jili 684
Letters to Editor for December 7
Inventus Mining Commences 80-Hole Drill Program at Pardo Receives OJEP Funding Support and ...Stormont minister Maurice Morrow told an official he would not raise the issue with the Northern Ireland Executive, despite similar measures being considered in England and Wales. A file on planning arrangements for the jubilee celebrations reveals a series of civil service correspondences on how Northern Ireland would mark the occasion. It includes a letter sent on January 11 2001 from an official in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Social Development, advising that a committee had been set up in London to consider a programme of celebrations. The correspondence says: “One of the issues the committee is currently considering is the possibility of deregulating liquor licensing laws during the golden jubilee celebrations on the same lines as the arrangements made for the millennium. “It is felt that the golden jubilee bank holiday on Monday 3 June 2002 is likely to be an occasion on which many public houses and similar licensed premises would wish to stay open beyond normal closing time.” The letter said a paper had been prepared on the issue of extending opening hours. It adds: “You will note that paragraph seven of the paper indicates that the devolved administrations ‘would need to consider deregulation separately within their own jurisdictions’. “I thought that you would wish to be aware that this issue is receiving active consideration for England and Wales and to consider whether anything needs to be done for Northern Ireland.” Some months later a “progress report” was sent between officials in OFMDFM, which again raised the issue of licensing laws. It says: “I spoke to Gordon Gibson, DSD, about Terry Smith’s letter of 12 January 2001 about licensing laws: the matter was put to their minister Maurice Morrow (DUP) who indicated that he would not be asking the NIE (Northern Ireland Executive) to approve any change to current licensing laws in NI to allow for either 24 hour opening (as at the millennium) nor a blanket approval for extended opening hours as is being considered in GB. “In both cases, primary legislation would be required here and would necessitate consultation and the minister has ruled out any consultation process.” The correspondence says individual licensees could still apply for an extension to opening hours on an ad hoc basis, adding “there the matter rests”. It goes on: “DSD await further pronouncements from the Home Office and Gibson and I have agreed to notify each other of any developments we become aware of and he will copy me to any (existing) relevant papers. “Ministers may well come under pressure in due course for a relaxation and/or parity with GB.” The document concludes “That’s it so far...making haste slowly?” Emails sent between officials in the department the same month said that lord lieutenants in Northern Ireland had been approached about local events to mark the jubilee. One message says: “Lord lieutenants have not shown any enthusiasm for encouraging GJ celebrations at a local level. “Lady Carswell in particular believes that it would be difficult for LLs to encourage such activities without appearing political.”
Judge rejects request to sideline SJSU volleyball playerPair of original MLS clubs to play for Cup titleManchester City, Arsenal, and now Tottenham. The list of top Premier League teams beaten at Bournemouth this season is growing. Dean Huijsen took advantage of Tottenham’s weakness at set pieces to head home a 17th-minute winner in Bournemouth’s 1-0 victory on Thursday. After the game, some Spurs fans appeared to vent their frustration at manager Ange Postecoglou when he went over to the away contingent following his team's insipid display. “They are pretty disappointed, rightly so, and I got some pretty direct feedback as to how we are going,” the Australian coach said, “and that's fair enough.” Bournemouth climbed to ninth — a point and a place above Tottenham in the standings — and underlined its penchant for surprising high-profile visitors to Vitality Stadium. Man City’s remarkable four-game losing run in the Premier League started with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, while fellow title contender Arsenal’s first loss of the season also came at the Vitality, 2-0 on Oct. 19. This was Spurs' sixth defeat of the campaign. They now have as many wins as losses, highlighting the inconsistency blighting their season, and their seven away results so far make remarkable reading: aside from a 3-0 win at Manchester United and a 4-0 thrashing of Man City, Tottenham has lost four and drawn the other at relegation candidate Leicester. “We've got to get out of this space we're in at the moment where we're just not able to get a real grip on our season,” Postecoglou said. An inability to defend set plays continues to hurt Postecoglou’s team. A week after Roma scored twice from them in a 2-2 draw in the Europa League, Huijsen roamed free in the area at a corner and headed home unmarked. Story continues below video Postecoglou said in May said he “wasn’t interested” about his side’s fallibility while defending set pieces, and said after losing 1-0 to Arsenal in September — after a goal from Gabriel at a corner — that “it’s my burden to carry and I’m happy to do that.” “We started well and conceded a really poor goal," Postecoglou said after the Bournemouth game. “It’s a difficult place to come when giving the opposition the opportunity to play in the manner they want.” IWOBI DOUBLE Alex Iwobi scored goals early and late in the game to lead Fulham to a 3-1 win over Brighton. The Nigeria winger intercepted a stray pass out from the back by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and slotted into an unguarded net for the opener in the fourth minute and curled home Fulham’s clinching goal in the 87th. Carlos Baleba equalized for Brighton in the 56th before Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley – a former Fulham academy player – deflected the ball into his own net from a corner to put the home side back in front. Fulham climbed to sixth in the standings, a point and a place behind Brighton. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
CORK, Ireland , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI) (the "Company" or "Johnson Controls"), a global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today announced the pricing of its offering of $250 million senior notes due 2032 (the "Additional Notes"). The Additional Notes will be a further issuance of, and form a single series with, the existing $400 million aggregate principal amount of 4.900% senior notes due 2032 that were originally issued on September 14, 2022 by the Company and Tyco Fire & Security Finance, S.C.A., a subsidiary of the Company, as co-issuer. The net proceeds of the Additional Notes will be used for general corporate purposes, including the repayment, redemption or refinancing of outstanding commercial paper and other near-term indebtedness. General corporate purposes may also include acquisitions, additions to working capital, repurchase of ordinary shares, dividends, capital expenditures and investments in the Company's subsidiaries. The closing for the transaction is expected to occur on December 10, 2024 , subject to certain customary closing conditions. BofA Securities and US Bancorp are serving as joint lead book-running managers to facilitate the transaction. Barclays, BBVA and UniCredit Capital Markets are also serving as book-running managers of the offering. The offering of the Additional Notes is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement, prospectus and related prospectus supplement. Copies of the prospectus supplement and the base prospectus may be obtained by contacting BofA Securities, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-294-1322; or U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. toll-free at 1-877-558-2607. Investors may also obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov . This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. About Johnson Controls: At Johnson Controls, we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As a 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 experts, 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. Johnson Controls International plc Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Johnson Controls International plc has made statements in this communication that are forward-looking and therefore are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "should," "forecast," "project" or "plan" and terms of similar meaning are also generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Johnson Controls cautions that these statements are subject to numerous important risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond Johnson Controls' control, that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to: Johnson Controls' ability to develop or acquire new products and technologies that achieve market acceptance and meet applicable quality and regulatory requirements; the ability of Johnson Controls to execute on its operating model and drive organizational improvement; Johnson Controls' ability to successfully execute and complete portfolio simplification, including the completion of the divestiture of the Residential and Light Commercial business, as well as the possibility that the expected benefits of such actions will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time frame; the ability to hire and retain senior management and other key personnel, including successfully executing Johnson Controls' Chief Executive Officer succession plan; the ability to innovate and adapt to emerging technologies, ideas and trends in the marketplace, including the incorporation of technologies such as artificial intelligence; the ability to manage general economic, business and capital market conditions, including the impact of recessions, economic downturns and global price inflation; fluctuations in the cost and availability of public and private financing for Johnson Controls' customers; the ability to manage macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility, including supply chain shortages and the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas; managing the risks and impacts of potential and actual security breaches, cyberattacks, privacy breaches or data breaches, maintaining and improving the capacity, reliability and security of Johnson Controls' enterprise information technology infrastructure; the ability to manage the lifecycle cybersecurity risk in the development, deployment and operation of Johnson Controls' digital platforms and services; changes to laws or policies governing foreign trade, including economic sanctions, tariffs, foreign exchange and capital controls, import/export controls or other trade restrictions; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes or uncertainty in laws, regulations, rates, policies, or interpretations that impact Johnson Controls' business operations or tax status; the ability to adapt to global climate change, climate change regulation and successfully meet Johnson Controls' public sustainability commitments; risks and uncertainties related to the settlement with a nationwide class of public water systems concerning the use of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam; the outcome of litigation and governmental proceedings; the risk of infringement or expiration of intellectual property rights; Johnson Controls' ability to manage disruptions caused by catastrophic or geopolitical events, such as natural disasters, armed conflict, political change, climate change, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments; any delay or inability of Johnson Controls to realize the expected benefits and synergies of recent portfolio transactions; the tax treatment of recent portfolio transactions; significant transaction costs and/or unknown liabilities associated with such transactions; labor shortages, work stoppages, union negotiations, labor disputes and other matters associated with the labor force; and the cancellation of or changes to commercial arrangements. Investors are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. For further discussion of certain of these factors, see Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 , filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 19, 2024 and in our subsequent and future filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov . Investors should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors and should not consider this list to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date of this communication, unless otherwise specified, and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this communication. INVESTOR CONTACTS: MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Lucas Danielle Canzanella Direct: 414.340.1752 Direct: 203.499.8297 Email: jim.lucas@jci.com Email: danielle.canzanella@jci.com Michael Gates Direct: 414.524.5785 Email: michael.j.gates@jci.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/johnson-controls-prices-senior-notes-offering-302324369.html SOURCE Johnson Controls International plcAnthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses decision to put a time limit on anesthesia
Predators are using artificial intelligence apps to “nudify” children using regular family photographs taken from social media, while a fifth of schools have reported that pupils as young as eight are accessing nude content online. MPs are pushing the government to ban the apps and websites used to create the deepfake content, after it was found that more than 24 million people globally accessed the nudification tools every month. Head teachers and school leaders have said that they are unable to keep up with the technology and are now regularly dealing with deepfake images depicting children in sexualised settings. Labour pledged in opposition to tackle deepfake content. Alex Davies-Jones, the justice minister, said this week that the government would introduce legislation during this parliamentary sessionCoal baby, not cool?Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers Current Records: Denver 8-6, Los Angeles 10-5 When: Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 10:30 p.m. ET Where: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles, California TV: NBATV Follow: CBS Sports App Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.) Ticket Cost: $109.29 The Nuggets are 9-1 against the Lakers since May of 2023, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Having just played yesterday, the Denver Nuggets will head out on the road to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena. Coming off a loss in a game the Nuggets were expected to win, they now face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds. The Nuggets are headed into the match having just suffered their closest loss since November 1st on Friday. They fell just short of the Mavericks by a score of 123-120. The close contest was extra heartbreaking for Denver, who almost overcame a 24 point deficit. The Nuggets might have lost, but man, Nikola Jokic was a machine: he dropped a triple-double on 33 points, 17 rebounds, and ten assists. Jokic's evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 30 points. Even though they lost, the Nuggets were working as a unit and finished the game with 33 assists (they're ranked second in assists per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Mavericks only posted 24. Meanwhile, the Lakers unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 119-118 to the Magic on a last-minute shot From Franz Wagner. It was the first time this season that Los Angeles let down their fans at home. The Lakers' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Anthony Davis, who almost dropped a double-double on 39 points and nine rebounds, and LeBron James, who shot 5-for-9 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 31 points and ten rebounds. James continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Denver's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-6. As for Los Angeles, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-5. Saturday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: The Nuggets have crashing the boards this season, having averaged 45.9 rebounds per game. It's a different story for the Lakers, though, as they've been averaging only 40.1. Given the Nuggets' sizable advantage in that area, the Lakers will need to find a way to close that gap. The Nuggets skirted past the Lakers 108-106 in their previous meeting back in April. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was James, who almost dropped a triple-double on 30 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Nuggets still be able to contain James? Check CBSSports.com after the match to find out. Los Angeles is a 4.5-point favorite against Denver, according to the latest NBA odds . The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 3.5-point favorite. The over/under is 234.5 points. See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now . Denver has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Los Angeles. Apr 29, 2024 - Denver 108 vs. Los Angeles 106 Apr 27, 2024 - Los Angeles 119 vs. Denver 108 Apr 25, 2024 - Denver 112 vs. Los Angeles 105 Apr 22, 2024 - Denver 101 vs. Los Angeles 99 Apr 20, 2024 - Denver 114 vs. Los Angeles 103 Mar 02, 2024 - Denver 124 vs. Los Angeles 114 Feb 08, 2024 - Denver 114 vs. Los Angeles 106 Oct 24, 2023 - Denver 119 vs. Los Angeles 107 May 22, 2023 - Denver 113 vs. Los Angeles 111 May 20, 2023 - Denver 119 vs. Los Angeles 108
NYC's mayor warms to Trump and doesn't rule out becoming a RepublicanNone
Pair of original MLS clubs to play for Cup titleStormont minister Maurice Morrow told an official he would not raise the issue with the Northern Ireland Executive, despite similar measures being considered in England and Wales. A file on planning arrangements for the jubilee celebrations reveals a series of civil service correspondences on how Northern Ireland would mark the occasion. It includes a letter sent on January 11 2001 from an official in the Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) to the Department of Social Development, advising that a committee had been set up in London to consider a programme of celebrations. The correspondence says: “One of the issues the committee is currently considering is the possibility of deregulating liquor licensing laws during the golden jubilee celebrations on the same lines as the arrangements made for the millennium. “It is felt that the golden jubilee bank holiday on Monday 3 June 2002 is likely to be an occasion on which many public houses and similar licensed premises would wish to stay open beyond normal closing time.” The letter said a paper had been prepared on the issue of extending opening hours. It adds: “You will note that paragraph seven of the paper indicates that the devolved administrations ‘would need to consider deregulation separately within their own jurisdictions’. “I thought that you would wish to be aware that this issue is receiving active consideration for England and Wales and to consider whether anything needs to be done for Northern Ireland.” Some months later a “progress report” was sent between officials in OFMDFM, which again raised the issue of licensing laws. It says: “I spoke to Gordon Gibson, DSD, about Terry Smith’s letter of 12 January 2001 about licensing laws: the matter was put to their minister Maurice Morrow (DUP) who indicated that he would not be asking the NIE (Northern Ireland Executive) to approve any change to current licensing laws in NI to allow for either 24 hour opening (as at the millennium) nor a blanket approval for extended opening hours as is being considered in GB. “In both cases, primary legislation would be required here and would necessitate consultation and the minister has ruled out any consultation process.” The correspondence says individual licensees could still apply for an extension to opening hours on an ad hoc basis, adding “there the matter rests”. It goes on: “DSD await further pronouncements from the Home Office and Gibson and I have agreed to notify each other of any developments we become aware of and he will copy me to any (existing) relevant papers. “Ministers may well come under pressure in due course for a relaxation and/or parity with GB.” The document concludes “That’s it so far...making haste slowly?” Emails sent between officials in the department the same month said that lord lieutenants in Northern Ireland had been approached about local events to mark the jubilee. One message says: “Lord lieutenants have not shown any enthusiasm for encouraging GJ celebrations at a local level. “Lady Carswell in particular believes that it would be difficult for LLs to encourage such activities without appearing political.”
Morrissey throws 67-yard TD pass to Calwise Jr. to lift Eastern Kentucky over North Alabama 21-15NoneKing laughs at British comedian’s impression of Donald Trump at Royal Variety
Bitcoin's wild ride toward $100,000Richland Parish, an idyllic rural area in northeast Louisiana, USA, is set to host a gigantic new Meta datacenter. But instead of being powered by one of the on-site nuclear power plants Zuckercorp has previously advocated for, the facility is opting to drive its AI computing workload by burning more fossil fuels. The 4 million square foot, $10 billion facility, hailed by Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as "a game changer," is one of the largest private capital investments in the history of the bayou state and will be Meta's largest-ever datacenter, the Facebook parent said . As the governor's announcement noted, construction on the facility will "continue through 2030" despite groundbreaking planned for this month - in other words, right in line with Meta's plans to ramp up nuclear power for its next generation of AI datacenters as shared in a request for proposals (RFP) yesterday. Meta has decided to jump the atomic gun with this project by partnering with Entergy instead. The power generation company plans to construct three combined-cycle combustion turbine (CCCT) plants with a total energy generation capacity of 2,262 megawatts. CCCT plants burn natural gas, but are configured (and marketed) as less pollutive than traditional natural gas power plants. Along with burning natural gas to spin a gas turbine, combined cycle plants use waste heat to spin a secondary steam turbine, thus creating more watts for their carbon buck. They're still burning natural gas to do so, of course, thus releasing more of the greenhouse gases - an issue Meta has pledged to address (with the purchase of offsets, naturally) by the end of the decade. According to Entergy, the three CCCT plants being constructed for the project, two of which will be housed on-site at the Franklin Farm mega site with one located elsewhere, are being built with the ability to be 30 percent hydrogen co-fired to reduce emissions. Entergy said that the plants will also be able to someday transition to 100 percent hydrogen fired "through future upgrades," though the company didn't answer questions from The Register about the timeline or feasibility of improvements to make that transition. SREA is concerned about the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions these three new gas plants will produce, and the unproven nature of the technology Entergy is proposing to install 'in the future' to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions that will be produced by these gas power plants Per a US Energy Information Administration report on hydrogen co-firing from September, only a handful of natural gas plants in the US have "taken early steps to integrate hydrogen into their fuel streams," with a few of those just reaching the point of testing co-firing. "Natural gas is the single-largest source of energy used to generate electricity in the United States, making up 43% of electricity generation in 2023, but hydrogen use is not currently widespread or used regularly in the plants where it has been tested," The EIA said. Additionally, as Southern Renewable Energy Association (SREA) regulatory director Whit Cox said in a statement [PDF] his association put out about the project before it was clear that Meta was behind the matter, 2,262 MW of energy from natural gas is a lot. The power that'll be generated at the Richland Parish datacenter is more than three times the power of a plant Entergy is building for a new Amazon datacenter in Mississippi, and more than 20 times the size of Entergy's Bayou Power Station, which was recently canceled due to cost concerns. "SREA is concerned about the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions these three new gas plants will produce, and the unproven nature of the technology Entergy is proposing to install 'in the future' to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions that will be produced by these gas power plants," Cox said. Andy Kowalczyk, SREA's transmission director, further explained that hydrogen power isn't necessarily emissions free: Sure, burning it doesn't emit greenhouse gases, but there's the matter of its creation that isn't addressed in Entergy's or Meta's statements on the project. "Another question on hydrogen is where it comes from, and if it's grey hydrogen , or even blue hydrogen from gas, what is the point," Kowalczyk told us. Both grey and blue hydrogen production involve the use of natural gas processed using steam methane reformation, which releases greenhouse gasses as a byproduct. Blue hydrogen is only different in that it utilizes carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to mitigate CO2 emissions. Both, otherwise, are a source of pollution. "I just don't think it's meaningful to tack on 'hydrogen co-fired' without a performance or fuel standard attached to it," Kowalczyk added. Beyond the uncertainty of fuel sources and the capability of Entergy to fulfill its co-firing promises, Union of Concerned Scientists energy analyst Paul Arbaje told us in an email that the co-firing percentage at the Richland Parish datacenter won't actually translate into that much greenhouse gas reduction. "The proposed turbines are designed to be able to co-fire up to 30 percent hydrogen before requiring upgrades, which even with low-carbon hydrogen would only yield about an 11 percent reduction in combustion-related carbon dioxide emissions," Arbaje said. "Burning hydrogen can also increase the level of NOx emissions from the plant smokestack, resulting in greater public health harms." Meta and Entergy's statements about its evaluation of deploying greener power at the site didn't pass the sniff test for SREA either, with Cox telling us the pair didn't seem to comprehensively evaluate options beyond the gas power they decided on. Per Entergy's own testimony [PDF] to the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) on the proposal to build the gas-fired plants, "they only evaluated solar and (very expensive) 18 hour batteries as a 'hypothetical' alternative," Cox said, "rather than considering any wind plus storage option to serve the customer's load at night." Cox said that the discussion of storage-only battery solutions is likely just an attempt at deflection "given no utility is currently modeling 18 hour batteries in [integrated resource plans]" for new energy projects. We've asked both Meta and Entergy for additional details about its co-firing plans, hydrogen sourcing for energy at the datacenter, and renewable energy considerations, and Entergy didn't respond to those questions. Meta, on the other hand, only told us it's "working with Entergy now to identify potential clean and renewable energy projects." It's worth pointing out that the CCCT plants have yet to be approved, per the LPSC's docket for the project. Entergy said the facilities are expected to come online between 2028 and 2029 - just before when Meta said it wanted to start deploying all those new nuclear reactors. Great investment, guys. "Building with sustainability in mind is important to us," Meta said in its statement about the project. "Together with our energy partner, Entergy, we are adding enough clean and renewable energy to the grid to cover 100% of the electricity use of our Richland Parish Data Center." That renewable energy will come in the form of at least 1,500 megawatts of new solar generation and storage, but specifics weren't provided, either in statement form or in response to our questions. Along with the unspecified solar project, Entergy noted that Meta has also committed to helping it install CCS technology at one of its power plants in Lake Charles, Louisiana, near the state's southern coast, and the pair have "committed to exploring nuclear energy as a future power supply option alongside renewable sources like solar and wind." "We are committed to matching our global operations with 100 percent clean and renewable energy," Meta told us when asked about why it's rushing to install natural gas at the site instead of waiting for more nuclear power. "Our nuclear RFP announcement earlier this week and our partnership with Entergy to explore nuclear options is part of that." Aside from that, no specific plans were provided. Datacenters in rural communities tend to attract lots of detractors. Out east in Virginia, where datacenter construction is reaching a fever pitch , projects have spilled into rural areas where residents were none too happy about the noise, mess and environmental damage such projects inevitably cause, leading to some messy local politics . We reached out to a number of local sources to get more information about what Richland Parish residents think about the project, but weren't able to get a response. That said, you don't need to go any further than Meta's own press release on the matter to get a taste for what Richland County residents think: There was some optimism in comments on Meta's announcement, but worry was expressed, too. A Facebook user identified as Josh Smith on Meta's press release commented to express concerns about the project, citing loss of cropland, stress on local resources as thousands of temporary construction workers pour in to build the facility, and plain-old worry about whether the community would end up being taken advantage of. "Seems to be a lot of interest from outside cities and parishes that have never cared about anything in Richland parish before this," Smith said, noting that while the project could do a lot of good for the community, as Meta and Entergy have promised, that's far from certain. "There has been a lot of loss for some individuals for the opportunity of growth ... at the end of the day it will all be for nothing if Richland Parish and the residents here are not put first," Smith added. We sent those concerns to Meta, which told us it is "deeply committed to our datacenter communities, and that includes Richland Parish." "We're excited to partner with schools and local organizations in Richland Parish on programs and resources that help build skills and increase the use of technology," Meta spokesperson Stacey Yip told us. "On the environmental side ... we plan to restore over 1,000 acres of prairie, forest, wetlands, and streams at the Richland Parish Data Center. "And on the resources side, we are working together with the community to help support the area's growth," Yip added. She also noted that Meta was working on projects in the area to improve water quality and support restoration of cattle grazing fields near a bayou on the other side of the state, which doesn't exactly support the Richland Parish community. Beyond the environmental issues, there's yet another concern that locals had raised before Meta's involvement in the project was even known: That they could end up being stuck with the bill for new gas-fired power plants and the cost to run them. "The region is already very overly reliant on gas plants, which has not only hit consumers' wallets due to gas price spikes, but has also weakened power grid reliability due to severe plant performance issues during extreme weather events," the UCS' Arbaje said. In addition, Arbaje explained that, according [PDF] to yet more Entergy testimony to the LPSC, Meta would only be paying for a substantial portion of the plants' costs if it signed a second 15-year electricity supply deal. Given Meta's professed plans to go all-in on nuclear energy, that might not happen. "We're wary about the very real risk of Meta not re-signing, or even possibly terminating the initial 15-year contract early," Arbaje said. "That would leave Louisianans on the hook for three large and costly power plants, which could quickly become burdensome stranded assets in a future market environment where they will face significant competition from more affordable renewable power." You might not realize those concerns exist given the fanfare and positive messaging from the Louisiana government, naturally. "Meta's investment establishes the region as an anchor in Louisiana's rapidly expanding tech sector, revitalizes one of our state's beautiful rural areas, and creates opportunities for Louisiana workers to fill high-paying jobs of the future," Governor Landry said. It'll take a few years to see if those hopes come to fruition, but this is looking suspiciously like a rush job to take advantage of new tax incentives signed into law by Landry in June that provide state and local sales and use tax rebates on the purchase or leasing of datacenter equipment. After all, building your largest-ever datacenter in the humid, hot Louisiana countryside isn't exactly a natural choice - especially with Canada beckoning . ®RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Matt Morrissey threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Calwise Jr. that ended the scoring midway through the fourth quarter and Eastern Kentucky beat North Alabama 21-15 on Saturday for its fifth straight win. TJ Smith drove North Alabama to the EKU 45-yard line before he threw an interception to Mike Smith Jr. to end the game. Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dakota Warfield to give North Alabama a 15-14 lead with 10:37 to play. Morrissey completed 9 of 15 passes for 154 yards and added 60 yards on the ground with a touchdown run. Brayden Latham added 103 yards rushing on 19 carries that included a 2-yard score for Eastern Kentucky (8-4, 6-2 United Athletic Conference). Smith was 23-of-39 passing for 325 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for North Alabama (3-9, 2-5). Tanaka Scott had 109 yards receiving and a touchdown catch. ___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. 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Harry Souttar will be out of action for up to a year after suffering an achilles tendon injury, leaving the Socceroos without their star defender for remaining 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Souttar, on loan at Sheffield United from Premier League club Leicester City, suffered the injury in the Boxing Day loss to Burnley. United manager Chris Wilder confirmed the injury on Monday morning (AEDT) after their 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion. “He is absolutely gutted,” Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield. “Devastated for him, he loved it here. “Big disappointment to lose the big fella because he has been incredible.” It is a massive blow for Tony Popovic’s Socceroos ahead of their next March’s World Cup qualifying match against Indonesia in Sydney. Wishing @harryjsouttar all the best in his recovery after confirmation that the Subway #Socceroos centre-back has sadly suffered a serious achilles injury. 💚💛💪 pic.twitter.com/MxNAUS4cer — Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) December 29, 2024 With only four games left, Australia are second on seven points in a chaotic Group C, nine points behind leaders Japan and a point ahead of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China. Souttar is an essential cog in defence for the Socceroos and had just rediscovered his best self after sealing a loan move to United in the off-season. Frozen out by the Foxes City last year, the 26-year-old was a central figure across 21 league matches as the Blades fought for promotion from the second-tier Championship. “Unfortunately that’s me out for a while but I wish everyone at the club all the best for the rest of the season and beyond,” Souttar posted on Instagram. “Thanks to everyone at Sheffield United, amazing club with great people.” A post shared by @harry_souttar Souttar found himself in similar circumstances in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in a 0-0 qualifying draw against Saudi Arabia at CommBank Stadium almost exactly three years ago. He was able to return in time to help Australia in Qatar, playing a starring role under Graham Arnold as the side reached the round of 16, where they lost 2-1 to eventual champions Argentina.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is suing Fox News for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News settled the lawsuit in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days. Randall Chase, The Associated PressTrimble and Mallon sanctioned DUP ministers over rotation planDo Democrats need to moderate to win — or would that be a terrible mistake?
