed at revitalising and repositioning the economy. Speaking on behalf of the Senator Kashima, the Secretary Adviser on economic financial inclusion in the office of the Vice President Dr. Nurudeen Abubalkar, at the Bayero University Kano,class of 2004′ reunion held at BUK convocation hall. He said the message from the Vice President was basically about collaboration, corporation and exploring available opportunities under this administration. “Though we have some challenges, which underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to address the systemic inequalities faced by women and other marginalised groups. “With every challenge comes an opportunity, as for the Federal Government under our amiable President, you as Ambassadors we can leverage strengths, resources, networks, and technical expertise to develop innovative solutions, and this is precisely why we participate in today’s reunion. I therefore implore all of us to contribute towards making our country great again. “As we all know that when this administration came on board ,came on board with ambition policy, programme and do a lot of reforms in order to support the Nigeria’ s economy. “Since the beginning of this administration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the renewed hope agenda was launched to ensure that every economically active Nigeria is not left behind. “The centrality to this is the inclusivity, access to capital, food security and employment generation among others as a landmark commitment of this regime. “As stakeholders in this journey, we have made significant strides in advancing our shared vision, including bringing together key players across Nigeria to discuss, to reunite and share joy and pain. We believe together we will achieve a lot. “The theme of today’s gathering embodies the essence of an unwavering commitment to fostering sustainable growth, inclusivity, and collaboration for the economic empowerment of all. “Our mission is clear: to create an environment where every Nigerian has equal opportunity to thrive and have access to the infrastructure, education, resources, and opportunities needed to contribute meaningfully to our nation’s economic prosperity, “Central to this mission is the power of partnerships. By bringing you together as representatives of the government agencies, private sector leaders, bilateral and multilateral agencies, civil society, and local and international organisations. “We aim to forge a unified and impactful pathway toward the economic transformation of ALL, especially underserved demographics like women and youth in Nigeria. “I am particularly delighted to welcome you all, who have demonstrated inspiring support, passion, and dedication to this cause. “Your presence here today reaffirms our collective resolve to achieve comprehensive reunion and chat a course for the betterment of all Nigerians. “In addition, we are proud that many initiatives were introduced including the gender and youth focused initiatives as a holistic response to addressing socio-economic challenges that have militated against gender mainstreaming and inclusion in economic and financial landscape of Nigerian. “This is built on critical pillars of fostering education and literacy for women and youth, improving healthcare, addressing gender-based violence, and creating opportunities for women’s economic participation by promoting inclusion for all, thereby creating pathways and opportunities for women to participate fully in the economy. Our implementation plan is ambitious yet achievable, with a goal to impact all the 774 local governments in Nigeria. “Contributions of Bayero University Kano in providing quality education for all Nigerians and its track record of unbiased admission polity accross the country devoid of religion and ethnicity is really commendable. “This administration recognises that government efforts alone can not achieve economic Potentials of Nigeria. Consequently, this gathering emphasises the critical role of future leaders and partners, particularly from the private sector, in ensuring the successful implementation and sustainability of our programs, projects, and initiatives “We seek your collaboration and contributions, guided by an evidence-based approach, to identify new programs and policies that will drive impactful change in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “In conclusion, let us seize this opportunity to exchange best practices, design innovative strategies, and explore groundbreaking/emerging oppotunities such as technologies that can drive meaningful change. Together, we must define and strengthen our roles, establish impactful partnerships, and create unique, community-driven initiatives and interventions. In his own speach Dr. Abubalkar then called on the 2004 BUK ‘ alumni by key into various reforms been introduced by the present administration,adding that there are a lot of economic available in these reforms that they can beniffited from,” he said. He also urged them to strive and assist others saying that most of them have attained a remarkable feet in life, hence the need to lifted others from grass to grace. “We also call for firm commitment and support for our shared vision of this administration as we remain steadfast our commitment to translating the outcomes of this reunion into tangible actions. I look forward to the recommendations of your deliberations. Together, we shall forge a brighter economic future for Nigeria where no one will be left behind,” he added. ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Shettima launches 2024 Nigeria Economic Report Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more. Join our WhatsApp Channel nowBrunson’s 55 points propel Knicks to overtime win over WizardsEnsuring a reliable supply of critical battery raw materials will be crucial to the global push to net-zero, especially with demand for battery electric vehicles (BEV) picking up pace towards the end of this decade, a new report by McKinsey finds. By 2030, McKinsey estimates that worldwide demand for passenger cars in the BEV segment will grow sixfold from 2021 through 2030, with annual unit sales increasing to roughly 28 million from 4.5 million during that period. Such a projection, the consultancy says, means that the industry is “likely to confront persistent long-term challenges” in keeping with demand. In particular, its reports highlights that automotive OEMs are giving more attention to reducing Scope 3 emissions from material usage, which contribute a large portion of what batteries emit. As a result, battery materials sourcing has become ever more important for battery producers. Based on the latest estimates, McKinsey’s analysis projects that demand will outpace base-case supply for certain materials, requiring additional investment and leading to fear of shortages and price volatility, among other challenges. Supply shortages looming Based on current market observations, battery manufacturers can expect challenges securing supply of several essential battery raw materials by 2030, McKinsey’s report finds. Battery makers use more than 80% of all lithium that is mined today, and that share could grow to 95% by 2030. With technological advancements shifting in favor of lithium-heavy batteries, lithium mining will need to increase substantially to meet 2030 demand, McKinsey says. For nickel, fears of a shortage prompted by the shift to BEVs have already triggered significant investments in new mines, particularly in Southeast Asia, but even more supply will need to be brought online. McKinsey’s report suggests the possibility of a slight shortage in 2030 as the battery sector continues to vie with steel and other sectors for Class 1 nickel. While the share of cobalt in battery chemistry mix is expected to decrease, the absolute demand for cobalt for all applications could rise by 7.5% a year from 2023 and 2030, McKinsey estimates, adding that shortages of cobalt are unlikely, but its supply will be driven by nickel and copper since it is largely a byproduct of their production. Meanwhile, the supply of manganese is projected to grow moderately through 2030, but an increasing demand for battery-grade material is likely to outpace supply, requiring the development of new refineries. To account for a rapid adoption of LFP (lithium iron phosphate) technology, McKinsey’s study models the 2030 supply and demand balances with two scenarios. Under the base case, only about 20% of the HPMSM (high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate) supply will meet the requirements of battery applications (30% if all announced projects are realized), which themselves will account for only about 5% of total demand for manganese. In a world where the rapid adoption of LFP technology is coupled with a lower growth in EV production, the demand of battery materials could look different: Global trends Although overall demand for batteries and raw materials is increasing rapidly, supply is — and will remain — largely concentrated in a few naturally endowed countries, including Indonesia for nickel; Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile for lithium; and the DRC for cobalt, McKinsey says. Meanwhile, the refining typically takes place elsewhere, often in China (for cobalt and lithium), Indonesia (nickel), and Brazil (niobium). This value chain setup, according to McKinsey, poses additional considerations for regions such as the European Union and the United States, both of which have high demand for imported materials and often rely heavily on single-country sources. For example, the European Union imports 68% of its cobalt from the DRC, 24% of its nickel from Canada, and 79% of its refined lithium from Chile. Supply chain transparency Moreover, although supply concentration for materials such as refined nickel, cobalt and lithium are knowable, complete visibility into the origin of raw materials is sometimes unattainable. This is the case with high-purity manganese, of which more than 95% is produced in China and minor volumes come from Belgium and Japan; graphite, of which almost all is refined in China; and anode production, on which China has a near monopoly. Limited transparency into the origins of battery raw materials supply also poses broader ESG concerns and attention. For instance, the EU Batteries Regulation aims to make batteries sustainable throughout their entire life cycle, from material sourcing to battery collection, recycling and repurposing. As a result, McKinsey believes the pressure to address ESG concerns will likely increase moving forward. Recent supply chain disruptions, such as those affecting magnesium, silicon and semiconductors in from 2021 to 2023, have increased buyers’ needs to boost supply chain resilience for critical battery raw materials. Buyers’ risks of import dependency are further heightened by recent trade restrictions introduced by exporters, including China’s export controls on some materials (such as synthetic graphite and natural flake graphite products used in BEVs) and Indonesia’s ban on nickel ore exports.
Myriad Genetics to Present New Data at San Antonio Breast Cancer SymposiumWe're down to the final two weeks of the 2024 NFL season and the postseason picture continues to get clearer. Half the NFL divisions and 10 of 14 playoff spots have been clinched heading into " Sunday Night Football " in Week 17 . There's still plenty to sort out, especially with specifics on seeding positions. Here's the latest on who's in the playoffs, seeding positions, and current matchups as Week 17 results come in: NFL playoff picture: Who is in so far? Ten teams have clinched a playoff spot after Sunday's Week 17 early slate. Here's who they are, grouped by conference: AFC NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more. NFC NFL division winners 2024 Four of the eight divisions in the NFL have been clinched. Here's the status for each one as Sunday's action continues: AFC NFC (*): The Chiefs have clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. NFL playoff bracket update: Wild card matchups AFC No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners): BYE With their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs have clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs and a bye in the wild card round. They'll have the top seed in the AFC bracket for the third time in the Patrick Mahomes era. No. 2 Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners) vs. No. 7 Denver Broncos (9-7, wild card No. 3) Buffalo's Week 17 win over the New York Jets clinched the No. 2 seed in the conference. They'll finish at least one game ahead of the AFC North winner and have home-field advantage until they potentially face the Chiefs in the conference championship. As of Week 17, the No. 7 seed in the bracket is not set. The Broncos hold the final playoff spot, but the Bengals and Dolphins are still in the hunt. Cincinnati's Week 17 win over Denver is a crucial tiebreaker if they finish with the same record. No. 3 Baltimore Ravens (11-5, AFC North leaders) vs. No. 6 seed Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, wild card No. 2) The AFC North winner is locked into the No. 3 seed. Thanks to its Christmas win over Houston and the Steelers' loss to the Chiefs, Baltimore holds that spot. If Baltimore wins in Week 18 over the Browns or the Steelers lose to the Bengals, it will win the division for the second year in a row. Los Angeles' win over New England on Saturday clinched a playoff spot, but the team is not locked into the No. 6 seed. If the Steelers lose next week to the Bengals and the Chargers beat the Raiders, Los Angeles would take the No. 5 seed. But as things stand, there will be another Harbaugh Bowl this season. These two teams faced off in November, with Baltimore winning 30-23 . No. 4 Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winner) vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6, wild card No. 1) Houston clinched the AFC South in Week 15 and is locked into the No. 4 seed. The Steelers' loss to the Chiefs drops them to the No. 5 seed and hold the tiebreaker over the Chargers thanks to their win over Los Angeles in Week 3. If the Steelers finish with the same record as the Chargers or better, they'll be the No. 5 seed. If they lose and the Chargers win in Week 18, they'll be the No. 6 seed at worst. NFC No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (13-2, NFC North leaders): BYE The NFC North is the best division in football by record, which means the No. 1 seed is up in the air. Sunday's game between Minnesota and Green Bay could decide the division winner before Detroit takes to the field for "Monday Night Football." If the Packers beat the Vikings, Detroit will clinch the division. The Lions play the Vikings in Week 18, but their division record will be good enough that they will win the NFC North regardless of the outcome of that Week 18 game. If the Vikings and Lions win in Week 17, it'll be a winner-takes-all showdown in Week 18. No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East winners) vs. No. 7 Washington Commanders (10-5, wild card No. 3) Philadelphia's loss to Washington in Week 16 means they need help to get the No. 1 seed. Their win over the Cowboys in Week 17 won them the division title, though, and the No. 2 seed at worst. To get the No. 1 seed, they need to beat the Giants in Week 18, the Lions to lose out, and the Vikings to lose at least one of their final two games. The No. 7 seed is still up in the air in the NFC. With a win on "Sunday Night Football" over Atlanta, the Commanders would clinch the final spot in the NFC playoffs with a week to spare. If things finish like this, the Eagles and Commanders will face off for the third time this season. No. 3 Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West leaders) vs. No. 6 Green Bay Packers (11-4, wild card No. 2) The Rams are in the driver's seat for the NFC West title. They'll win the division if they beat the Seahawks in Week 18. If they lose, Seattle and Los Angeles will finish with the same overall, division, and conference records. Seattle will need help elsewhere to get a strength-of-schedule tiebreaker to get the division title. Green Bay clinched a playoff spot in Week 16 with their "Monday Night Football" win. However, a loss in Week 17 to Minnesota would open the door for the Commanders to overtake the Packers for the No. 6 seed if they win in Week 17. No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, NFC South leaders) vs. No. 5 Minnesota Vikings (13-2, wild card No. 1) Tampa Bay's dominant win over Carolina has them in the NFC South lead over the Atlanta Falcons. However, the Buccaneers must finish a game ahead of the Falcons to win the division title, as Atlanta has two head-to-head wins over Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers need to win against New Orleans next week. They hope the Falcons lose to the Commanders in Week 17 or the Panthers in Week 18. The Vikings could finish the season as a 14-win wild card team; such is the state of the NFC North. They will either be the division winner, the No. 1 or No. 2 seed or the No. 5 seed. NFL playoff picture AFC In the hunt : Cincinnati Bengals (8-8), Miami Dolphins (7-8). NFC In the hunt : Seattle Seahawks (9-7), Atlanta Falcons (8-7) An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.
Singapore-headquartered (Nasdaq: MAXN) is restructuring to focus exclusively on the US market, but it’s put its $1 billion Albuquerque solar cell factory on ice. Maxeon is selling off its global sales and marketing assets in EMEA, Latin America, and Asia Pacific to its parent company, TCL Group, which will also acquire Maxeon’s Philippines manufacturing operations. TCL will then operate them under a new name, TCL SunPower International. The transactions are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Maxeon will continue to operate as an independent, publicly traded Nasdaq-listed company solely focused on the US residential, commercial, and utility-scale markets to “drive growth and profitability.” The company also announced that it has executed a five-year lease of an existing building in Albuquerque and plans to begin solar panel manufacturing in this 2-gigawatt (GW) capacity facility in early 2026. George Guo, Maxeon’s CEO, said, “Assuming successful financing, this site will allow Maxeon to rapidly deploy a 2 GW module assembly facility while we continue to evaluate our longer-term objective of also establishing solar-cell manufacturing capacity.” What Guo is referring to when he mentions solar-cell manufacturing is the $1 billion factory. In August 2023, the company said it would build a 3-gigawatt (GW) solar-cell and panel factory in Mesa del Sol, Albuquerque, from the ground up. It had planned to start construction on the plant in early 2024, but after delays, it’s now been put on hold. Mesa del Sol, which says it’s still working with Maxeon on the construction project, has extended the solar company’s purchase agreement for 100 acres of land, according to the . If built, it will be the largest factory of its kind in the US. Maxeon has had a tumultuous year. In May, it was investigated for violating US federal securities laws, and it got a slap on the hand from Nasdaq for the delayed release of quarterly financial reports. Then it got a financial boost in the form of a nearly $200 million investment from China’s TCL Zhonghuan, which gave the latter an over 50% stake in the company. It also saw a 99% drop in stock value this year. Recently, Maxeon ran into trouble with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Earlier this month, it disclosed that CBP had detained its solar panels assembled in Mexico with solar cells from Malaysia. CBP has ramped up its scrutiny of solar panel supply chains to ensure they are free from links to forced labor involving the Uyghur community. Maxeon emphasized that its panels have no ties to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The sale of Maxeon’s Asian assets to TCL should help streamline the CBP documentation process, but Trump’s recent Mexico tariff announcement is a potential fly in the ointment, too. No wonder this majority Chinese-owned company with a tanked stock value wants to build panels in solar-industry-friendly New Mexico as soon as possible. and subscribe to the . Electrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, ... Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog. Light, durable, quick: I'll never go back. Because I don't want to wait for the best of British TV.EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Louie Semona scored 15 points off of the bench to lead Stonehill over Lafayette 70-65 on Sunday. Semona had six rebounds for the Skyhawks (8-7). Hermann Koffi scored 13 points, shooting 4 for 8 (2 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line. Josh Morgan had 13 points and shot 4 of 9 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line. The Leopards (5-8) were led by Caleb Williams, who recorded 15 points. Lafayette also got 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks from Justin Vander Baan. Alex Chaikin also recorded 12 points, two steals and two blocks. Stonehill went into the half leading Lafayette 28-27. Semona put up seven points in the half. Stonehill used a 7-0 second-half run erase a five-point deficit and take the lead at 47-45 with 11:20 remaining in the half before finishing off the victory. Todd Brogna scored nine second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #302 (Monday, December 30 2024)
Relay Therapeutics to Present Updated Clinical Data on RLY-2608 in HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer at 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium