U.S. stocks traded higher toward the end of trading, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining around 100 points on Thursday. The Dow traded up 0.55% to 42,557.62 while the NASDAQ rose 0.52% to 19,492.93. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.46% to 5,899.14. Check This Out: Top 3 Consumer Stocks You May Want To Dump This Quarter Leading and Lagging Sectors Utilities shares rose by 1.3% on Thursday. In trading on Thursday, energy shares fell by 0.8%. Top Headline U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 22,000 to 220,000 in the first week of December, compared to market estimates of 230,000. Equities Trading UP Omeros Corporation OMER shares shot up 39% to $10.38 after the company's Narsoplimab met pivotal trial primary endpoint. Shares of Trio Petroleum Corp. TPET got a boost, surging 100% to $1.6500 after the company announced it will acquire the oil and gas assets in a heavy oil region of Saskatchewan, Canada for approximately $1.4 million. Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. BPTH shares were also up, gaining 162% to $1.7501 after the company announced preclinical testing of BP1001-A as a potential treatment for obesity in Type 2 diabetes patients by enhancing insulin sensitivity. Equities Trading DOWN Snow Lake Resources Ltd. LITM shares dropped 63% to $0.3101 as the company reported the pricing of public offering. Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. LW were down 23% to $60.49 after the company reported worse-than-expected Q2 earnings and lowered FY25 outlook. Micron Technology, Inc. MU was down, falling 17% to $86.66. Micron posted better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed expectations. The company said it sees second-quarter revenue of $7.9 billion, plus or minus $200 million, versus estimates of $9 billion. The company expects second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.43 per share, plus or minus 10 cents per share, versus estimates of $1.92 per share. Commodities In commodity news, oil traded down 1% to $69.89 while gold traded down 1.5% at $2,614.90. Silver traded down 4% to $29.540 on Thursday, while copper fell 1.8% to $4.0835. Euro zone European shares closed lower today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 dipped 1.51%, Germany's DAX fell 1.35% and France's CAC 40 declined 1.22%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index fell 1.53%, while London's FTSE 100 fell 1.14%. Asia Pacific Markets Asian markets closed lower on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 falling 0.69%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index falling 0.56%, China's Shanghai Composite Index declining 0.36% and India's BSE Sensex falling 1.20%. Economics The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index dipped to -16.4 in December compared to -5.5 in November and down from market expectations of 3. The U.S. economy grew by an annualized rate of 3.1% in the third quarter compared to 2.8% in the second estimate and up from 3% in the previous quarter. U.S. existing home sales gained by 4.8% from the previous month to an annualized rate of 4.15 million in November. U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 22,000 to 220,000 in the first week of December, compared to market estimates of 230,000. The Kansas City Fed's Manufacturing Production Index declined by one point to a reading of -5 in December. U.S. natural-gas supplies fell 125 billion cubic feet during the week ending Dec. 13. Now Read This: AT&T To Rally More Than 33%? Here Are 10 Top Analyst Forecasts For Thursday © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Calgary Flames (12-8-4, in the Pacific Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (9-12-4, in the Metropolitan Division) Pittsburgh; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Penguins -122, Flames +101; over/under is 6 BOTTOM LINE: The Calgary Flames enter the matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins after losing three in a row. Pittsburgh is 9-12-4 overall and 5-6-2 at home. The Penguins have conceded 96 goals while scoring 65 for a -31 scoring differential. Calgary is 12-8-4 overall and 3-5-4 in road games. The Flames have a 4-7-1 record in games they serve more penalty minutes than their opponents. The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams meet this season. The Flames won 4-3 in a shootout in the previous meeting. TOP PERFORMERS: Sidney Crosby has eight goals and 16 assists for the Penguins. Bryan Rust has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games. Rasmus Andersson has five goals and nine assists for the Flames. Mikael Backlund has scored three goals and added one assist over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 4-4-2, averaging 2.3 goals, four assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.7 goals per game. Flames: 5-3-2, averaging 2.1 goals, 3.4 assists, 3.9 penalties and 9.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game. INJURIES: Penguins: None listed. Flames: None listed. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Bieber re-signs with GuardiansISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan on Thursday denounced new U.S. sanctions on the country’s ballistic missile program as “discriminatory” that put the region’s peace and security at risk. Pakistan’s foreign ministry warned in a statement that the sanctions “have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond.” It also cast doubt on U.S. allegations that targeted businesses were involved in weapons proliferation because previous sanctions “were based on mere doubts and suspicion without any evidence whatsoever.” It also accused the U.S. of “double standards” for waiving licensing requirements for advanced military technology to other countries. The sanctions freeze any U.S. property belonging to the targeted businesses and bar Americans from doing business with them. The U.S. State Department said one such sanctioned entity, the Islamabad-based National Development Complex, worked to acquire items for developing Pakistan’s long range ballistic missile program that includes the SHAHEEN series of ballistic missiles. The other sanctioned entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday on X that the U.S. had “been clear and consistent about our concerns” over such weapons proliferation and that it would “continue to engage constructively with Pakistan on these issues.” The sanctions were also opposed by the party of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Zulfiqar Bukhari, a Khan’s spokesman, took to the social platform X to criticize the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, saying “we strongly oppose U.S. sanctions on the National Development Complex and three commercial entities.” The latest U.S. sanctions came months after similar measures were slapped on other foreign entities, including a Chinese research institute, after the U.S. State Department accused them of working for the National Development Complex, which it says was involved in the development and production of Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missiles. Analysts say Pakistan’s nuclear and missile program is primarily aimed at countering threats from neighboring India. Security expert Syed Muhammad Ali called the sanctions “short sighted, destabilizing and divorced from South Asian regional strategic realities.” Pakistan became a declared nuclear power in 1998, when it conducted underground nuclear tests in response to those carried out by its rival and neighbor India. The two sides regularly test-fired their short, medium and long-range missiles. The two South Asian rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. The disputed Himalayan region is split between them and claimed by both in its entirety. Munir Ahmed, The Associated PressOur planet is changing. So is our journalism. Keep up with the latest news on our Climate and Environment page . Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox every Thursday. This week: What happened in climate news in 2024? Take our quiz The Big Picture: The Unhurried House Top secret quiz answers (no peeking until you've done the quiz) What happened in climate news in 2024? Take our quiz A sculpture titled Giant Plastic Tap by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong is displayed outside the Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastics pollution in Ottawa. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) It was a year of bad climate news, but some good news too. Even though the year hasn't wrapped up, 2024 will be the hottest year on record , and scientists are warning it could end up more than 1.5 C above the pre-industrial average. There were some damaging weather disasters. But we also shared some good news about decreasing emissions and climate solutions. Were you paying attention? Here are 10 questions to test your knowledge of this year's climate stories. Keep track of your answers and check them at the bottom of the page. 1. In September and October, Florida was hit hard by two hurricanes made worse by climate change. What were the names? a) Francine and Helene. b) Helene and Milton. c) Isaac and Oscar. d) Beryl and Ernesto. 2. A company in California is sending balloons full of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere in an effort to reflect sunlight and cool the Earth to fend off global warming. What is this process called? a) Marine cloud brightening. b) Cloud thinning. c) Space sunshades. d) Aerosol injection. 3. Nations have been meeting this year to hammer out a treaty on plastic pollution. How heavy was the plastic thrown away globally between 1950 and 2015? As heavy as: a) More than 13 million 747 jumbo jets. b) More than two million Saturn V rockets. c) More than 54,000 CN towers. d) Almost 25,000 Icon of the Seas cruise ships (the current largest one). 4. The big deal at this year's UN Climate Summit, COP29, was climate financing for developing countries. In an agreement called the NCQG, countries agree to deliver $300 billion annually by 2035. What does NCQG stand for? a) National Climate Quotas for Governance. b) New Collective Quantified Goal. c) Near Crisis Quarterly Grants. d) Needs-based Climate Quotient Goal. Cars are partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto on July 16. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press) 5. The Insurance Board of Canada said this summer shattered records for insured losses from weather disasters. Of these four summertime catastrophic events, which cost the most? a) Flooding in Toronto and other parts of southern Ontario. b) Jasper wildfire. c) Calgary hailstorm. d) Flooding in regions of Quebec. 6. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions dropped slightly in 2023 to the equivalent of 702 megatonnes of carbon dioxide, but emissions from the oil and gas industry continued to rise. What percentage of Canada's total emissions come from oil and gas? a) 72 per cent. b) 31 per cent. c) 13 per cent. d) 6 per cent. 7. "Waste" heat is a green and efficient way to heat buildings. What source(s) of waste heat is/are being used in Canada? a) Sewage. b) Industrial heat from a pulp and paper mill. c) Data centres. d) All of the above. 8. In Montreal, one form of public transportation has grown 55 per cent since 2021. It has also seen double-digit growth in other major Canadian cities. What is it? a) Bike sharing. b) Electric buses. c) Monorails. d) Subways. 9. Canada exports more oil and gas than it consumes. How do estimated emissions from our exported fossil fuels compare to our total national emissions? a) One third of our national emissions. b) About half of our national emissions. c) Equal to our national emissions. d) More than our national emissions. 10. People working in traditional energy jobs have skills that are transferable to the clean energy and clean economy sectors. Drilling and pipe installation are used in which of the following industries? a) Battery recycling. b) Geothermal or geoexchange heating and cooling. c) Wind turbine maintenance. d) EV manufacturing. Old issues of What on Earth? are here . The CBC News climate page is here . Check out our podcast and radio show. In our newest episode : They're on billboards, front pages, TV ... but do they pass the sniff test? We dig into the facts behind Alberta's "Scrap the Cap" campaign. Then, heat and drought could be the Grinch that stole one of New Brunswick's beloved Christmas tree species. CBC Fredericton journalist Danielle McCreadie shares some solutions farmers and industry are eyeing to climate-proof the balsam fir. What On Earth 25:24 Why Alberta’s ‘Scrap the Cap’ ads don’t add up What On Earth drops new podcast episodes every Wednesday and Saturday. You can find them on your favourite podcast app, or on demand at CBC Listen . The radio show airs Sundays at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. in Newfoundland and Labrador. Have a compelling personal story about climate change you want to share with CBC News? Pitch a First Person column here . Reader feedback Reynold Reimer sent us this photo and wrote: "I read the story about the efforts of Montreal and Toronto to control greenwashing by the fossil industry (Oct. 10) with interest. At least someone is making progress on the greenwash file. I live in Calgary and we have our own version of greenwashing on transit buses. Every day I see buses which bear signs that say 'Cleaner. Quieter. Better. Powered by Natural Gas.' With what we now know about the effects of fossil gas on the climate we should not allow this propaganda." A Calgary Transit bus powered by compressed natural gas. (Submitted by Reynold Reimer) That advertising is Calgary Transit's own, and Reynold, you're right that natural gas is a fossil fuel made mostly of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that can leak into the atmosphere. Calgary Transit uses compressed natural gas (CNG) in those buses and explains the messaging this way: "When compared to diesel buses, our CNG-powered buses emit around 20 per cent less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, up to 95 per cent less nitrogen oxides, and almost no particulate matter. Since their introduction in 2014 our CNG buses have helped us reduce our total bus fleet CO2 emissions by approximately 5,650,000 kilograms. (That's the CO2 emissions equivalent to consuming about 2.4 million litres of gasoline)." According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heavy-duty natural gas vehicles can provide "small to moderate" emissions reductions compared to diesel through their life cycle, but actual reductions depend on relative fuel economy as well as methane leakage throughout the system. Calgary Transit says it plans to buy 180 more natural gas buses through 2026 to replace diesel and buses and also "plans to deploy" electric buses and test hydrogen and renewable diesel . Write us at whatonearth@cbc.ca . (And feel free to send photos too!) Please keep sharing your suggestions for greener holiday gifting or other ways to make the holidays greener – we will compile them for a future issue. The Big Picture: The Unhurried House (Submitted by Heidi Mack) We recently featured an article and a What on Earth podcast episode on deconstruction as an alternative to demolition. That prompted Heidi Mack to write and send photos of her own deconstruction project: "I bought a demolition-destined 150-year-old farm house on Wolfe Island (off Kingston, Ont.) for under $200,000 in 2019 and deconstructed it board by board, door by door, frame by frame (including removing concrete poured into all the walls — now the base of my vegetable garden) and rebuilt/renovated it into a deep energy retrofit highly efficient house — I hired an "energy engineer" (sustainability consultant) and have taken five years to de-nail, reuse, repurpose, scrounge, and "live with" old and out-of-date things, dumpster dive building sites, bought used things from Facebook Marketplace, dismantled old furniture and incorporated it, and basically worked very hard not to buy new. All of this took a LOT of extra time — a renovation that is seeing its completion five years later. We call the project The Unhurried House because deconstruction and careful reconstruction with these saved and scrounged materials takes patience, dedication and creativity!" Heidi says she's currently writing a memoir about the project, and shares more about it on her Instagram @theunhurriedhouse. Hot and bothered: Provocative ideas from around the web Alberta has put in new regulations for wind and solar installations, banning them from certain areas, making sure they don't block "pristine viewscapes" and making them prepay a deposit that covers all reclamation costs at the end of their life. Some Albertans say rules like that should apply to oil and gas too . Companies such as Keurig have been trying for years to make their plastic single-serve coffee pods recyclable. Grist looks at why recycling coffee pods is such a big challenge . Excluding the oil and gas industry, households account for 30 per cent of emissions in many provinces. And some climate policy analysts say we've underestimated how "mighty" they could be in Canada's fight against climate change , if they adopt some readily available technologies. Athens wants to put a network of ancient aqueducts from the time of Roman emperor Hadrian ( AD 117 to 138) back into service to ease some of its water scarcity problems. Top secret quiz answers Broken windows on vehicles and homes are pictured after a storm producing golf ball-sized hail tore through parts of north Calgary on Monday night. (Submitted by Sneha Bee, Karina Zapata/CBC, Tiphanie Roquette/Radio-Canada) 1. In September and October, Florida was hit hard by two hurricanes made worse by climate change. What were the names? a) Francine and Helene. b) Helene and Milton. c) Isaac and Oscar. d) Beryl and Ernesto. Answer: B. Hurricanes Helene and Milton slammed into Florida in September and October, only two weeks apart. Both storms intensified rapidly, fueled by the Gulf of Mexico's warm water, which analyses found were made hundreds of times more likely due to human-caused climate change . 2. A company in California is sending balloons full of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere in an effort to reflect sunlight and cool the Earth to fend off global warming. What is this process called? a) Marine cloud brightening. b) Cloud thinning. c) Space sunshades. d) Aerosol injection. Answer: D . Aerosol injection is one of the most-talked about forms of solar radiation management and it could cool the planet in a way that's similar to a large volcanic eruption. 3. Nations have been meeting this year to hammer out a treaty on plastic pollution. How heavy wa s the plastic thrown away globally between 1950 and 2015? As heavy as: a) More than 13 million 747 jumbo jets. b) More than two million Saturn V rockets. c) More than 54,000 CN towers. d) Almost 2 5,000 Icon of the Seas cruise ships. Answer: Actually, any of the above. All of those answers weigh 6.3 billion metric tonnes, which is what a 2017 study estimated is the amount of plastic the world has tossed out. And it's only set to grow . 4. The big deal at this year's UN Climate Summit, COP29, was climate financing for developing countries. In an agreement called the NCQG, countries agree to deliver $300 billion annually by 2035. What does NCQG stand for? a) National Climate Quotas for Governance. b) New Collective Quantified Goal. c) Near Crisis Quarterly Grants. d) Needs-based Climate Quotient Goal. Answer: B. Yes, add it to the list of boring but important climate terms . And if $300 billion a year sounds like a lot, developing countries say it isn't enough. 5. The Insurance Board of Canada said this summer shattered records for insured losses from weather disasters. Of these four summertime catastrophic events, which cost the most? a) Flooding in Toronto and other parts of southern Ontario. b) Jasper wildfire. c) Calgary hailstorm. d) Flooding in regions of Quebec. Answer: C . IBC says an August hailstorm in Calgary cost insurers nearly $3 billion — a sum that some researchers say can help emphasize climate change's impact on our wallets . About one-third of the buildings in Jasper were destroyed from a wildfire in July 2024. (Liam Harrap/CBC ) 6. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions dropped slightly in 2023 to the equivalent of 702 megatonnes of carbon dioxide, but emissions from the oil and gas industry continued to rise. What percentage of Canada's total emissions come from oil and gas? a) 72 per cent. b) 31 per cent. c) 13 per cent. d) 6 per cent. Answer: B . Production in Canada's oil and gas sector hit a record high in 2023, cancelling out most of the reductions from other sectors. The sector emissions have increased 83 per cent between 1990 and 2022, according to the National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. 7. "Waste" heat is a green and efficient way to heat buildings. What source(s) of waste heat is/are being used in Canada? a) Sewage. b) Industrial heat from a pulp and paper mill. c) Data centres. d) All of the above. Answer: D. All of the above. District heating systems across Canada are using waste heat from industrial sources , wastewater and data centres. Some buildings are storing excess heat for future use in giant water batteries underneath downtown Toronto . 8. In Montreal, one form of public transportation has grown 55 per cent since 2021. It has also seen double-digit growth in other major Canadian cities. What is it? a) Bike sharing. b) Electric buses. c) Monorails. d) Subways. Answer: A. Montreal's Bixi was the first public bike-sharing system in North America. In 2023, 576,000 people took 11.7 million trips within the city . Riders say bike sharing is a convenient way to make one-way trips without the hassle of maintaining your own bike. Cities say it's a low-cost way to fill the gaps in the public transportation system. 9. Canada exports more oil and gas than it consumes. How do estimated emissions from our exported fossil fuels compare to our total national emissions? a) One third of our national emissions. b) About half of our national emissions. c) Equal to our national emissions. d) More than our national emissions. Answer: D. Estimated exported emissions from Canada's oil and gas industry are as high as 1.3 times our national emissions, outweighing every sector across the country. 10. People working in traditional energy jobs have skills that are transferable to the clean energy and clean economy sectors. Drilling and pipe installation are used in which of the following industries? a) Battery recycling. b) Geothermal or geoexchange heating and cooling. c) Wind turbine maintenance. d) EV manufacturing. Answer: B . The geothermal or geoexchange heating and cooling needs workers to drill boreholes to collect underground heat . In some cases, the boreholes can feed heat into district heating networks, where workers lay pipes similar to those used in the gas industry . Stay in touch! Thanks for reading. Are there issues you'd like us to cover? Questions you want answered? Do you just want to share a kind word? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at whatonearth@cbc.ca . Sign up here to get What on Earth? in your inbox every Thursday. Editors: Emily Chung and Hannah Hoag | Logo design: Sködt McNalty
The former Cy Young winner re-signed with the Guardians on Wednesday, a reunion that seemed unlikely when he became a free agent. However, the 29-year-old Bieber decided to stay with the AL Central champions after making just two starts in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Bieber agreed last week to a one-year, $14 million contract. The deal includes a $16 million player option for 2026. It seemed like a long shot that Bieber, who is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 132 starts, would return to Cleveland. He had turned down long-term offers in the past from the club, and it was expected he would sign with another contender, likely one on the West Coast. But the California native has a special connection with the Guardians, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, threw only 12 innings last season before lingering issues with his elbow forced him to have surgery. He is expected to join Cleveland's rotation at some point in 2025. A two-time All-Star, Bieber was named MVP of the midsummer event in 2019 when it was held in Cleveland. He has the highest strikeout ratio per nine innings (10.2) and third-highest winning percentage (.660) in the franchise's 124-year history. Bieber is one of just three Cleveland pitchers to start five season openers, joining Stan Coveleski (1917-21) and Corey Kluber (2015-19). While Bieber had some elbow issues in the past, he didn't show any issues before being shut down. He struck out 11 in six scoreless innings against Oakland on March 28, and followed that up with six more shutout innings at Seattle on April 2. DALLAS — Pitchers again dominated the big league phase of the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings, comprising 11 of the 15 unprotected players who were picked Wednesday. The 121-loss Chicago White Sox had the first pick and selected 24-year-old right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Smith was an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest when he was signed by Milwaukee in July 2021. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has gone 13-7 with a 2.69 ERA and 203 strikeouts over 157 innings in 19 starts and 54 relief appearances over three minor league seasons. There were 14 teams who made picks in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft of players left off 40-man rosters after several minor league seasons. Only Atlanta made two selections, after making none since 2017. Atlanta chose right-hander Anderson Pilar from the Miami Marlins with the 11th pick, and then took infielder Christian Cairo from the Cleveland Guardians with the 15th and final pick in the MLB portion. The 26-year-old Pilar was original signed by Colorado as a minor league free agent in 2015 and has pitched in 213 minor league games that included 17 starts. He is 28-20 with a 2.86 ERA. Teams pay $100,000 to take a player in the major league portion. The players must stay on the big league roster all of next season or clear waivers and be offered back to their original organization for $50,000. Six of the 10 players selected during the Rule 5 draft last December — five of them right-handed pitchers — remained last season with organization that selected them. Two of the four position players taken Wednesday by other teams came from the Detroit Tigers organization: catcher Liam Hicks and third baseman Gage Workman. Miami drafted second after Colorado passed making a selection, and took Hicks. Workman was taken by the Chicago Cubs with the 10th pick. Baltimore lost two right-handed pitchers on back-to-back picks, Juan Nunez to San Diego with the 12th pick before Connor Thomas went to Milwaukee. DALLAS — Tom Hamilton, who has called Cleveland games on the radio for 35 seasons, won the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting on Wednesday. Hamilton, 70, joined the team's broadcast in 1990, when he was with Herb Score in the booth and part of the coverage of their World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997. Hamilton became the voice of the franchise when Score retired after that second World Series. Hamilton will be honored during the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend from July 25-28 in Cooperstown, New York. He was selected the hall's Frick Award 16-member committee as the 49th winner. There were 10 finalists on this year's ballot, whose main contributions came as local and national voices and whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card era. The other nine were Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Ernie Johnson Sr., Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims and John Sterling. DALLAS — The Texas Rangers acquired slugging corner infielder Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday in a trade for three minor league players. Burger hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs in 137 games for the Marlins last season, with 150 strikeouts in 535 at-bats with 31 walks. He started 59 games at third base and made 50 starts at first. Five days of service time short of being eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, he will be eligible next winter and can become a free agent after the 2028 World Series. Miami got infielders Max Acosta and Echedry Vargas and left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza. The acquisition of Burger comes about a month after the Rangers hired former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a senior adviser for baseball operations. Luis Urueta, Miami's bench coach the past two seasons, also was added recently to manager Bruce Bochy's on-field coaching staff for 2025. BRIEFLY WHITE SOX: Mike Tauchman is switching sides in Chicago. The White Sox announced a $1.95 million, one-year contract for the outfielder. Tauchman, 34, grew up in Palatine, Illinois, about 35 miles northwest of Chicago, and played college ball for Bradley in Peoria, Illinois. He spent the previous two seasons with the Cubs. TRADE: All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects. Catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez and outfielder Braden Montgomery are headed to Chicago.
This news release constitutes a “designated news release” for the purposes of the Company’s amended and restated prospectus supplement dated October 4, 2024, to its short form base shelf prospectus dated November 10, 2023. TORONTO, Ontario and BROSSARD, Québec , Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitfarms Ltd. (Nasdaq/TSX: BITF) (“Bitfarms” or the “Company”), a global vertically integrated Bitcoin data center company, today announced that, in connection with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) review of its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “SEC Review”), and in consultation with its Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and management, the Company has determined that its previously issued consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the related management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 (such interim periods together with the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the “Restatement Periods”) and the related management’s discussion and analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, should be restated to correct a material error in the classification of proceeds derived from the sale of digital assets. Shareholders and users of Bitfarms’ financial statements should note that the restatements are not a result of any change to its operations, business or financial operating performance for the periods being restated. For any and all of the Restatement Periods, there is no impact on the Company’s overall cash position or net cash flows. Bitfarms previously categorized proceeds derived from the sale of digital assets as a cash flow from operating activities. In conjunction with the SEC review, it was determined that proceeds from the sale of digital assets should be classified as cash flow from investing activities. Due to the materiality of the error in classification, the Company is restating the financial statements for the Restatement Periods. In addition to the correction to the consolidated statements of cash flows, the Company is also restating its financials to adjust for an error in the accounting for the redemption of warrants in 2023. A summary of the restatements is described in further detail in the tables set forth below (expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars). More details may be found in the revised financial statements and related revised management’s discussion and analyses, which are available on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar . Adjustments to consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022* - Restatement Adjustments to consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023* - Restatement Adjustments to consolidated statements of financial position as of December 31, 2023* - Restatement Adjustments to consolidated statements of profit or loss and comprehensive profit or loss for the year ended December 31, 2023* - Restatement Adjustments to interim consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2024* - Restatement Adjustments to consolidated statements of financial position as of September 30, 2024* - Restatement *U.S. $ in thousands The Company’s management has previously concluded that the Company had a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting during the Restatement Periods. Management is in the process of implementing remediation measures to address the material weakness in respect of the errors described above. About Bitfarms Ltd. Founded in 2017, Bitfarms is a global Bitcoin data center company that contributes its computational power to one or more mining pools from which it receives payment in Bitcoin. Bitfarms develops, owns, and operates vertically integrated mining farms with in-house management and company-owned electrical engineering, installation service, and multiple onsite technical repair centers. The Company’s proprietary data analytics system delivers best-in-class operational performance and uptime. Bitfarms currently has 12 operating Bitcoin data centers and two under development, and two under Hosting agreements, situated in four countries: Canada, the United States, Paraguay, and Argentina. Powered predominantly by environmentally friendly hydro-electric and long-term power contracts, Bitfarms is committed to using sustainable and often underutilized energy infrastructure. To learn more about Bitfarms’ events, developments, and online communities: www.bitfarms.com https://www.facebook.com/bitfarms/ https://twitter.com/Bitfarms_io https://www.instagram.com/bitfarms/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitfarms/ Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking information”) that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release and are covered by safe harbors under Canadian and United States securities laws. The statements and information in this release regarding the impact of the Restatement, the filing of the Restated Financials and Restated MD&A, the Company’s plans to remediate the material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting and other statements regarding future growth, plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking information. Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “prospects”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on assumptions and estimates of management of Bitfarms at the time they were made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Bitfarms to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors, risks and uncertainties include, among others: the pending SEC Review; the potential that additional restatements of the financial statements will be required; the potential that the Company identifies additional material weaknesses in its control over financial reporting; the ability of the Company to remediate known material weaknesses; the acquisition, construction and operation of new facilities may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion of existing facilities may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; new miners may not perform up to expectations; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; the ongoing ability to successfully mine Bitcoin is not assured; failure of the equipment upgrades to be installed and operated as planned; the availability of additional power may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the power purchase agreements and economics thereof may not be as advantageous as expected; For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to Bitfarms’ filings on www.sedarplus.ca (which are also available on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC") at www.sec.gov ), including the restated MD&A for the year-ended December 31, 2023, filed on December 9, 2024 and the restated MD&A for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 filed on December 9, 2024. Although Bitfarms has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including factors that are currently unknown to or deemed immaterial by Bitfarms. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Bitfarms undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, nor any other securities exchange or regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Investor Relations Contacts: Bitfarms Tracy Krumme SVP, Head of IR & Corp. Comms. +1 786-671-5638 tkrumme@bitfarms.com Media Contacts: Québec: Tact Louis-Martin Leclerc +1 418-693-2425 lmleclerc@tactconseil.caNone
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector came “to a complete and abrupt halt.” Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Assad’s brutal rule. The rebel alliance now in control of much of the country is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and promises representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said Monday they would not tell women how to dress. Syrian citizens stand on a government forces tank that was left on a street Monday as they celebrate in Damascus, Syria. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the U.N. official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met for the first time with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali, who stayed in Syria when Assad fled. Israel said it carried out airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets to keep them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel also seized a buffer zone inside Syria after Syrian troops withdrew. Syrians wait to cross into Syria from Turkey on Monday at the Oncupinar border gate near the town of Kilis, southern Turkey. In northern Syria, Turkey said allied opposition forces seized the town of Manbij from Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States, a reminder that even after Assad’s departure, the country remains split among armed groups that have fought in the past. The Kremlin said Russia granted political asylum to Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people still celebrated. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence, though in some areas small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets. Syrian citizens celebrate Monday during the second day of the takeover of the city by the insurgents in Damascus, Syria. Across swathes of Syria, families are now waiting outside prisons, security offices and courts, hoping for news of loved ones who were imprisoned or who disappeared. Just north of Damascus in the feared Saydnaya military prison, women detainees, some with their children, screamed as rebels broke locks off their cell doors. Amnesty International and other groups say dozens of people were secretly executed every week in Saydnaya, and they estimate that up to 13,000 Syrians were killed between 2011 and 2016. “Don’t be afraid,” one rebel said as he ushered women from packed cells. “Bashar Assad has fallen!” In southern Turkey, Mustafa Sultan was among hundreds of Syrian refugees waiting at border crossings to head home. He was searching for his older brother, who was imprisoned under Assad. “I haven’t seen him for 13 years,” he said. “I am going to go see whether he’s alive.” Jalali, the prime minister, sought to project normalcy since Assad fled. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation already improved from the day before. Israeli soldiers sit on top of a tank Monday along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a U.N. official said some government services were paralyzed as worried state employees stayed home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt,” said U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies was put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonized by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People gather to react following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government, in Trafalgar Square, in London, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People gather to react following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government, in Trafalgar Square, in London, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Members of the Syrian community in Finland wave a Syrian flag and celebrate in Helsinki, Finland, Dec. 8, 2024. (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Syrians wave opposition flags and give out sweets during a spontaneous rally in Wuppertal, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa/dpa via AP) Syrians celebrate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria at a demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Jonas Ekstroemer/TT News Agency via AP) A Syrian man waves a flag during a spontaneous demonstration celebrating the fall of the Assad regime, in Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Syrians wave Syrian opposition flags at a rally in Wuppertal, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa/dpa via AP) People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Syrians living in France gather on Republique square after the Syrian government fell early today in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government's fall, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Syrians living in France hug during a rally on Republique square after the Syrian government fell early today in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) People gather to react following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government, in Trafalgar Square, in London, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) A Syrian man waves a flag during a spontaneous demonstration celebrating the fall of the Assad regime in Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.Intapp, Inc. (NASDAQ:INTA) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts