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Detroit (AP) — China will soon see a massive expansion of electric vehicle battery swapping, as global battery maker CATL said Wednesday it is investing heavily in stations there next year. Battery swapping is not new — but it's had a challenging journey. Adoption of electric vehicles has varied in regions across the globe over the past several years, and that doesn't always bode well for building new infrastructure. While the technology could do well in China, it's uncertain whether it could work in other countries. Battery swapping allows EV drivers to pull into a station on a low battery and receive a swapped, fully-charged battery within minutes. An EV has to be equipped with the right technology to receive a swap — and not many models around the world currently have it. Automakers have to buy into the idea, and EV adoption among consumers also has to grow, so that investing in new infrastructure seems worthwhile. Consumers also have to be comfortable not owning their battery. China is much further along in adopting EVs than other countries. Not only is it the world's largest auto market, but in July, the country hit a milestone with 50% of new sales electric — and it accounts for most of this year's global EV sales. China supports EV growth through government subsidies and mandates. So it makes more sense for companies to invest in unique EV infrastructure there because that's more likely to be needed. The most notable example might be Israeli startup Better Place, which tried its hand at swapping in 2007. But the company shut down a few years later after investing a lot of money and coming up against roadblocks with logistics. EV adoption was especially low at the time. Startup Ample, for example, has a modular battery swapping station that it says can complete a swap in 5 minutes. That’s important as charging time remains a point of concern for prospective EV buyers. Even the fastest fast chargers could take at least 15 minutes for a decent charge. But in the U.S., pure EVs only accounted for 8% of new vehicle sales as of November. Meanwhile Nio, a rival Chinese EV brand, has about 60 swap stations in northern Europe, and the EV adoption is higher there than the U.S., but the same challenges remain. Different automakers put different batteries in their various EV models, so a station would need all of those available if the industry didn't agree to a standardized battery, and not all of those models are out yet in volume. This is something that really needs scale. Swapping could help with EV cost — currently a barrier to adoption for many — because a driver wouldn’t necessarily own the most expensive part of an EV: the battery. Greg Less, director of the University of Michigan Battery Lab, said with proper framing and education, people might like the idea of battery swapping. To him, it's not unlike buying a propane-fueled grill and purchasing a refilled tank every so often. But it would require a rethinking of car ownership. "Where I could see it working is if we went entirely away from vehicle ownership and we went to a use-on-demand model," Less added. “I don’t think we’re there yet.” Battery swapping might make most sense for ride-sharing or other fleet vehicles. Drivers of buses, taxis, Uber or Lyft vehicles want to spend as much time on the road as possible, transporting customers and making money. If battery swapping can shorten the time needed to charge EVs, that makes driving one less disruptive to their business. Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn . Reach her at ast.john@ap.org . Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .‘A safe pair of hands’: Why markets are loving Trump treasury secretary pick Scott Bessent
BROOKFIELD, Conn., Dec. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Photronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLAB), a worldwide leader in photomask technologies and solutions, announced today the appointment of David Garcia to the company's Board of Directors on December 12, 2024. This election expands Board membership to nine members, seven of whom are independent. Mr. Garcia is currently a strategic advisor and previously spent approximately 30 years practicing law, most recently at Holland & Hart after starting his career at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Venture Law Group. His extensive experience spans mergers & acquisitions, venture capital financing transactions and securities offerings. He has counseled both publicly and privately held companies in their corporate and governance affairs and has additional experience in structuring corporate partnering transactions and technology development, distribution and licensing arrangements. "We welcome David to the Photronics Board of Directors,” said Constantine ("Deno”) Macricostas, chairman. "His extensive experience in financings, M&A, and other securities transactions will be valuable as the company evaluates a variety of business development opportunities.” Mr. Garcia received an A.B. in Sociology with a concentration in organizational behavior from Stanford University in 1989, and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1992. About Photronics Photronics is a leading worldwide manufacturer of integrated circuit (IC) and flat panel display (FPD) photomasks. High precision quartz plates that contain microscopic images of electronic circuits, photomasks are a key element in the IC and FPD manufacturing process. Founded in 1969, Photronics has been a trusted photomask supplier for over 50 years. The company operates 11 strategically located manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Additional information on the company can be accessed at www.photronics.com . Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements” regarding our industry, our strategic position, and our financial and operating results. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially. Please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 and other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These documents contain and identify important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results. For Further Information: Ted Moreau VP, Investor Relations 469.395.8175 [email protected]
Conor McGregor dropped from Hitman 3: Video game developer cuts ties amidst sexual assault scandalMessi's son debuts at Argentina youth tournament as grandparents watchBitcoin prices have jumped by a whopping 40% since the US presidential election and are within striking distance of reaching the $ 100,000 mark, hovering above $99,000 on November 22. The digital token received a further boost as Trump fulfilled his campaign pledge to replace US Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler, a move many crypto enthusiasts and top-level executives were looking forward to. Although Bitcoin exchange-traded funds were approved under Gensler's tenure, he spent much of his time as SEC chair clashing with and filing lawsuits against top digital asset companies, including Coinbase. According to the SEC press release published yesterday, Gensler will resign on January 20, 2025. The move is expected to make way for a deeper relationship between the SEC and the crypto industry as Trump's new administration works to create the first-ever White House post for overseeing crypto policies . The President-elect's social media platform, Truth Social, could be dipping its feet in crypto as Trump Media & Technology Group filed a trademark application on November 18 for TruthFi, a crypto payments processing platform. The application was accepted by the Office but has yet to be assigned to an examining attorney. The application highlighted multiple applications for TruthFi, such as crypto payments processing, financial asset management and custody services, and digital asset trading. Trump has embraced cryptocurrencies after initially rejecting them. During his campaign, he pledged to make America the "crypto capital of the planet" and develop a national crypto reserve when he takes Office in January. He is also expected to partner with regulators who are well-positioned to move the industry towards mass adoption while ensuring stringent security measures for investors and crypto exchanges. Trump's media company is also reportedly in talks with Bakkt to acquire the crypto trading platform through an all-share purchase. While Bakkt shares jumped over 154% in the past five days to close at $31.10 on November 21, the company issued a statement this week that "it is aware of the rumours" of a potential takeover but clarified that it is the "company's policy not to comment on market rumours or speculation." Sources highlighted that the Trump Media likely won't include Bakkt's crypto custody unit in the deal as it failed to gain popularity and incurred operating losses of $27,000 on revenues north of $328,000 in the three months through September 30. However, Bakkt is moving ahead with its plan to develop a crypto trading platform for institutional investors. Trump also has multiple crypto ventures, including the recently launched World Liberty Financial , which could offer financing to people rejected by traditional banks. Disclaimer: Our digital media content is for informational purposes only and not investment advice. Please conduct your own analysis or seek professional advice before investing. Remember, investments are subject to market risks and past performance doesn't indicate future returns.
You can’t keep Jay Leno down. After suffering a nasty fall that left him badly bruised, the former “Tonight Show” host, 74, was spotted grabbing lunch at one of Los Angeles’ favorite burger joints — In-N-Out. Though Leno’s injuries were still on display — the left side of his face badly bruised and his right wrist in a brace — he was without the patch over his left eye that he was seen wearing on Monday night outside of a comedy event in Beverly Hills. The comedian appeared in good spirits — even waiting in line and smiling for the cameras after he enjoyed a burger and fries at In-N-Out in Burbank, Calif. Leno’s tumble happened last week before he was slated to perform a set at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, P.A., just outside of Pittsburgh. Reportedly craving wings, he decided to get a bite at a sports lounge near the Hampton Inn where he was staying. Though only 200 yards from his hotel, the sports bar was a mile and a half away. Without a car, Leno decided to take a shortcut — down a steep, grassy hill. While trying to traverse the slope’s terrain, he fell, only stopping when he reached the restaurant’s parking lot below. “To get to [the sports lounge], I didn’t have a car, so you had to walk about a mile and a half around. I said, ‘Well, the hill doesn’t look that steep. It’s about 60-70 feet. Let me see if I can go down the hill,’” he told TMZ on Monday night. “I fell down. Boom, boom, boom. I rolled down the hill, hit my head on a rock, knocked me in the eye.” Leno revealed to Inside Edition that he broke his wrist, lost one of his fingernails and bruised the entire left side of his body. His eye was also damaged, swelling shut after the scrape. “It’ll be fine,” he said of the eye injury. “I’m not worried about it.” Despite the beating, Leno still performed later that night and traveled to Southern California the following day for a show at the Yaamava’ Casino in Highland, Calif. He finally sought medical attention once back in L.A. “When I came back to LA, I went to the hospital,” Leno told TMZ. “It was only a couple of hours of the show, so. It’s not that big of a deal, it’s fine!” “The great thing about this age [is] you don’t learn by your mistakes, you just keep doing the same stupid thing,” he joked, referencing an accident that left him with second-and-third-degree burns . The automotive enthusiast was rushed to the hospital in 2022 after a gasoline fire broke out while he was working on one of his cars. After suffering significant burns on his face, chest and hands, Leno underwent several surgeries and skin graft procedures at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, Calif. Leno praised the center’s “unbelievable” work and even joked that he has a “brand-new face.” While on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show last year, the comedian quipped, “You’d think there’d be a zipper here,” gesturing to his jawline. Leno landed in the hospital again in January 2023 after breaking several bones in a motorcycle accident. Ever resilient, he told Page Six months later that he was “doing good” and “recovering.”SANTA CLARA, Calif. , Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FuriosaAI , an emerging leader in AI semiconductor solutions, is closing out the year with rapid technical and customer progress with its second-generation chip, RNGD (pronounced 'Renegade'). The recently announced AI solution has achieved compelling performance metrics in real-world enterprise deployments meeting the demand for inference with advanced large language and multimodal models. The new performance benchmarks showcase RNGD's ability to meet industry-leading throughput demands for Llama 3.1 models, including the 8B and 70B variants, with additional optimizations already in progress. The company also announced key software features that bring advanced optimization for customers currently sampling RNGD hardware in their production environments. These achievements represent the first phase of Furiosa's vision for AI infrastructure that overcomes the inherent limitations of GPUs. RNGD delivers winning throughput metrics with Llama 3.1 8B and 70B : Building on the AI-native Tensor Contraction Processor (TCP) architecture of RNGD , Furiosa is redefining real-world AI deployments, delivering unmatched performance, programmability, and power efficiency. Furiosa's RNGD recently achieved a throughput of 3,200–3,300 Tokens per Second (TPS) when running the LLaMA 3.1- 8B model. In single-user scenarios, RNGD consistently delivers 40–60 TPS performance. Additionally, RNGD demonstrates exceptional power efficiency, consuming 181W per card, with further optimization efforts underway. Rather than excessively boosting per-user performance, the company aims to maintain performance levels exceeding typical text-reading speeds (10–20 TPS or higher) while optimizing for multi-user environments and achieving a balanced performance approach. Furiosa is advancing the performance and efficiency of the LLaMA 3.1- 70B model. With just two RNGD cards, LLaMA 3.1- 70B can be executed effectively. Currently, a single server supports up to 100 concurrent user queries, with ongoing optimizations aiming to achieve 8,000 TPS per server when equipped with 8 RNGD cards. With the release of SDK v2024.3.0, Furiosa will expand the range of preloaded models. The SDK will also include support for tensor parallelism, enabling seamless processing across multiple elements without requiring model modifications, and a torch.compile, providing the foundation for executing customized models. Integration with HuggingFace Optimum will further empower customers to leverage a broader variety of models. Advanced optimization tools delivered to early RNGD customers: Building on these milestones, domestic and global enterprise customers are conducting tests with Furiosa to find a more efficient solution for scaling the inference of their self-developed models, compared to their existing setup. Their objective is to manage TCO effectively as they prepare for large-scale AI adoption. Furiosa plans to provide a high-quality AI development environment through a powerful and user-friendly SDK optimized for RNGD. The SDK v2024.1.0, currently available through the Early Access Program (EAP), is designed to handle high-performance processing of multiple LLM serving requests. It incorporates optimization techniques such as PagedAttention, Block KV Cache, and Continuous Batching, while also supporting various token sampling methods, including Greedy, Beam Search, and Top-k/p. These features allow developers to seamlessly create AI services customized to meet a wide range of requirements. The SDK and online sample will be available after the release of v2024.3.0. Furiosa remains committed to delivering the most sustainable AI deployment solutions through rigorous optimization at an unprecedented pace. "With RNGD now in customers' hands, we are accelerating the next generation of frontier LLMs to unlock emerging Agentic AI applications—bringing advanced reasoning capabilities to enterprise verticals, all at dramatically lower costs," said June Paik , Co-Founder and CEO of FuriosaAI. Furiosa Expands Global Footprint with Strategic Leadership Appointment Furiosa is scaling production and expanding its leadership team with the appointment of Alex Liu as Senior Vice President of Product and Business. A Technology Emmy Award winner and co-founder of NETINT Technologies, Alex brings over 20 years of expertise in startup management, technology innovation, and strategic leadership. At NETINT, he spearheaded groundbreaking achievements, including the development of the world's first VPU SoC, setting new industry benchmarks and securing the prestigious 2024 Technology Emmy Award. At Furiosa, Alex will lead global product management, go-to-market strategies, and partnerships to drive innovation and align the company's AI-native technologies with a vision to empower the development of planet-scale AI infrastructure. RNGD is currently sampling with customers, and mass production will ramp up in partnership with TSMC for 2025 availability. To learn more about Furiosa, please visit https://furiosa.ai/ . About FuriosaAI FuriosaAI is a semiconductor company dedicated to creating sustainable AI computing solutions that make powerful AI accessible to all. With its innovative Tensor Contraction Processor architecture, FuriosaAI is revolutionizing the AI hardware landscape, offering unparalleled efficiency and programmability for the most demanding AI workloads. For more information, please visit https://furiosa.ai/ . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/furiosaai-ends-2024-on-a-high-note-llama-3-1-performance-sdk-release-leadership-expansion-302336756.html SOURCE FuriosaAIJoe Rogan mocks 'The View' after co-host accused him of believing in dragons
The 70th anniversary of CERN and the contribution of Greece, which has been actively involved since 1954
LiveDeal stock plunges to 52-week low, touches $9.77PARSIPPANY, NJ – November 25, 2024, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lincoln Educational Services Corporation (NASDAQ: LINC), a national leader in specialized technical training for more than 75 years, announces the graduation of eight new technicians from its specialized Johnson Controls International (JCI) Academy program at the Denver, CO campus. This is the first group to graduate from the Denver location; the JCI Academy has also operated at Lincoln’s Columbia, MD campus since the Fall of 2022. Since the inception of Lincoln Tech’s partnership with JCI in 2018, more than 500 students have graduated from Lincoln schools and gone straight to work at JCI locations across the country. “Our partnership with Johnson Controls enables us to broaden our innovative training programs, providing graduates with hands-on experience and direct pathways to careers that align with market needs,” says Scott Shaw, Lincoln Tech’s President and CEO. “We are proud to contribute to building a future-ready talent pool that ensures the efficient and sustainable operation of our building systems.” The graduating class celebrated its milestone on Friday, November 15 th at the Denver campus – when the ribbon was also officially cut on the Johnson Controls Academy classroom. The graduates – six of whom had previously attended Lincoln Tech, along with two current JCI employee who were advancing their skill sets – will move into positions at JCI branches in Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. As entry-level technicians, they’ll begin careers installing, troubleshooting, repairing and maintaining fire and security alarm systems on JCI-operated buildings. Marcus Biart, a graduate of the Electrical and Electronic Systems Technology program at Lincoln Tech’s Mahwah campus, enrolled in the JCI Academy to further his training and will go on to a position at JCI’s Fort Worth, TX location. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he told his fellow graduates when speaking at Friday’s ceremony. “JCI’s instructors were willing to teach me, and I was eager to learn. Thank you for giving a young man like me a chance.” Mike Schade, VP of Human Resources at Johnson Controls, was among the speakers to congratulate the graduates on their successes. “You all wanted to do something unique and exciting with your life,” Schade said. You had a vision. And vision is an important word here – at Johnson Controls not only do we want to have great technicians and help build their careers, we want to help build the trades for our economy and our country. The work we do saves lives and saves the planet.” The JCI Academy at Lincoln Tech provides six weeks of intensive hands-on training designed to close the skilled labor gap and prepare future technicians for security and fire installation and service roles. On-site housing for the duration of the program and relocation expenses upon completion are supported by Johnson Controls. To ensure smooth onboarding, graduates of the Johnson Controls Academy receive support from a retention coach for one year post-graduation. The collaboration between Johnson Controls and Lincoln Tech began in 2018, enhancing classroom experiences with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Johnson Controls is dedicated to workforce development from the K-12 level and throughout employees' careers. Through the partnership with Lincoln Tech and initiatives like the Community College Partnership Program, STEM 101, and HVAC learning labs, Johnson Controls equips schools with vital resources to develop smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, benefiting students along the way. There are more than 800,000 positions projected to open nationwide for electricians and electronic systems technicians by 2033*, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. * Career growth projections can be found at onetonline.org for the years 2023-2033 and are current as of November 18, 2024. ### About Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Lincoln Educational Services Corporation is a leading provider of diversified career-oriented post-secondary education. Lincoln offers recent high school graduates and working adults career-oriented programs in five principal areas of study: automotive technology, health sciences, skilled trades, information technology, and hospitality services. Lincoln has provided the workforce with skilled technicians since its inception in 1946. Lincoln currently operates 22 campuses in 13 states under four brands: Lincoln Technical Institute, Lincoln College of Technology and Euphoria Institute of Beauty Arts and Sciences. Lincoln also operates Lincoln Culinary Institutes in both Maryland and Connecticut.For more information, go to lincolntech.edu. Contact Information Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Scott Watkins swatkins@lincolntech.edu About Johnson Controls At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering. Today, with a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry. Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social Platforms. Contact Information Johnson Controls International Kari Pfisterer (414) 217-1488 kari.b.pfisterer@jci.com Attachment JCI Academy Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Lincoln Tech's Denver Campus
Records published Dec. 19, 2024Percentages: FG .441, FT .657. 3-Point Goals: 2-11, .182 (Leonhardt 1-1, C.Welling 1-2, H.Welling 0-1, Grady 0-2, Nelson 0-2, Toolson 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 2. Blocked Shots: 3 (Leonhardt 2, C.Welling). Turnovers: 9 (Grady 3, Leonhardt 2, C.Welling, Potter, Toolson, Wells). Steals: 7 (Leonhardt 3, Nelson 2, Toolson, Wells). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .483, FT .733. 3-Point Goals: 7-19, .368 (Davis 3-4, Noel 2-3, Hardewig 1-2, K.Griffin 1-6, D.Johnson 0-1, Watson 0-1, Ballard 0-2). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 7 (Davis 4, Ballard, M.Griffin, Releford). Turnovers: 10 (D.Johnson 2, K.Griffin 2, M.Griffin 2, Davis, Noel, Releford, Williams-Dryden). Steals: 7 (Ballard 2, D.Johnson, Hardewig, K.Griffin, Noel, Williams-Dryden). Technical Fouls: None. A_177 (6,500).
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:53 p.m. ESTThe Qatar Stock Exchange on Thursday closed 43 points lower on selling pressure especially at the insurance, telecom and banks. The foreign institutions were seen net sellers as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.42% to 10,394.32 points, although it touched an intraday high of 10,465 points. As much as 63% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted QR1.77bn or 0.29% to QR617.32bn primarily on the back of microcap segments. The Gulf funds were seen increasingly into net profit booking in the main market, which saw as many as 0.15mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by Masraf Al Rayan and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.71mn change hands across 47 deals. The Islamic index was seen declining slower than the main barometer of the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase. The Gulf retail investors were increasingly net sellers in the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills. However, the domestic institutions were seen increasingly bullish in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds. The Total Return Index lost 0.42%, the All Islamic Index by 0.41% and the All Share Index by 0.37% in the main market. The insurance sector index shed 0.93%, telecom (0.74%), banks and financial services (0.45%), industrials (0.38%) and consumer goods and services (0.02%); while real estate and transport gained 0.31% and 0.07% respectively. Major shakers in the main bourse included Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Qatar Islamic Bank, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Inma Holding, Ooredoo, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Qamco and Ooredoo. In the venture market, Al Mahhar Holding and Techno Q saw their shares depreciate in value. Nevertheless, Qatari Investors Group, Doha Bank, Meeza, Medicare Group, United Development Company and Ezdan were among the gainers in the main market. The foreign institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR32.19mn compared with net buyers of QR1.5mn on November 20. The Gulf institutions’ net profit booking increased noticeably to QR8.59mn against QR1.42mn the previous day. The Gulf individual investors’ net selling expanded marginally to QR0.95mn compared to QR0.4mn on Wednesday. However, the domestic institutions’ net buying grew substantially to QR25.81mn against QR3.5mn on November 20. The Qatari individuals’ net buying strengthened considerably to QR11.04mn compared to QR2.69mn the previous day. The Arab individual investors were net buyers to the extent of QR2.63mn against net sellers of QR1.56mn on Wednesday. The foreign retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR2.23mn compared with net sellers of QR4.21mn on November 20. The Arab institutions had not major net exposure for the fourth straight session. Trade volumes in the main market shot up 18% to 130.36mn shares, value by 25% to QR371.4mn and transactions by 37% to 15,478. The venture market saw a 41% shrinkage in trade volumes to 0.55mn equities and 41% in value to QR1.44mn but on flat deals at 79. Related Story Earnings prospects, regional geopolitical optimism lift QSE Earnings outlook lifts QSE sentiments as index vaults 224 points