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Residents of Brown’s Motel in Ellicott City scramble in wake of building’s abrupt closure, impending demolitionWhen winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Arthur Gourounlian shares ‘beautiful’ snap of daughters’ festive outfits and fans say they’re ‘the cutest ever’
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A voter-approved Maine limit on PAC contributions sets the stage for a legal challenge
A close-up of the Workday logo on its headquarters in Pleasanton, California. Smith Collection | Archive Photos | Getty Images Workday shares jumped almost 10% in extended trading on Friday after S&P Dow Jones Indices said the cloud software vendor will be added to the S&P 500. It will replace Amentum Holdings on the index effective Dec. 23, according to a statement . The index has picked up a handful of other prominent technology stocks this year, including Dell and Palantir . Workday, founded in 2005 and based in Pleasanton, California, went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2012. In 2017 Workday switched its listing to the technology-centric Nasdaq. In November, Workday delivered $193 million in net income on $2.16 billion in quarterly revenue, which was up 16% year over year. In each fiscal year until 2022, Workday had reported losses. Inflation and higher interest rates were making investors less interested in backing unprofitable companies, and many software executives understood they had to reduce costs. To be eligible for inclusion in the prominent U.S. index, companies need to show a profit in the most recent quarter, along with profit in the four most recent quarters. In February, Carl Eschenbach, a former VMware operating chief and Sequoia Capital investor, became Workday's sole CEO after being co-CEO since late 2022 alongside Aneel Bhusri, a co-founder. It's normal for stocks to go higher on news of their arrival in a prominent index, as fund managers need to rebalance their portfolios to reflect index changes. While more tech companies have been joining the index, not all of them have proven to be money makers for investors who track the benchmark. Server maker Super Micro was added to the S&P 500 in March after a huge rally in the stock, driven by demand for Nvidia -based servers. The shares peaked soon after that but then tumbled in the ensuing months after the company failed to file its financials on time. The stock is about 60% off its peak, and the company said on Friday that it received an extension from Nasdaq to keep its listing. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.Air Force secures 69-61 win against Stony Brook
Blackstone-backed International Gemological Institute (IGI) India has set the price band for its initial public offering (IPO) at Rs 397-417 per share, aiming to raise Rs 4,225 crore. The three-day issue will open for subscription on December 13 and close on December 17. The offer comprises a fresh issue of Rs 1,475 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of Rs 2,750 crore by promoter BCP Asia II TopCo Pte Ltd. At the upper price band, the IPO values IGI India at a market capitalization of Rs 16,545 crore. Anchor bidding will begin on December 12, with the allotment of shares finalized on December 18. The stock is expected to debut on exchanges on December 20 and refunds and credit of shares would be processed by December 19. About IGI (India) Stock Trading Options Scalping Made Easy By - Sivakumar Jayachandran, Ace Scalper View Program Stock Trading RSI Made Easy: RSI Trading Course By - Souradeep Dey, Equity and Commodity Trader, Trainer View Program Stock Trading Stock Valuation Made Easy By - Rounak Gouti, Investment commentary writer, Experience in equity research View Program Stock Trading Candlesticks Made Easy: Candlestick Pattern Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Point & Figure Chart Mastery: A Comprehensive Trading Guide By - Mukta Dhamankar, Full Time Trader, 15 Years Experience, Instructor View Program Stock Trading Mastering Options Selling: Advanced Strategies for Success By - CA Manish Singh, Chartered Accountant, Professional Equity and Derivative Trader View Program Stock Trading Algo Trading Made Easy By - Vivek Gadodia, Partner at Dravyaniti Consulting and RBT Algo Systems View Program Stock Trading A2Z of Stock Market for Beginners: Stock Market Course For Beginners By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Stock Trading Advanced Strategies in Stock Market Mastery By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Stock Trading Renko Chart Patterns Made Easy By - Kaushik Akiwatkar, Derivative Trader and Investor View Program Stock Trading Market 103: Mastering Trends with RMI and Techno-Funda Insights By - Rohit Srivastava, Founder- Indiacharts.com View Program Part of the globally recognized IGI Group, the company certifies natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, jewelry, and colored stones, while also offering gemology education. IGI India holds a 50% market share in India for certification volumes and operates 19 labs across India and one in Türkiye, making it the largest network among peers globally. Globally, IGI is the second-largest independent certification provider, with a 33% market share in diamond and jewelry certifications in 2023, as per the Redseer Report. IGI financials For the nine months ending September 2024, IGI India reported revenue of Rs 788.16 crore and a net profit of Rs 316.83 crore, slightly lower than the previous year. IGI IPO: Net proceeds Funds from the fresh issue will be used to acquire the IGI Belgium Group and IGI Netherlands Group, consolidating global operations under the IGI brand. Remaining proceeds will go towards general corporate purposes. IGI IPO: Lead managers The IPO is managed by Axis Capital, Kotak Mahindra Capital, Morgan Stanley India, and SBI Capital Markets. Also read | FII's November surprise: A tale of two halves in Indian stocks (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel )None
Eye on Albany: Hochul’s Budget Con(fusion) “Governor Hochul’s plan to mail $500 checks to millions of households has a problem: the sales tax ‘surplus’ she wants to dish out doesn’t exist,” snarks the Empire Center’s Ken Girardin . And though “inflation is responsible for a portion of the recent increase in sales tax receipts,” it’s “nowhere near $3 billion.” Hochul may be confusing “state tax receipts unrelated to the sales tax coming in $2.9 billion higher than forecast in the spring.” Maybe she realizes that a growing share of state tax revenue is coming “from more volatile earnings,” so is reluctant “to let another $3 billion slide into the state’s spending baseline.” But her refund proposal “would still be dreadful public policy.” Campus beat: Fix Higher Ed, Save Civilization “The decay of higher education threatens both the civic health and long-term economic prospects of Western liberal civilisation,” but as young people turn to alternative forms of education and the Trump team takes power, “it seems inevitable that universities will need to change or shrink,” observes Joel Kotkin at Spiked . “Americans are increasingly losing faith in the universities to deliver” high-paying jobs, since “degree-based hiring is being replaced with skills-based hiring” in fields like “manufacturing and construction.” Under Trump, “the disruption” of higher education “is likely to continue,” and though “the educrats will fight like mad dogs” against reform, “a change of direction is all too necessary” to “rescue our kids and our civilisation.” Conservative: Time’s Desperate Trump Ploy “In a desperate push for relevancy, Time magazine has chosen Donald Trump as its Person of the Year for 2024,” notes USA Today’s Nicole Russell . But “with cynicism and leftism on their side, the article’s authors cast doubt on America’s choice,” questioning “Trump’s tactics, staff and history” and fearmongering about constitutional norms “without mentioning the many norms that Biden, Harris and the Democratic Party tore to shreds this year.” “Time is trying to capitalize on Trump,” but while this cover paints him “as stoic and powerful,” the mag “also has often portrayed him negatively,” including “as a melting orange blob.” Yet his landslide win shows that “it’s Trump’s world now: We all just live in it, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Time magazine.” From the right: Liberalism Got Hacked The values of liberalism have “been hacked by ideologues operating on the inside,” argues UK opposition leader Kemi Badenoch at The Free Press . Authoritarian leftists “speak the language of the civil rights movement, but they aim to resegregate us. They preach about social justice, but they do not believe in the most basic ideas of fairness and equality. They demand our tolerance even as they seek to undermine the very culture and institutions that create that tolerance in the first place.” To fix it, we must “explain the value of liberty” and “stop the expansion of the state.” “We have a job to do, and it’s not just to win elections.” “It’s to champion and defend the world-transforming values that allow those elections to exist in the first place.” FBI watch: Wray’s Enduring Disgrace “Few exiting officials merit fiercer censure” than FBI chief Christopher Wray, declare the Washington Examiner’s editors . “He came into office promising transparency, candor, competence, depoliticization, and systemic reform. He has produced none of it.” And “neither his word nor his judgment can be trusted.” E.g., “in 2022, it came to light that an internal audit three years earlier showed that FBI personnel broke the rules at least 747 times in only a year and a half in ‘high-profile’ investigations,” yet Wray only addressed the problems “more than a year after the audit was publicized.” He “lied to Congress about the extent of the FBI’s targeting of traditional Catholics for ‘threat mitigation’ and prevaricated about the FBI investigating parent activists as domestic terrorists and about whether the FBI helped censor speech on social media platforms.” In his wake, “the FBI needs a serious disinfectant.” — Compiled by The Post Editorial BoardSony Group and Honda Motor plan to start taking orders for their first electric vehicle after collaborating for two and a half years as two of Japan’s most renowned companies. Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) will show a prototype of its fully electric sedan called Afeela next month at the Consumer Technology Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This announcement was made by Izumi Kawanishi, president and chief operating officer of SHM. To launch in the US SHM recently announced that they will be exhibiting at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from January 7, 2025. Before the public exhibition, the JV will present at the Sony Group press conference on January 6. In addition, on January 7, SHM will hold its first solo press conference to present further details about the official launch of Afeela in 2025. The booth at CES 2025 will showcase the latest model updated towards its product launch. Through the vehicles on display and various visual contents, the latest initiatives and specifics on AFEELA’s concept of “Autonomy (evolving autonomy), Augmentation (extension of the body, time and space) and Affinity (affinity with people, and coexistence with society)” will be introduced. The brand “Afeela,” which aims to “redefine the relationship between people and mobility,” is scheduled to launch its first mass-produced EV model in 2025, with deliveries expected to start in 2026. Sony, Honda’s first electric sedan The sedan will be all-wheel drive and powered by two electric motors, one on each axle, producing 241 horsepower. A combined horsepower rating has not been released, but an electric sedan with the potential to make over 400 horsepower has caught our attention. The company says the sedan will ride on an air-spring suspension system and a staggered tire setup with wider rubber in the rear. A 91.0-kWh battery pack is sandwiched under the Afeela’s floorboards, but we are still determining the car’s range estimate. The company claims it can charge up to 150 KW at fast chargers. Peeking inside the Afeela EV sedan reveals a U-shaped yoke-style steering wheel—seemingly inspired by the Tesla Model S Plaid—among several futuristic elements. The cabin glows with ambient lighting, and we can see a rotary controller ahead of the center armrest that allows us to access the car’s entirely digital dashboard. The general layout is simple and clean, and the cabin seems spacious for a sedan, but we won’t know more until closer to the car’s on-sale date. The official range of the sedan still needs to be unveiled, but it could be between 250 miles and 275 miles on a single charge. In addition, SHM has decided to introduce Ridevu, an in-car entertainment service developed for the automotive industry by Sony Pictures Entertainment, as an offering for Afeela in the US. SHM is committed to pursuing mobility as a creative entertainment space. With the introduction of RIDEVU, customers can enjoy hundreds of feature films from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s premium content library and stream them whenever they want by purchasing or renting through the application. As a Mobility Tech Company that connects diverse inspirations and pursues cutting-edge technology, SHM will realize innovations in mobility that affect people’s sensibilities and behavior."Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.
Elon Musk wants to abolish daylight savings time, and it might actually be a good idea
PRATTVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered an Alabama city to allow an LGBTQ+ pride group to participate in the city’s Christmas parade on Friday, after the mayor initially blocked the group from the annual event citing unspecified “safety concerns.” U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. ruled that the City of Prattville violated Prattville Pride’s First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law when it banned the group from running a float in the annual Christmas parade one day before the event was set to take place. “The City removed Prattville Pride from the parade based on its belief that certain members of the public who oppose Prattville Pride, and what is stands for, would react in a disruptive way. But discrimination based on a message’s content ‘cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment,’ ” Huffaker wrote in his opinion. The ruling required the city to provide at least two police officers to escort the float throughout the parade. On Thursday, Prattville Pride requested additional security measures from law enforcement. In response, Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr released a statement banning the group from the parade altogether, citing “serious safety concerns.” RELATED COVERAGE No. 10 Alabama beats No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 in the ACC-SEC Challenge Texas, Georgia, Alabama top SEC and national recruiting rankings after early signings Miami scores big on signing day with the ACC’s top recruiting class Huffaker’s ruling said that, leading up to the event, some community members “voiced vehement opposition” to the group’s inclusion in the parade, but that “the City has presented no evidence of legitimate, true threats of physical violence.” Gillespie’s office referred to a statement posted on the city’s social media in response to a request for comment. “The City respects the ruling of the Court and will comply with its order. The safety of everyone involved with the parade is a priority,” city officials said in a statement on social media. Prattville Pride celebrated the ruling on social media. “The Christmas parade is a cherished holiday tradition, and we are excited to celebrate alongside our neighbors and friends in the spirit of love, joy, and unity,” the group wrote. Prattville is a small city of about 40,000 people, just north of the capital of Montgomery.PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A pair of conservative groups on Friday challenged a Maine law that limits donations to political action committees that spend independently in candidate elections, arguing that money spent to support political expression is "a vital feature of our democracy.” Supporters of the referendum overwhelmingly approved on Election Day fully expected a legal showdown over caps on individual contributions to so-called super PACs. They hoped the referendum would trigger a case and ultimately prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the matter of donor limits after the court opened the floodgates to independent spending in its 2010 Citizens United decision. The lawsuit brought by Dinner Table Action and For Our Future, and supported by the Institute for Free Speech, contends the state law limiting individual super PAC donations to $5,000 and requiring disclosure of donor names runs afoul of that Citizens United legal precedent. “All Americans, not just those running for office, have a fundamental First Amendment right to talk about political campaigns,” lawyers wrote in the lawsuit in federal court. “Their ‘independent expenditures,’ payments that fund political expression by those who are not running for office but nonetheless have something to say about a campaign, are a vital feature of our democracy.” Cara McCormick, leader of the Maine Citizens to End Super PACs, which pressed for the referendum, said the lawsuit attempts to undermine the will of the people after an overwhelming majority — 74% of voters — approved the referendum last month. “Super PACs are killing the country and in Maine we decided to do something about it. We want to restore public trust in the political process,” she said. “We want to say that in Maine we are not resigned to the tide of big money. We are the tide.” But Alex Titcomb, executive director of Dinner Table Action, argued Friday that the government “cannot restrict independent political speech simply because some voters wish to limit the voices of their fellow citizens.” Named in the lawsuit are Maine’s attorney general and the state’s campaign spending watchdog, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The ethics commission is reviewing the complaint, said Jonathan Wayne, executive director. The Maine referendum didn’t attempt to limit spending on behalf of candidates. Instead, it focused on limits on individual donations to super PACS, an area the Supreme Court has not ruled on, observers say. Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, a longtime advocate for campaign finance reform, contends the U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue of individual contributions to PACs, and long-established case law supports the notion that states can limit individual contributions to PACs despite a decision to the contrary by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Lessig, whose Equal Citizens nonprofit backed the Maine referendum, previously said the cap on donations imposed by the referendum "is not asking the Supreme Court to change its jurisprudence, not asking them to overturn Citizens United.”
Fall fishing heating up as water temperatures chill on lakes
Lindsey Vonn takes another step in comeback at age 40, competes in a pair of downhills( MENAFN - ABN Newswire) Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited (ASX:COB) (FRA:COH) (OTCMKTS:CBBHF) is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Mount Isa City Council (MICC) to assess solutions to the looming sulphuric acid supply shortage in North West Queensland. KEY POINTS - Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited (COB) and Mount Isa City Council (MICC) have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to assess solutions to the looming sulphuric acid supply shortage in North West Queensland. - This shortage, caused by the imminent closure of Mount Isa Mines' copper smelter, will create a significant deficit in the market and jeopardise a significant proportion of the region's industrial employment base. - COB has developed and patented a minerals processing technology for treating pyrite and demonstrated the potential economic recovery of elemental sulphur and metals from pyrite deposits. - This MOU sets out a partnership in which COB will provide advice to MICC on the requirements, challenges and barriers to a potential pyrite tailings re-processing operation to produce sulphuric acid. - COB has previously demonstrated its proprietary technology at its Broken Hill based demonstration facility with large scale operations over the last 5 years producing around 10 tonnes of high purity elemental sulphur from pyrite feedstocks. The looming sulphuric acid shortage The announced 2030 closure of the Glencore Mount Isa copper smelter will create a critical shortfall of sulphuric acid, a vital resource for numerous industries in the region, including the fertiliser, metallurgical, and chemical sectors. This shortage threatens to impact thousands of jobs and hinder economic growth. To mitigate this challenge, COB and MICC have agreed to collaborate on the assessment and feasibility of a potential Mt Isa-centred pyrite tailings re-processing operation to produce sulphuric acid. COB's ReMine+ technology is poised to play a crucial role in the collaboration. By reprocessing pyrite and other sulphide-rich mine tailings, ReMine+ can recover valuable metals (including gold, cobalt, nickel, and copper) while simultaneously generating either elemental sulphur or sulphuric acid. COB has successfully evaluated the application of ReMine+ to pyrite feedstocks from various regions, including in Queensland and Canada. A signing ceremony was held at Council Chambers in Mount Isa this morning, Monday, 9 December 2024. Peta MacRae, Mayor of Mount Isa, said: "This MOU with Cobalt Blue aligns with Council's commitment to a sustainable future for our industries, economy, environment, and communities. It demonstrates our commitment to developing a locally-made solution to the looming sulphuric acid shortage that will otherwise have a huge negative impact on many of our largest industries. Mount Isa already has expertise in the production of sulphuric acid and has existing air monitoring systems in place to ensure community safety. Cobalt Blue's technology solves the issue of dealing with old tailings as well as reinforcing the economics of the supply chain for the whole of Australia. It also reduces the sovereign risk of relying on international sulphuric acid supply." Joe Kaderavek, CEO of Cobalt Blue, added: "Queensland's North West Minerals Province offers a wealth of opportunity for sustainable mining and resource recovery. Our ReMine+ technology can unlock the value of these resources and produce essential commodities, like sulphuric acid, which is critical across several industries in the region. This MOU underscores the resilience and innovation that prevails in Australian mining communities." Next steps in the partnership The next steps include assessing the commercial and operational viability of different technologies, feedstocks, and outputs. COB will aim to complete proof of concept testwork within 16 weeks of receipt of sample, with MICC assisting, where possible, to source samples. COB will also advise MICC on the requirements, challenges, and barriers to a potential pyrite tailings reprocessing operation in the region to produce sulphuric acid. During the assessment process, MICC intends to set aside land upon which to build and operate a pilot-scale plant that would evaluate the amenability of technologies to process pyrite into sulphur and sulphuric acid and create associated business and community benefits. COB will provide advice and detailed information on the construction, power and other consumables required for the plant. By combining MICC's local knowledge and infrastructure with COB's advanced technology, this collaboration aims to deliver a sustainable and economically viable solution to the sulphuric acid supply challenge in North West Queensland. Developing a commercially viable, low impact solution to acid supply, whilst alleviating long term environmental liabilities and generating critical and other metal revenue through tailings re-processing is in the interest of all stakeholders. This video summarises COB's the patented process to extract valuable metals and sulphur from mine waste to minimise environmental risks: The MOU shall remain in force until 31 December 2029 unless terminated earlier by a party. A party has the right to terminate the MOU with written notice. Cobalt Blue expertise - high purity elemental sulphur COB has previously designed, built and operated a demonstration facility utilising its proprietary technology. Over the last five years a series of large scale testwork programs have been executed with around 10 tonnes of high purity elemental sulphur produced utilising available pyrite concentrate feedstock from the Broken Hill Cobalt Project. The sulphur was produced via a commercial rotary kiln typically operating at 150-300kg/hr throughput capacity. Samples from the testwork were then shared with potential customers to gauge the quality of the resulting elemental sulphur, with positive assessments underpinning the viability of the technology. Elemental sulphur is a clean, low hazardous product used as a precursor to manufacture sulphuric acid, providing industry with significant advantages in handling, storage and transport and allowing sulphuric acid to be produced directly at the customer site driven by local production requirements. COB's technology, focusing on elemental sulphur production, was included as a solution in the "Queensland Sulphuric Acid Study (August 2024)" (Core Resources Ltd) delivered to the Queensland Government for further assessment. COB's decision to focus on elemental sulphur production, rather than sulphuric acid, for the Broken Hill Cobalt Project was driven by the low local sulphuric acid demand profile. This demand profile is in sharp contrast to that of Queensland's North West Minerals Province, which the 2024 Sulphuric Acid Supply Study estimates to grown from 1.30Mt/year to 2.8-5.0Mt/year in the future. A focus for work under the MOU with MICC will be to demonstrate the flexibility of COB's process for direct production of sulphuric acid. The benefit of the COB process is that sulphur gas excess to acid requirements can be cooled and prilled as elemental sulphur for safe storage against future acid deficit, ensuring security of supply for the region. *To view tables and figures, please visit: Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB ) (FRA:COH) (OTCMKTS:CBBHF) has a strategic approach that positions us to be among the first wave of new entrants into the allied battery materials supply chain. We are committed to playing a leading role in securing a stable and sustainable future for critical minerals. 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Trump Says He Is 'Open' to RFK Jr. Looking into Link Between Vaccines and Autism
Wade Taylor IV racked up 19 points that included eight in the final 3:22 of the game as No. 22 Texas A&M outlasted Texas Tech 72-67 on Sunday afternoon in the USLBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas A&M (8-2) led by as many as 11 points in the first half and by three at halftime before the Red Raiders surged to the front early in the second half. Down 52-49, the Aggies produced an 11-0 surge capped by a jumper by Zhuric Phelps to take a 60-52 advantage with 5:02 to play The Aggies' margin was just two points when Taylor went hard to the hole on back-to-back possessions for layups that pushed the lead to 64-58. A 3-pointer by Tech's Chance McMillian cut lead to three but Taylor, Henry Coleman III and Solomon Washington converted free throws over the final 27 seconds to provide the deciding points for A&M. Jace Carter added 16 points and Phelps had 12 for the Aggies, who have won four straight games. McMillian's 23 points were a game high, while Kevin Overton added 17 and Darrion Williams had 11 for Texas Tech (7-2), which had a three-game winning streak snapped. The Aggies ruled the game's first five minutes, blitzing to a 13-2 lead thanks to eight early points from Taylor and a stifling defense that forced Tech into four turnovers. The Red Raiders responded with an 8-2 run capped by a jumper by Federiko Federiko to close the gap to five points at the 10:57 mark. Texas Tech continued to battle back, clawing to within 26-24 with 5:16 left in the first half thanks to a 9-0 run. Texas A&M boosted the margin to as many as six points after Manny Obaseki hit a layup with 2:23 remaining before McMillian canned a pair of free throws with 41 seconds to play to pull to within 34-31 at the break. Overton led all scorers with 14 points before halftime while Carter paced the Aggies with 13. The Red Raiders pulled even on Federiko's jumper 46 seconds into the second half, went in front on a jumper by Elijah Hawkins with 18:22 to play and pushed their advantage to five points on another Hawkins jumper at the 16:30 mark of the half. The Aggies swung back, tying the contest at 49 when Washington sank a 3-pointer with 10:48 left, setting the stage for the furious finish. --Field Level Media
