NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The largest artificial intelligence data center ever built by Facebook’s parent company Meta is coming to northeast Louisiana, the company said Wednesday, bringing hopes that the $10 billion facility will transform an economically neglected corner of the state. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry called it “game-changing” for his state's expanding tech sector, yet some environmental groups have raised concerns over the center's reliance on fossil fuels — and whether the plans for new natural gas power to support it could lead to higher energy bills in the future for Louisiana residents. Meanwhile, Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, is expanding its existing supercomputer project in Memphis, Tennessee, the city's chamber of commerce said Wednesday. The chamber also said that Nvidia, Dell, and Supermicro Computer will be “establishing operations in Memphis,” without offering further details. Louisiana is among a growing number of states offering tax credits and other incentives to lure big tech firms seeking sites for energy-intensive data centers. The U.S. Commerce Department found that there aren’t enough data centers in the U.S. to meet the rising AI-fueled demand, which is projected to grow by 9% each year through 2030, citing industry reports. Meta anticipates its Louisiana data center will create 500 operational jobs and 5,000 temporary construction jobs, said Kevin Janda, director of data center strategy. At 4 million square feet (370,000 square meters), it will be the company's largest AI data center to date, he added. “We want to make sure we are having a positive impact on the local level,” Janda said. Congressional leaders and local representatives from across the political spectrum heralded the Meta facility as a boon for Richland parish, a rural part of Louisiana with a population of 20,000 historically reliant on agriculture. About one in four residents are considered to live in poverty and the parish has an employment rate below 50%, according to the U.S. census data. Meta plans to invest $200 million into road and water infrastructure improvements for the parish to offset its water usage. The facility is expected to be completed in 2030. Entergy, one of the nation's largest utility providers, is fast-tracking plans to build three natural gas power plants in Louisiana capable of generating 2,262 megawatts for Meta's data center over a 15-year period — nearly one-tenth of Entergy's existing energy capacity across four states. The Louisiana Public Service Commission is weighing Entergy's proposal as some environmental groups have opposed locking the state into more fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure. Meta said it plans to help bring 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy onto the grid in the future. Louisiana residents may ultimately end up with rate increases to pay off the cost of operating these natural gas power plants when Meta's contract with Entergy expires, said Jessica Hendricks, state policy director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a Louisiana-based nonprofit advocating for energy consumers. “There’s no reason why residential customers in Louisiana need to pay for a power plant for energy that they’re not going to use," Hendricks said. "And we want to make sure that there’s safeguards in place.” Public service commissioner Foster Campbell, representing northeast Louisiana, said he does not believe the data center will increase rates for Louisiana residents and views it as vital for his region. “It’s going in one of the most needed places in Louisiana and maybe one of the most needed places in the United States of America,” Foster said. “I’m for it 100%.” Environmental groups have also warned of the pollution generated by Musk's AI data center in Memphis. The Southern Environmental Law Center, among others, says the supercomputer could strain the power grid, prompting attention from the Environmental Protection Agency. Eighteen gas turbines currently running at xAI’s south Memphis facility are significant sources of ground-level ozone, better known as smog, the group said. Patrick Anderson, an attorney at the law center, said xAI has operated with “a stunning lack of transparency” in developing its South Memphis facility, which is located near predominantly Black neighborhoods that have long dealt with pollution and health risks from factories and other industrial sites. “Memphians deserve to know how xAI will affect them,” he said, “and should have a seat at the table when these decisions are being made.” Sainz reported from Memphis, Tennessee. Associated Press writer Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96
The folks behind the Super League . A22 Sports, the company attempting to organise an alternative competition to the UEFA tournaments (Champions League, Europa League and Conference League) that they had petitioned UEFA to recognize their new cross-border tournament, the "Unify League." This comes nearly a year after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that UEFA held a dominant position and to comply with competition law, they could not oppose the creation of other cross-border tournaments provided they met certain criteria. Among them are the stipulations that any such tournament must have a qualification process that's inclusive and meritocratic, and that complies with the FIFA match calendar. So that's it? We now have a rival to the Champions League? Not exactly, as there are a ton of hoops to jump through first. Technically speaking, the ECJ judgement found that the UEFA's regulations gave them too much power to block rival cross-border competitions, so UEFA wrote new ones immediately after the verdict -- ones they say comply with the ECJ ruling. Some of those UEFA regulations lay out criteria in terms of open and meritocratic qualification -- things the Unify League appears to meet -- while others, according to A22, do comply with the ECJ ruling. A22 said there are too many to mention, but they did cite one that prohibits any new club competition from "adversely affect the good functioning" of UEFA tournaments. (Which is kind of the point of competition: disrupt your rivals and grow your market share.) But A22 argued that UEFA's rules, as written, basically force teams that qualify for UEFA competitions to play in them. We haven't heard from UEFA yet, but you assume they think their rules are compliant with ECJ rulings. So I think we can expect more arguing between lawyers and possibly letters to the European Court to clarify this, but that's really just the first hurdle. What's the next one? Well, even if they clear that hurdle and they get their way -- which, as A22 wrote, means "clubs are free to decide which tournament they want" -- they then need to persuade them it's in their interest to do so. And that's not going to be easy, because while clubs are interested in prestige, history, having a say in their competitions and engaging with fans -- all that good stuff -- let's face it, money is a prime motivator. It's not clear how the Unify League's business model is going to generate more revenue in terms of commercial and media rights. (The UEFA Champions League has certainly cornered the market when it comes to being an event, arguably the Super Bowl of the sport.) What A22's model anyway? There isn't too much detail, but presumably they'll have sponsors just like UEFA does. The big difference, though, is in media rights. Instead of selling rights to broadcasters and streamers, they're going to have , the Unify Platform. All games will be shown for free, albeit with advertising. And for those who don't enjoy commercial breaks, there will be the opportunity to purchase "affordable premium subscriptions" that will offer more technological bells and whistles than standard TV. Is it possible to make more money this way? The question raises a bunch of pretty obvious questions. If all you have to do to make more money than they do in the existing competitions is show games for free with commercial breaks, why haven't existing broadcasters thought of this? And if the secret to more revenue is having "affordable premium subscriptions" -- rather than the current expensive ones -- why haven't they done that? Sure, there's some merit in questioning the current pricing model -- free to air delivers a bigger audience and more exposure for sponsors, which can mean higher ad rates, while lower subscription fees might make it a volume play, where you get more subscribers and end up with more money -- but it takes a real leap of faith to think these guys can make it work where everybody else has failed. That said, they're convinced their format will be more exciting and generate bigger audiences ... How so? , but in a nutshell there will be four leagues, with the top two -- the Star League and Gold League (don't ask) -- comprising 16 clubs each. Each league is split into two groups of eight, and they play everybody home and away for a total of 14 games. The top four in each group qualify for the quarterfinals, which will also be home and away fixtures, and the semifinals and final will be single-leg affairs. I make that a total of 246 games -- marginally more than the total in the existing "Swiss Model" Champions League (237 games), but, of course, that has 36 clubs vs. the 32 in the combined Star and Gold Leagues, so I guess they can divide their pie in fewer slices and have a slightly bigger pie. As to whether it's more exciting, I'm not sure. You're going to get a lot of the same teams playing each other in a group game, year after year and, I imagine, you'll get a fair few meaningless games because, with four of eight qualifying, you could get teams knowing whether they're in or out with three or four games to go, making the final match days rather irrelevant. (Of course, this concept has been seen at tournaments before, and we're still not sure whether the first-ever Champions League Matchday 8, with all 36 teams playing at the same time, will have high stakes hanging in the balance.) There's also the fact that the ECJ ruling forces them to be "merit-based" and "open to all," as that could boomerang against them. What do you mean? Well, the old/aborted European Super League had 12 guaranteed megaclubs in it -- 15 in the original proposal, before Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain said no. Based on A22's regulations, if the competition had kicked off this season, clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid -- all of whom are in the Champions League -- would not be guaranteed a place in the competition but would need to battle their way through multiple qualifying rounds for one of the playoff spots. And guess what? Clubs like sure things and hate uncertainty, especially when it comes to revenues. But won't they end up in the next league down? You mean the "Gold League," right? Actually, Atletico and Borussia Dortmund wouldn't even be guaranteed a place in either; they'd need to get there via the playoffs. But yes, the next league down will presumably generate substantially less revenue than the top league, just as the Europa League makes less money than the Champions League. That's the rub. It's a really tough sell, and they'll have a difficult time convincing the clubs this is more lucrative. Unless ... Unless what? Unless there's somebody out there willing to offer clubs a big, fat downside guarantee, somebody who says, "I'll guarantee you more than what you're making now." And that's tough because right now, around €4.4 billion ($4.6 billion) from their three competitions. Just over a billion of that goes on administrative costs (€387 million), payments to clubs that don't qualify (€440 million), subsidies for the Women's and Youth competitions (€25 million) and in UEFA's coffers (€230 million) to be redistributed to member associations. Now, A22 obviously might be able to run a leaner tournament so their administrative costs will be lower, and maybe they won't want to subsidize the women's competition. (They say they'll have one, too, though it remains to be seen how the numbers work out there.) They might not pay as much to clubs who don't qualify or to member associations, though they say they'll have some solidarity mechanism. But they'll still need to get well north of that €4.4 billion figure to make it worthwhile. And, remember, because they'll be running the games on their own platform, they'll also have marketing, technology and production costs that are currently absorbed by broadcasters. So, yeah, I'd imagine it would take somebody willing to say, "I'll chuck in €6 billion a year in to cover the downside for the next couple of years to get this thing off the ground and guarantee that you clubs are better off with the Unify League than anywhere else." Frankly, that's a of money and, of course, there's the risk of a nightmare scenario for both UEFA and the Unify League. What's the "nightmare scenario" exactly? Imagine they end up competing directly with each other and A22 convinces some clubs, but not others. (Or, because there's also a whole hornet's nest of domestic legislation in various countries that prevents clubs from joining a league like this, and which might or might not be compliant with the ECJ ruling, some clubs simply can't.) What then? Let's say the Unify League has Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern and Inter. The Champions League has Barcelona, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus (presumably PSG, too, unless Nasser Al Khelaifi jumps ship). Both competitions are markedly weaker and no, it's not a linear decline because the success of the Champions League is founded on having the best clubs all in one place. Take half of them away and the interest isn't halved, it goes down by a lot more than that. Mutually assured destruction might be an exaggeration, but it certainly would make life a whole heck of a lot tougher for everyone. So what happens next? I expect a lot of back and forth between lawyers, and maybe some ECJ clarification, but ultimately this seems like a power move, where A22 want to get UEFA to the table somehow. Except it's hard to see how A22 have any leverage at all because their business model seems goofy and nobody of note, other than Real Madrid, has gone to bat for them. Unless of course there's somebody in the shadows with several billions willing to bankroll the whole shebang."LEQEMBI®" (Lecanemab) Approved for the Treatment of Early Alzheimer's Disease in Mexico
NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellectis CLLS (the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its pioneering gene-editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies, today announced that it has drawn down the final tranche of €5 million ("Tranche C") under the credit facility agreement for up to €40 million entered into with the European Investment Bank (the "EIB) on December 28, 2022 (the "Finance Contract"). With the drawdown of Tranche C, the Company has drawn down the full €40 million available under the Finance Contract. Tranche C is expected to be disbursed by the EIB by December 18, 2024. The Company plans to use the proceeds of Tranche C towards the development of its pipeline of allogeneic CAR T-cell product candidates: UCART22 and UCART20x22. As a condition to the disbursement of Tranche C the Company issued 611,426 warrants to the benefit of the EIB, in accordance with the terms of the 14 th resolution of the shareholders' meeting held on June 28, 2024 and articles L. 228-91 and seq. of the French Commercial Code (the "Tranche C Warrants"). Each Tranche C Warrant allows the EIB to subscribe for one ordinary share of the Company, at a price of €1.70, corresponding to 99% of the volume-weighted average price of the Company's ordinary shares over the last 3 trading days preceding the decision of the board of directors of the Company to issue the Tranche C Warrants. The total number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Tranche C Warrants represent circa 0.6% of the Company's outstanding share capital as at their issuance date. Tranche C will mature six years from its disbursement date and will accrue interest at a rate of 6% per annum capitalized annually and payable at maturity. The other terms of the Tranche C Warrants and prepayment events of Tranche C under the Finance Contract are as set forth in the Company's press release of April 4, 2023 and Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on such date. About Cellectis Cellectis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its pioneering gene-editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies. Cellectis utilizes an allogeneic approach for CAR-T immunotherapies in oncology, pioneering the concept of off-the-shelf and ready-to-use gene-edited CAR T-cells to treat cancer patients, and a platform to make therapeutic gene editing in hemopoietic stem cells for various diseases. As a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with 25 years of experience and expertise in gene editing, Cellectis is developing life-changing product candidates utilizing TALEN ® , its gene editing technology, and PulseAgile, its pioneering electroporation system to harness the power of the immune system in order to treat diseases with unmet medical needs. Cellectis' headquarters are in Paris, France, with locations in New York, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina. Cellectis is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market CLLS and on Euronext Growth ALCLS . To find out more, visit our website: www.cellectis.com Follow Cellectis on social networks @cellectis on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) TALEN® is a registered trademark owned by Cellectis. Cautionary Statement This press release contains "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expect," "plan," and "will," or the negative of these and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements, which are based on our management's current expectations and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include statements about the date of disbursement of the Tranche C and the use of the proceeds of amounts received under the Finance Contract. These forward-looking statements are made in light of information currently available to us and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including with respect to the numerous risks associated with market conditions, and our ability to satisfy the conditions precedent under the Finance Contract. Furthermore, many other important factors, including those described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F as amended and in our annual financial report (including the management report) for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent filings Cellectis makes with the Securities Exchange Commission from time to time, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov , as well as other known and unknown risks and uncertainties may adversely affect such forward-looking statements and cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. For further information on Cellectis, please contact: Media contacts: Pascalyne Wilson, Director, Communications, + 33 (0)7 76 99 14 33, media@cellectis.com Patricia Sosa Navarro, Chief of Staff to the CEO, +33 (0)7 76 77 46 93 Investor Relations contact: Arthur Stril, Interim Chief Financial Officer, investors@cellectis.com Attachment 20241128_Cellectis_BEI_Tranche C_ENGLISH_PR-MBT © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Even when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar gets some praise, it's usually a backhanded compliment. They say he's a good game manager and stays within himself, or that he doesn't try to do too much. They mention he might not be flashy, but he gives the team a chance to win. And here's the thing about Penn State since Allar stepped under center: The Nittany Lions have won games. A lot of them. Sometimes that's hard to remember considering the lukewarm reception he often gets from fans. "I get it — we have a really passionate fan base and they're a huge part of our success," Allar said Sunday at College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day. "For us, we always want to go out there every drive and end with a touchdown, so when we don't do that, there's nobody more frustrated than us." The polarizing Allar is having a solid season by just about any standard, completing more than 68% of his passes for 3,021 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions to a 12-2 record and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl for Tuesday's game against No. 3 seed Boise State. But in a college football world filled with high-scoring, explosive offenses, Allar's no-frills performances often are the object of ire. The Penn State offense is a run-first bunch, led by the talented combo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. "If we had a nickel for every time there was a Monday morning quarterback saying some BS stuff, we'd all be pretty rich," offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. "I think part of being a quarterback, especially at Penn State but really anywhere, is how you respond to and manage criticism." The 20-year-old Allar has made strides in that department after a trying 2023 season that finished with a 10-3 record. He says that's largely because once fall camp started back in August, he logged off the social media platform X. Allar said negative online experiences wore on him last year, and his phone number was leaked a few times, which added to the stress. He finally realized that controlling outside narratives was impossible, so the best course of action was to eliminate a needless distraction. "I've been more mentally free, as much as that sounds crazy," Allar said. "I think that's been a huge difference for me this year." The biggest criticism of Allar — and really Penn State as a whole during the 11-year James Franklin era — is that he isn't capable of winning the big games. He's 0-2 against rival Ohio State and threw a late interception against Oregon in the Big Ten title game earlier this month, which sealed the Ducks' 45-37 victory. He wasn't great in the CFP's first round, either, completing just 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards as Penn State muscled past SMU 38-10 on a cold, blustery day to advance to the Fiesta Bowl. But the quarterback is confident a better performance — aided by a game that will be played in comfortable temperatures in a domed stadium — is coming. "For me, I just have to execute those (easy) throws early in the game and get our guys into rhythm," Allar said. "Get them involved early as much as I can and that allows us to stay on the field longer, call more plays and open up our offense more. That will help us a ton, building the momentum throughout the game." Allar might be a favorite punching bag for a section of the Penn State fan base, but that's not the case in his own locker room. Star tight end Tyler Warren praised his quarterback's ability to avoid sacks, saying that the 6-foot-5, 238-pounder brings a toughness that resonates with teammates. "He's a football player," Warren said. "He plays quarterback, but when you watch him play and the energy he brings and the way he runs the ball, he's just a football player and that fires up our offense." Now Allar and Penn State have a chance to silence critics who say that the Nittany Lions don't show up in big games. Not that he's worried about what other people think. "I think it's a skill at the end of the day — blocking out the outside noise," Allar said. "Focusing on you and the process and being honest with yourself, both good and bad." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Godaddy director Brian Sharples sells $98,885 in stock
Israeli forces arrested Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza Strip, along with 240 others on Saturday, December 28, after setting the facility on fire. Taking to X, Israeli Defese Forces (IDF) said,”The director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, who is suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative, was also taken in for questioning.” 📍Operational Recap: Hamas Command Center in the Kamal Adwan Hospital • 240+ Hamas, Islamic Jihad terrorists and other operatives suspected of terrorist activities were apprehended, some of whom attempted to pose as... pic.twitter.com/2oOCbeAsyQ Taking to Instagram, photographer Mohannad al-Muqayed shared the last photo of Abu Safiyea before his arrest by Israeli forces. In the photo Abu Safiya is seen going alone towards two Israeli tanks dressed in medical gear and a white coat. A post shared by مهند المقيد (@muhannad_almuqayed) “Dr Hussem Abu Safiyeh was arrested by the Israeli military soon after this photo was taken. His whereabouts are not known. He was the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in north Gaza until it was forcibly evacuated by Israel,” Agnes Callamard, a UN special rapporteur, wrote on X. This arrest was made after the Israeli forces began a military operation in the Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding area on Friday, December 27 . As a result, the hospital’s medical staff, patients, and wounded were forcibly evacuated, some of them were arrested, and large portions of its buildings were set on fire, even though many of them were inside. The operation resulted in the closure of the last major hospital in the northern governorate, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip. Hours before announcing the operation, the forces conducted massive bombing operations in the governorate, launching intense and violent air strikes around the hospital, one of which resulted in the deaths of over 50 Palestinians in a building opposite the hospital headquarters. The Israeli forces has been carrying out genocide and ethnic cleansing in the northern governorate for over two months, committing massacres, killing residents, forcing them to flee, and arresting hundreds. Israel launched a massive ground offensive in northern Gaza on October 5 to prevent Hamas’ regrouping, while Palestinians accuse Israel of occupying and forcibly displaced its residents. Israel initiated the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Hamas-led resistance groups in response to increased Palestinian violence. The Israeli regime’s brutal assault on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of 45,736 Palestinians, primarily women and children, and injured 108,038 others, with thousands more presumed dead.Last week, six of the top 10 most valued firms together added Rs 86,847.88 crore in market valuation. HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries emerged as the biggest gainers in line with an overall optimistic trend in equities. Advertisement On the gaining side were Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, ITC and Hindustan Unilever, while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, State Bank of India and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) suffered erosion. Advertisement The market capitalisation (mcap) of HDFC Bank surged by Rs 20,235.95 crore to Rs 13,74,945.30 crore while the other private lender, ICICI Bank climbed Rs 15,254.01 crore to Rs 9,22,703.05 crore. The valuation of two key public sector players, State Bank of India tumbled by Rs 11,557.39 crore to Rs 7,13,567.99 crore while LIC declined by Rs 8,412.24 crore to Rs 5,61,406.80 crore, Tech giant Infosys dropped by Rs 2,283.75 crore to Rs 7,95,803.15 crore, and TCS dipped by Rs 36.18 crore to Rs 15,08,000.79 crore. The market cap of Bharti Airtel soared Rs 11,948.24 crore to Rs 9,10,735.22 crore, and Hindustan Unilever rallied Rs 1,245.29 crore to Rs 5,49,863.10 crore. The valuation of ITC jumped Rs 17,933.49 crore to Rs 5,99,185.81 crore. Reliance Industries added Rs 20,230.9 crore, taking its valuation to Rs 16,52,235.07 crore. The rank-wise top 10 companies for the week were Reliance Industries followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Infosys, State Bank of India, ITC, LIC and Hindustan Unilever. Last week, the BSE benchmark climbed 657.48 points or 0.84 per cent, and the Nifty rose 225.9 points or 0.95 per cent. Stock market ended higher on Friday driven by gains. The domestic market witnessed low volatility in the absence of fresh triggers and traded on a positive note throughout the session. Sensex advanced 226.59 points, 0.29 per cent to close at 78,699.07, while the Nifty rose 63.20 points, 0.27 per cent, to settle at 23,813.4. Advertisement