By ALI SWENSON and BARARA ORTUTAY Bluesky has seen its user base soar since the U.S. presidential election, boosted by people seeking refuge from Elon Musk’s X, which they view as increasingly leaning too far to the right given its owner’s support of President-elect Donald Trump, or wanting an alternative to Meta’s Threads and its algorithms. Related Articles Supreme Court will hear arguments over the law that could ban TikTok in the US if it’s not sold What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump? Tech consultant found guilty of second-degree murder in stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee Tech review: Earbuds and phones for those on your holiday list Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds The platform grew out of the company then known as Twitter, championed by its former CEO Jack Dorsey. Its decentralized approach to social networking was eventually intended to replace Twitter’s core mechanic . That’s unlikely now that the two companies have parted ways. But Bluesky’s growth trajectory — with a user base that has more than doubled since October — could make it a serious competitor to other social platforms. But with growth comes growing pains. It’s not just human users who’ve been flocking to Bluesky but also bots, including those designed to create partisan division or direct users to junk websites. The skyrocketing user base — now surpassing 25 million — is the biggest test yet for a relatively young platform that has branded itself as a social media alternative free of the problems plaguing its competitors. According to research firm Similarweb, Bluesky added 7.6 million monthly active app users on iOS and Android in November, an increase of 295.4% since October. It also saw 56.2 million desktop and mobile web visits, in the same period, up 189% from October. Besides the U.S. elections, Bluesky also got a boost when X was briefly banned in Brazil . “They got this spike in attention, they’ve crossed the threshold where it is now worth it for people to flood the platform with spam,” said Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University and a member of Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media. “But they don’t have the cash flow, they don’t have the established team that a larger platform would, so they have to do it all very, very quickly.” To manage growth for its tiny staff, Bluesky started as an invitation-only space until it opened to the public in February. That period gave the site time to build out moderation tools and other distinctive features to attract new users , such as “starter packs” that provide lists of topically curated feeds. Meta recently announced that it is testing a similar feature. Compared to the bigger players like Meta’s platforms or X, Bluesky has a “quite different” value system, said Claire Wardle, a professor at Cornell University and an expert in misinformation. This includes giving users more control over their experience. “The first generation of social media platforms connected the world, but ended up consolidating power in the hands of a few corporations and their leaders,” Bluesky said on its blog in March. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see. On an open social network like Bluesky, you can shape your experience for yourself.” Because of this mindset, Bluesky has achieved a scrappy underdog status that has attracted users who’ve grown tired of the big players. “People had this idea that it was going to be a different type of social network,” Wardle said. “But the truth is, when you get lots of people in a place and there are eyeballs, it means that it’s in other people’s interests to use bots to create, you know, information that aligns with their perspective.” Little data has emerged to help quantify the rise in impersonator accounts, artificial intelligence-fueled networks and other potentially harmful content on Bluesky. But in recent weeks, users have begun reporting large numbers of apparent AI bots following them, posting plagiarized articles or making seemingly automated divisive comments in replies. Lion Cassens, a Bluesky user and doctoral candidate in the Netherlands, found one such network by accident — a group of German-language accounts with similar bios and AI-generated profile pictures posting in replies to three German newspapers. “I noticed some weird replies under a news post by the German newspaper ‘Die Ziet,’” he said in an email to The Associated Press. “I have a lot of trust in the moderation mechanism on Bluesky, especially compared to Twitter since the layoffs and due to Musk’s more radical stance on freedom of speech. But AI bots are a big challenge, as they will only improve. I hope social media can keep up with that.” Cassens said the bots’ messages have been relatively innocuous so far, but he was concerned about how they could be repurposed in the future to mislead. There are also signs that foreign disinformation narratives have made their way to Bluesky. The disinformation research group Alethea pointed to one low-traction post sharing a false claim about ABC News that had circulated on Russian Telegram channels. Copycat accounts are another challenge. In late November, Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, found that of the top 100 most followed named individuals on Bluesky, 44% had at least one duplicate account posing as them. Two weeks later, Mantzarlis said Bluesky had removed around two-thirds of the duplicate accounts he’d initially detected — a sign the site was aware of the issue and attempting to address it. Bluesky posted earlier this month that it had quadrupled its moderation team to keep up with its growing user base. The company also announced it had introduced a new system to detect impersonation and was working to improve its Community Guidelines to provide more detail on what’s allowed. Because of the way the site is built, users also have the option to subscribe to third-party “Labelers” that outsource content moderation by tagging accounts with warnings and context. The company didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. Even as its challenges aren’t yet at the scale other platforms face, Bluesky is at a “crossroads,” said Edward Perez, a board member at the nonpartisan nonprofit OSET Institute, who previously led Twitter’s civic integrity team. “Whether BlueSky likes it or not, it is being pulled into the real world,” Perez said, noting that it needs to quickly prioritize threats and work to mitigate them if it hopes to continue to grow. That said, disinformation and bots won’t be Bluesky’s only challenges in the months and years to come. As a text-based social network, its entire premise is falling out of favor with younger generations. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that only 17% of American teenagers used X, for instance, down from 23% in 2022. For teens and young adults, TikTok, Instagram and other visual-focused platforms are the places to be. Political polarization is also going against Bluesky ever reaching the size of TikTok, Instagram or even X. “Bluesky is not trying to be all things to all people,” Wardle said, adding that, likely, the days of a Facebook or Instagram emerging where they’re “trying to keep everybody happy” are over. Social platforms are increasingly splintered along political lines and when they aren’t — see Meta’s platforms — the companies behind them are actively working to de-emphasize political content and news. The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here . The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Amsterdam, 23 December 2024 (Regulated Information) --- AMG Critical Materials N.V. ("AMG”, EURONEXT AMSTERDAM: "AMG”) is pleased to announce the signing of a letter of intent to repurchase a 40% ownership interest in Graphit Kropfmühl GmbH (" GK ") currently owned by Alterna Capital Partners (" Alterna "). The purchase price can be paid in cash at the end of a three-year period, or in the form of AMG shares at any point within the three years at AMG's discretion. To the extent that AMG elects to pay any portion of the purchase price in the form of AMG shares, these shares would be subject to a holding period of 6-18 months depending on when AMG elects to transfer or issue the shares to Alterna. Alterna has committed to vote any such shares in line with the recommendations of AMG's Management and Supervisory Boards. At the end of the holding period, Alterna has given AMG the right of first refusal to purchase such shares. This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. This press release contains regulated information as defined in the Dutch Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht). About AMG AMG's mission is to provide critical materials and related process technologies to advance a less carbon-intensive world. To this end, AMG is focused on the production and development of energy storage materials such as lithium, vanadium, and tantalum. In addition, AMG's products include highly engineered systems to reduce CO 2 in aerospace engines, as well as critical materials addressing CO 2 reduction in a variety of other end use markets. AMG's Lithium segment spans the lithium value chain, reducing the CO 2 footprint of both suppliers and customers. AMG's Vanadium segment is the world's market leader in recycling vanadium from oil refining residues, spanning the Company's vanadium, titanium, and chrome businesses. AMG's Technologies segment is the established world market leader in advanced metallurgy and provides equipment engineering to the aerospace engine sector globally. It serves as the engineering home for the Company's fast-growing LIVA batteries, and spans AMG's mineral processing operations in graphite, antimony, and silicon metal. With approximately 3,600 employees, AMG operates globally with production facilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, China, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Sri Lanka, and has sales and customer service offices in Japan ( www.amg-nv.com ). For further information, please contact: AMG Critical Materials N.V. +1 610 975 4979 Michele Fischer [email protected] Disclaimer Certain statements in this press release are not historical facts and are "forward looking.” Forward looking statements include statements concerning AMG's plans, expectations, projections, objectives, targets, goals, strategies, future events, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs, plans and intentions relating to acquisitions, AMG's competitive strengths and weaknesses, plans or goals relating to forecasted production, reserves, financial position and future operations and development, AMG's business strategy and the trends AMG anticipates in the industries and the political and legal environment in which it operates and other information that is not historical information. When used in this press release, the words "expects,” "believes,” "anticipates,” "plans,” "may,” "will,” "should,” and similar expressions, and the negatives thereof, are intended to identify forward looking statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. AMG expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in AMG's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any forward-looking statement is based. Attachment GK Stake Announcement

Josh Hubbard scored 25 points and Claudell Harris Jr. scored 21 on 6-of-9 shooting as Mississippi State escaped with a 91-84 win against Prairie View A&M on Sunday in Starkville, Miss. Prairie View A&M took a 65-64 lead with 10:38 remaining, but Hubbard and Harris Jr. each scored seven points to power the ensuing 14-1 run that put Mississippi State up for good. Hubbard punctuated the rally with a 3-pointer that made it 78-66 with 5:51 to play. The Bulldogs (8-1) stretched their lead to as many as 13 points in the closing minutes to notch their second straight win. Shawn Jones Jr. added 11 points for Mississippi State, while Michael Nwoko added 10 points and 10 rebounds. RJ Melendez also netted 10 points. The Panthers (1-8) were led by the trio of Nick Anderson (21 points) Tanahj Pettway (20) and Marcel Bryant (19). Pettway drilled 4 of 5 3-pointers and Bryant grabbed seven rebounds. Prairie View A&M got off to a hot start, opening up a 27-12 lead with 10:42 left in the first half. It was a surprising haymaker from the visitors, who entered the game winless in Division I play and faced a Bulldogs team that was ranked last week. Mississippi State eventually found its stride offensively, turning things around with a 32-17 run to tie the game at 44 entering halftime. The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field overall in the first half, but only made six of their 17 attempts from 3-point range (35.3 percent). Their defense remained an issue throughout the half, with the Panthers hitting 16 of their 27 shots (59.3 percent) and canning 5 of 8 3-pointers. Neither team led by more than five early in the second half until Mississippi State pulled away. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 55.6 percent from the floor (30-of-54) and drilled 11 of 26 attempts (42.3 percent) from long range. They outrebounded Prairie View A&M 35-22 and outscored them 31-20 in bench points. The Panthers held a 34-32 advantage in points in the paint and shot 56.4 percent overall for the game, including 52.6 percent (10-of-19) on threes. --Field Level Media

Epic Aircraft is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, mainly offering single-engine turboprop designs. Founded in 2004, the company began manufacturing and selling kits for the Epic LT aircraft. The 6-place kit-built turboprop was intended for private pilots. The manufacturer sold a handful of LTs before filing for bankruptcy in 2009. In 2010, the company was acquired by a new owner, continuing the manufacturing of its kit-built planes. Epic aircraft intended to sell certified complete aircraft during its first phase, which eventually came to fruition in the early 2010s. In 2013, Epic Aircraft stopped offering LT kits and focused on the certification of the Epic E1000 aircraft. The new plane received the Federal Aviation Administration certification in 2019. Epic Aircraft began deliveries of the E1000 in 2020. Epic LT Crew: one Capacity: five passengers Length: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m) Wingspan: 43 ft (13 m) Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) Empty weight: 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) Gross weight: 7,300 lb (3,311 kg) Fuel capacity: 288 US gallons (1090 L) standard, 350 US gallons (1324 L) optional Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney PT6-67A Turboprop, 1,200 shp (890 kW) Cruise speed: 340 knots (390 mph, 630 km/h) max cruise Range: 1,874 NM (2,157 mi, 3,471 km) with optional long-range tanks Service ceiling: 31,000 ft (9,400 m) Time to altitude: 9 minutes to 25,000 ft (7620 m) Epic Aircraft designed the kit-based LT aircraft in Bend, Oregon, to meet the single-engine propeller demand. The low-wing aircraft has a retractable tricycle landing gear and can seat six people. The construction of the aircraft used carbon fiber composites. Powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6-67A turboprop engine, generating 1,200 shaft horsepower (890 kW) of takeoff power. The kit aircraft has a range of nearly 1,900 NM (2,150 miles) and flies at a speed of 340 knots (390 mph). The certification plans The company was eager to test the Epic LT prototype and receive comprehensive type certification. In 2004, the company upped its flight test efforts on Epic LT number 14. The aircraft logged over 1,000 flight hours, but the certification could not be completed. By 2009, the aircraft had logged over 2,000 flight test hours, but Epic Aircraft filed bankruptcy before the certification efforts were concluded. In 2010, a Russian company took over Epic Aircraft's ownership and resumed its efforts for a certification-worthy design. Sales of the Epic LT had come to a stall in 2012, forcing the company to discontinue the kit airplane and focus completely on the certifiable Epic E1000. The aircraft received its airworthiness certification from the FAA in early 2019, and the company began deliveries of the new aircraft in 2020. A DIY plane that boasts epic performance. Epic E1000 Crew: one Capacity: five passengers Length: 35 ft 10 in (10.92 m) Wingspan: 43 ft (13 m) Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) Empty weight: 4,400 lb (2,000 kg) Gross weight: 7,500 lb (3,400 kg) Fuel capacity: 288 U.S. gal (1,090 L; 240 imp gal) full fuel payload: 1,100 lb (499 kg) Cabin pressurization : 6.6 psi (46 kPa) Cabin length × width × height: 15×4.6×4.9 ft (4.6×1.4×1.5 m) Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67 turboprop, 1,200 hp (890 kW) Propellers: 4-bladed Hartzell Propeller Full Reversing Maximum speed: 333 knots (383 mph, 617 km/h) Max cruise Cruise speed: 265 knots (305 mph, 491 km/h) Eco cruise Range: 1,385–1,650 NM (1,594–1,899 mi, 2,565–3,056 km) max cruise-eco cruise Service ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,000 m) Rate of climb: 4,000 ft/min (20 m/s) best Time to altitude: 15 minutes to 34,000 feet The upgraded version of the kit-based aircraft, the Epic E1000 is a low-wing pressurized cabin design powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6 engine, derated to 1,200 hp (895 kW) in tractor configuration. Predominantly made from carbon fiber composites, the type has an empty weight of just 4,400 lbs (2,000 kg) and a gross weight of 7,500 lb (3,400 kg). According to Epic Aircraft , “The strength of the carbon fiber airframe combined with the large vertical stabilizer and rudder design, sturdy trailing link, unique wheel placement, and wide stance of the main landing gear make the FIKI-certified E1000 GX the safest plane in its class.” The aircraft has a good speed-to-fuel efficiency ratio. With a usable fuel load of 1,100 lb (500 kg), the aircraft can fly a range of 1,650 NM (3,050 km) and cruise at an altitude of 34,000 feet. The aircraft offers tremendous luxury and comfort thanks to its spacious and soundproof cabin and plenty of storage space. According to Epic Aircraft, “Whether you’re sitting at the controls or relaxing in the rear, the luxurious and spacious hand- crafted interior is a flawless extension of the aircraft’s sleek and elegant lines. The spacious cockpit and cabin offer ample storage, easy-access convenience features, technologically advanced soundproofing, and best-in-aircraft-class legroom for both pilots and passengers.” Were the delays worth it?SANTA CLARA, Calif. — At this point the past two seasons, the San Francisco 49ers were fighting for playoff positioning rather than their playoff lives. After snapping a three-game losing streak with a lopsided win last week against Chicago, the Niners head into a Thursday night division showdown against the Los Angeles Rams hoping to play with the same kind of desperation in a game they almost certainly need to win to get to the postseason. "I think just across the board as a team, everybody had just a bit more of sense of urgency and I think we executed and played together as a team, and we didn't let off," quarterback Brock Purdy said. "Really liked that. But, that was last week so now it's on to this week and how can we do that again?" After getting outscored by 53 points in losses at Green Bay and Buffalo, the 49ers (6-7) played their most complete game of the season to keep their playoff hopes alive. While some credited a feeling of desperation or speeches from players such as Purdy and Deommodore Lenoir for the turnaround, linebacker Fred Warner said it was more about execution than anything else. "We didn't go out there in Green Bay, we didn't go out there in Buffalo saying, 'Let's just hope that we win.' Trust me, I felt desperate as hell going into both those games," he said. "It just didn't work out. ... It didn't happen because last week we decided we wanted to. This was weeks in the making." Whatever the reason, the results were obvious to anyone watching, including the Rams (7-6), who had their own signature performance to boost their playoff chances. Los Angeles held off Buffalo 44-42 to remain one game behind Seattle in the NFC West race and a game ahead of the 49ers and Arizona in the tightly packed division. Coach Sean McVay knows his team will need a similar performance to beat San Francisco and earn a season sweep. "I saw they certainly had a very dominant performance," he said. "If there's anything that you do know, it's a week-to-week league. Humility is only a week away. They have excellent coaches, excellent personnel and really good schemes. No matter what's really happened in terms of the trajectory of the injuries, they're going to be ready to go." Puka Nacua is in dominant form with 33 catches for 458 yards and three TDs in the Rams' past four games, highlighted by a 162-yard performance last week against Buffalo in which he also scored his first rushing TD. Nacua was injured for these clubs' first meeting this season — but last year, he broke the NFL's single-game rookie receptions record with 15 in his first game against San Francisco, and he set the NFL rookie season records for catches and yards receiving during his visit to Santa Clara last January. "He's a tough football player," 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said. "Some guys are just competitive. He's got size, he doesn't go down easy. Some things you can't measure and he's just got it." The least productive four-game stretch of Deebo Samuel's career sent the frustrated wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers to social media. In a now-deleted post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Samuel said the reason he gained only 97 yards from scrimmage the past four games was not that he was struggling but that he wasn't getting the ball. His teammates and coaches believe he will get back to his All-Pro form soon. "I want to get Deebo the ball every play if I could," Purdy said. "I want to have him break all the records as best as possible. I want Deebo to do Deebo things." The Rams defense got shredded twice in the past three weeks by Saquon Barkley's Eagles and Josh Allen's Bills, dropping the unit to 27th in total defense. LA's vaunted young pass rush led by rookie Jared Verse has no sacks in its past two games and just three in the past four games. Considering Purdy drove the Niners to 425 yards in the teams' first meeting this season without Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle or Samuel, the Rams' offense might need yet another prolific game to overcome its defense's weaknesses. With Nick Bosa sidelined the past three games, the 49ers have had to generate pass rushes from different sources. They had a season-high seven sacks last week with Yetur Gross-Matos getting three and Leonard Floyd two. The 32-year-old Floyd has 5 1/2 sacks in his past four games. "Leonard's just an Energizer bunny," Shanahan said. "It's crazy with him being one of the older guys and stuff and how many different teams he's been to, but I've played against him enough and felt that." Bosa has a chance to return this week and is listed as questionable. AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed to this report Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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