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14 Cars Getting A Redesign In 2025The awards ceremony, in association with the University of South Wales, will celebrate health and care providers across the region. The finalists for the Carer in the Home Award have been revealed. A team of personal assistants at Helping Hands Support have been nominated for the award for helping a former patient feel valued and supported after a hospital stay. The patient, initially hesitant about receiving care, commended the team for listening to their needs and wishes and has resumed social activities and hobbies, improving their quality of life. Andrew Debnam, a well-regarded professional in the home sector, has also been nominated for the award. Known for his calm demeanour and ability to create a peaceful environment, Mr Debnam has been working in the sector for several years. His expertise in community access and managing difficult situations has been acknowledged, along with his ability to maintain a settled atmosphere. Jason Inskip, a dedicated carer who has supported a now 32-year-old man since he was eight or nine, has been nominated for the award. The man, who has a unique bond with Mr Inskip, refuses to go with anyone else. He has been recognised for his exceptional commitment, having been a personal assistant for 24 to 25 years.
CVS Health Corporation Announces Pricing of Maximum Tender OfferFigure 1 Site Rendering of NOVONIX's New Facility BRISBANE, Australia, Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOVONIX Limited NVX NVX ) ("NOVONIX" or "the Company"), a leading battery materials and technology company, announced today a conditional commitment to NOVONIX through one if its wholly-owned U.S.-based subsidiaries ("Borrower"), from the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") through the Loan Programs Office ("LPO") for a direct loan of up to US$754.8 million ($692 million in principal and $62.8 million in capitalized interest) to be applied towards partially financing a proposed new facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee (the "New Facility"). The proposed financing is being offered under the DOE LPO's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing ("ATVM") Loan Program. If finalized, the loan would be applied towards partially financing the construction of the New Facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to manufacture synthetic graphite primarily for use in electric vehicle ("EV") batteries. At full capacity, the new facility is expected to produce approximately 31,500 tonnes per annum ("tpa") of synthetic graphite, which can support the production of lithium-ion batteries for approximately 325,000 EVs each year. China currently has over 95% market share for battery grade graphite 1 . The new facility is expected to reach full production capacity by the end of 2028 and is anticipated to create 450 full-time operational jobs and 500 construction jobs. Dr. Chris Burns, CEO of NOVONIX said, "This announcement is the culmination of years of hard work and is another critical milestone for our anode materials business towards our target production of 150,000 tpa in North America. This conditional commitment from the government to invest in our new facility continues to underscore the focus on localizing critical materials in the battery supply chain, such as graphite. Recent announcements from China to further scrutinize the export of battery-grade graphite to the United States highlight the importance of domestic production of high-performance, battery-grade synthetic graphite. Our offtake agreements with strong partners have strengthened our leadership in onshoring the synthetic graphite supply chain in North America and supporting the path towards U.S. energy independence." This year, NOVONIX has signed binding offtake agreements to supply synthetic graphite to Panasonic Energy 2 , Stellantis 3 , and PowerCo 4 . To meet this demand, the Company has previously discussed plans to build a new facility in the southeastern United States which could expand up to 75,000 tpa or production capacity. This proposed ATVM Program loan would support the construction of the first phase of the New Facility and the initial production capacity of 31,500 tpa. NOVONIX plans to subsequently expand the production capacity of this site to its target of 75,000 tpa of synthetic graphite production, any such expansion being dependent on customer demand and access to additional financing. NOVONIX's Riverside facility, also located in Chattanooga, is poised to become the first large-scale production site dedicated to high-performance synthetic graphite for the battery sector in North America. It is slated to begin commercial production in 2025, with plans to grow output to 20,000 tpa to meet current customer commitments. Previously, the Company announced that the DOE's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains ("MESC") awarded the Company a US$100 million grant 5 and that it was selected for a US$103 million investment tax credit 6 towards the funding of the Riverside facility. Key terms of the DOE's conditional commitment, including those set forth in a non-binding term sheet attached to the conditional commitment letter signed by the DOE, NOVONIX and the Borrower, include: The loan is for a maximum amount of US$754.8 million, which includes up to US$692.0 million in principal and up to US$62.8 million in capitalized interest and will be structured in two tranches based on a phased completion of infrastructure and production lines from a total eligible investment of US$943.6 million. The loan will be comprised of two primary tranches that will have terms of 15 years and 10 years, respectively, from the date of first payment of each. The first tranche will be to support the site and infrastructure for the New Facility and 21,000 tpa of production capacity, while the second tranche will support an additional 10,500 tpa of production capacity. An additional tranche to fund eligible project costs will be subject to repayment upon receipt of any proceeds derived from the monetization of any tax credit received by the Company or the Borrower related to the New Facility under the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Allocation Program. The loan will be guaranteed by the Company and secured by a first priority security interest in all assets of the Borrower, equity interests in and, with certain exceptions, assets of certain of NOVONIX's existing subsidiaries. Each advance of loan proceeds will have a separate interest rate set by the Federal Financing Bank under the general supervision of the Secretary of Treasury at the time that the respective advance is made. While this conditional commitment demonstrates DOE's intent to finance the New Facility, DOE must complete an environmental review, and the Company must satisfy certain technical, commercial, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before DOE can decide whether to enter into definitive financing documents and fund the loan. A binding loan agreement from DOE is also subject to the satisfactory completion of due diligence by DOE, satisfaction of conditions precedent specified in the term sheet, approval of the NOVONIX Board, receipt of required governmental and third-party consents, and the negotiation and execution of binding loan documents. Once binding loan documents have been signed, NOVONIX and the Borrower will need to satisfy certain conditions precedent prior to loan closing, and / or prior to first and subsequent advances of loan proceeds. This announcement has been authorised for release by Admiral Robert J Natter, USN Ret., Chairman. About NOVONIX NOVONIX is a leading battery technology company revolutionizing the global lithium-ion battery industry with innovative, sustainable technologies, high-performance materials, and more efficient production methods. The Company manufactures industry-leading battery cell testing equipment, is growing its high-performance synthetic graphite material manufacturing operations, and has developed a patented all-dry, zero-waste cathode synthesis process. Through advanced R&D capabilities, proprietary technology, and strategic partnerships, NOVONIX has gained a prominent position in the electric vehicle and energy storage systems battery industry and is powering a cleaner energy future. To learn more, visit us at www.novonixgroup.com or on LinkedIn and X . For NOVONIX Limited Scott Espenshade, ir@novonixgroup.com (investors) Stephanie Reid, media@novonixgroup.com (media) Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains forward-looking statements about the Company and the industry in which we operate. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," or "would," or other similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements in this communication include, among others, statements we make regarding our target production capacity and commencement of commercial production at our Riverside facility, our plans to build a new production facility and achieve initial and total production capacities, and our efforts to finance this new production facility with a loan from the LPO. We have based such statements on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Such forward-looking statements involve and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the timely deployment and scaling of our furnace technology, our ability to meet the technical specifications and demand of our existing and future customers, the accuracy of our estimates regarding market size, expenses, future revenue, capital requirements, needs and access for additional financing, the availability and impact and our compliance with the applicable terms of government support, including the DOE MESC grant and, if a definitive agreement is executed and the loan is funded, the LPO loan, our ability to satisfy the conditions precedent to our entering into definitive loan documents and to the DOE's funding the LPO loan and, if the loan is obtained, our ability to comply with the restrictions and obligations under the loan documents, our ability to obtain patent rights effective to protect our technologies and processes and successfully defend any challenges to such rights and prevent others from commercializing such technologies and processes, and regulatory developments in the United States, Australia and other jurisdictions. These and other factors that could affect our business and results are included in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the Company's most recent annual report on Form 20-F. Copies of these filings may be obtained by visiting our Investor Relations website at www.novonixgroup.com or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or outcomes, and actual performance and outcomes may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this communication. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement in this communication is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. 1 Benchmark Minerals Intelligence Anode Price Assessment September 2024 2 Panasonic Energy and NOVONIX Sign Binding Off-Take Agreement - NOVONIX 3 NOVONIX and Stellantis Sign Binding Offtake Agreement - NOVONIX 4 NOVONIX and PowerCo SE Sign Binding Offtake Agreement - NOVONIX 5 NOVONIX Finalizes US$100 Million Grant Award from U.S. Department of Energy - NOVONIX 6 U.S. Government Selects NOVONIX to Receive US$103 Million in Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credits - NOVONIX A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a660b84-f19e-4636-b981-d532b2029ace © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank is preparing for a future that looks more uncertain and more prone to shocks. In a speech to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, he said Monday structural changes are underway in the world including demographic shifts, technological changes, decarbonization and a move away from globalization. “We need to use the pandemic experience to prepare for future crises,” Macklem said in a prepared text of his speech. To that end, Macklem says the Bank of Canada is working to learn what it can from how the economy reacted to the pandemic and in its aftermath. The Bank of Canada is conducting a review of the policy actions it took to restore financial stability and support the economy during the pandemic that it plans to publish along with an assessment of an independent panel of experts. Macklem said the spike in inflation in 2022 was a reminder that even though inflation was relatively low and stable for 30 years leading up to the pandemic, central banks cannot take public trust for granted. “All of a sudden, people couldn’t afford the things they need. And while inflation is low once again, many prices are still a lot higher than they were before the pandemic. So people feel ripped off. And that erodes public trust in our economic system,” he said in his speech. The Bank of Canada has cut its key policy interest rate five times this year including last week when it reduced the benchmark by a half a percentage point to 3.25 per cent. Macklem says the bank will be evaluating the need for further reductions in the policy rate one decision at a time and anticipates a more gradual approach to monetary policy if the economy evolves as expected. Statistics Canada reported last month that the annual inflation rate was two per cent in Ontario, hitting the Bank of Canada’s target. The speech by Macklem came ahead of the release of the November inflation report on Tuesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024. The Canadian PressUS goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer
For much of this year, global fintech activity has remained strong, largely driven by increased consumer demand and small enterprises side-stepping high-street banking systems amid a high interest rate environment. Despite the positive turnaround in operational activity, new investment deals continue to decline. In Q3, global fintech funding declined to $7.3 billion , a 25% quarter-over-quarter decline. However, new insights reveal that the U.S. currently leads in the global fintech market, representing 60%, or six of the top ten deals made during the third quarter. All top three positions were held by American fintech names, including a $1.0 billion funding deal for Sedgwick, an Ohio-based employee compensation managed care organization (MCO). Across the board, the fintech funding landscape remains volatile, with investors retreating from big-dollar deals. Higher market uncertainty, geopolitical tension, and an overactive interest rate environment have seen many investors shifting gears, looking at established fintech firms to provide near-term buoyancy. Investors remain hawkish about the financial and banking services sector. However, new digital developments, coupled with rising consumer demand, could present a more attractive opportunity for investors’ long-term strategy. Though new deal activity remains muted, a handful of companies managed to outshine expectations following stronger third-quarter financial results. Fidelity National Information Services FIS FIS is an operator of one of the largest financial technology service providers worldwide and serves banks, capital markets, and various financial institutions. Annually, FIS processes more than $10 trillion in global transactions with a strong focus on banking and market technology. Third-quarter financial results showed impressive gains across the board, with FIS reporting $2.6 billion in revenue, up 3% on a GAAP basis and 4% on an adjusted basis. Stronger Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $1.40 rose by 49% compared to the same period last year, allowing management to raise its adjusted full-year outlook and adjusted EPS full-year outlook. Recent quarterly earnings represent the first full quarter since FIS completed the sale of a 55% stake in Worldplay to global private equity firm GTCR. The "Worldplay" sale was announced in January 2024, and by July, FIS completed the $11.7 billion sale, retaining a 45% non-controlling minority stake in Worldplay. Based on third-quarter results, banking solutions remain FIS' biggest, and perhaps most lucrative business segment. In recent reporting, banking solutions revenue rose 3% on an adjusted basis, totaling $1.8 billion compared to the same quarter last year. Improvement of adjusted EBITDA margin added to the company's cost-saving initiatives, allowing for better operating leverage. Strong business signings during the third quarter can help lift upcoming financial results and leave an opportunity for improved delivery during the first half of next year. On the stock market, a robust share performance sees year-to-date delivery up more than 40%, and adding 2.25% since the start of the fourth quarter through November 28. With a Value Score of B and a Momentum Score of A, FIS delivers an impressive range of opportunities in a highly competitive market. Nu Holdings Globally, Nu Holdings NU services more than 109.7 million customers, adding over 5 million new customers during the third quarter of the year. The Brazil-based company operates a vast network of financial services, with a presence now in Mexico and Colombia, and is one of the largest credit operators in Brazil. The third quarter represented one of the company's most outstanding performance periods, with year-over-year revenue up by 56% , setting a new record at $2.6 billion. Total gross profit ended at $1.34 billion, marking an improvement of 76% year-over-year. Increased financial delivery comes on the back of stronger gross margins of 46%, up 3 percent from 43% in Q3 2023. Customer acquisition played an important role during the third quarter. In Brazil, Nu Holdings added a robust 1.1 million customers each month through the three months ending September 30. The total customer base in Brazil now stands at 98.8 million, with expansion in international markets adding 1.2 million new customers during the quarter. Better-than-expected customer performance in international markets was primarily driven by the delivery of new financial products. For instance, in January this year, Nu Holdings announced the launch of Cuenta, a financial product aimed at Colombian-based clients. Cuenta, a savings account that provides customers with unlimited transfers free of charge, forms part of the company's strategic roadmap to capture a larger market share in the country. By the start of this year, Nu Holding had held roughly a 5% share of the Colombian financial services market, serving over 800,000 credit card customers. Share performance experienced major volatility during its initial public offering in December 2021. However, in more recent months, NU delivered impressive market gains, with share prices up approximately 66% since the turn of the year. Share prices peaked at $15.89 on November 11, before sliding back down. The recent announcement of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway BRK BRK lowering its stake in the company has caused share prices to fall. Berkshire has reduced its share of Nu by 20% in recent months. The investment firm now owns a total of 86.4 million Nu shares, down from the 107.1 million shares owned since the company's IPO. But this move shouldn't be an indication that Berkshire and other major players are dumping Nu for something more prestigious. There's still plenty of legroom for Nu Holdings, and with new regional market opportunities opening, Nu could soon dominate the financial services sector in Latin America. Rocket Companies Rocket Companies RKT provides mortgage, real estate, and financial services to large commercial and private individual customers. The Detroit-based fintech company leverages key market data, innovative technology, and financial best practices to maintain a highly competitive advantage. Loan and mortgage activity remained largely volatile throughout the third quarter. In September, the U.S. The Federal Reserve announced the reduction of interest rates, calling a jumbo-sized rate cut of 0.50%, and bringing rates down to a range of 4.75% to 5%. This was the first rate reduction since March 2020. In November, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced that the central bank would be cutting interest rates, again, bringing the benchmark policy rate down by a quarter of a percentage point to the 4.50%-4.75% range. Moving forward, the central bank is looking to deliver a more gradual rate-cut approach heading into 2025. This activity has created plenty of volatility within the lending and mortgage space, and despite interest rates coming down, mortgages remain elevated on the back of sticky housing inflation and rising property prices. However, Rocket Companies delivered strong third-quarter results , including an adjusted revenue improvement of 32% year over year. Total revenue for the quarter ended at $648 million, with adjusted revenue ending at $1.32 billion. Delivery remains within the company’s high-end performance range expectations. Elsewhere, the company reported adjusted EBITDA of $286 million, the highest on record in over two years. Additionally, there were modest improvements, with an adjusted net income of $166 million, or $0.08 adjusted diluted earnings per share during the third quarter. The company's lending business arm, Rocket Mortgage, received a Fitch Ratings upgrade to BBB in November. This significant achievement marks the first time a non-bank mortgage provider achieved an investment-grade rating in more than two decades. Rocket Companies called this an achievement that underscores Rocket Mortgage's financial strength, stability, and disciplined capital management. Share performance has largely remained unchanged this year, with RKT coming down over 30% since its peak in August. The forward-looking guidance shows that an improved housing market, coupled with increased consumer confidence could help bolster share performance in the first half of next year. Closing Remarks This has been another challenging year for the fintech market. Increased economic volatility, coupled with uncertainty in key regional capital markets have seen commercial investors pull back, and instead refocus their forward-looking strategies. For institutional investors, fintech companies could present an upside leading into 2025, with major players in this industry seeking to expand operational activity and look at capturing a larger consumer base. An improved interest rate environment, coupled with more positive economic growth could help bring fintech back into its former spotlight and help regain robust performance capabilities amid uncertain times. Disclosure: No positions in any companies mentioned. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.One night last month, near the end of the Chicago International Film Festival, a particularly long line of moviegoers snaked down Southport Avenue by the Music Box Theatre. The hot ticket? This fall’s hottest ticket, in fact, all over the international festival circuit? Well, it’s a 215-minute drama about a fictional Hungarian Jewish architect who emigrates to America in 1947 after surviving the Holocaust. The film’s title, “The Brutalist,” references several things, firstly a post-World War II design imperative made of stern concrete, steel, and a collision of poetry and functionality. Director and co-writer Brady Corbet, who wrote “The Brutalist” with his filmmaker wife, Mona Fastvold, explores brutalism in other forms as well, including love, envy, capitalist economics and how the promise of America eludes someone like the visionary architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody. Corbet, now 36 and a good bet for Oscar nominations this coming January, says his unfashionable sprawl of a picture, being distributed by A24, is also about the “strange relationship between artist and patron, and art and commerce.” It co-stars Felicity Jones as the visionary architect’s wife, Erzsébet, trapped in Eastern Europe after the war with their niece for an agonizingly long time. Guy Pearce portrays the imperious Philadelphia blueblood who hires Tóth, a near-invisible figure in his adopted country, to design a monumental public building known as the Institute in rural Pennsylvania. The project becomes an obsession, then a breaking point and then something else. Corbet’s project, which took the better part of a decade to come together after falling apart more than once, felt like that, too. Spanning five decades and filmed in Hungary and Italy, “The Brutalist” looks like a well-spent $50 million project. In actuality, it was made for a mere $10 million, with Corbet and cinematographer Lol Crawley shooting on film, largely in the VistaVision process. The filmmaker said at the Chicago festival screening: “Who woulda thunk that for screening after screening over the last couple of months, people stood in line around the block to get into a three-and-a-half-hour movie about a mid-century designer?” He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with Fastvold and their daughter. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Q: Putting together an independent movie, keeping it on track, getting it made: not easy, as you told the Music Box audience last night. Money is inevitably going to be part of the story of “The Brutalist,” since you had only so much to make a far-flung historical epic. A: Yeah, that’s right. In relation to my earlier features, “The Childhood of a Leader” had a $3 million budget. The budget for “Vox Lux” was right around $10 million, same as “The Brutalist,” although the actual production budget for “Vox Lux” was about $4.5 million. Which is to say: All the money on top of that was going to all the wrong places. For a lot of reasons, when my wife and I finished the screenplay for “The Brutalist,” we ruled out scouting locations in Philadelphia or anywhere in the northeastern United States. We needed to (film) somewhere with a lot less red tape. My wife’s previous film, “The World to Come,” she made in Romania; we shot “Childhood of a Leader” in Hungary. For “The Brutalist” we initially landed on Poland, but this was early on in COVID and Poland shut its borders the week our crew was arriving for pre-production. When we finally got things up and running again with a different iteration of the cast (the original ensemble was to star Joel Edgerton, Marion Cotillard and Mark Rylance), after nine months, the movie fell apart again because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We couldn’t get any of the banks to cash-flow the tax credit (for location shooting in Poland). It’s completely stable now, but at that time the banks were nervous about whether the war would be contained to Ukraine or not. And then we finally got it up and running in Budapest, Hungary. Q: That’s a long time. A: Every filmmaker I know suffers from some form of post-traumatic stress (laughs). It sounds funny but it’s true. At every level. On the level of independent cinema, you’re just so damn poor. You’re not making any money, and yet from nose to tail, at minimum, a movie always takes a couple of years. With bigger projects, you might have a little more personal security but a lot less creative security with so many more cooks in the kitchen. Either route you choose, it can be an arduous and painful one. Whether you’re making a movie for a million dollars, or $10 million, or $100 million, it’s still “millions of dollars.” And if you’re concerned about the lives and livelihoods of the people working with you, it’s especially stressful. People are constantly calling you: “Is it happening? Are we starting? Should I take this other job or not?” And you have 250 people who need that answer from you. Every iteration of the project, I always thought we were really about to start in a week, two weeks. It’s just very challenging interpersonally. It’s an imposition for everyone in your life. And then there’s the imposition of screening a movie that’s three-and-a-half-hours long for film festivals, where it’s difficult to find that kind of real estate on the schedule. So essentially, making a movie means constantly apologizing. Q: At what point in your acting career did you take a strong interest in what was going on behind the camera? A: I was making short films when I was 11, 12 years old. The first thing I ever made more properly, I guess, was a short film I made when I was 18, “Protect You + Me,” shot by (cinematographer) Darius Khondji. It was supposed to be part of a triptych of films, and I went to Paris for the two films that followed it. And then all the financing fell through. But that first one screened at the London film festival, and won a prize at Sundance, and I was making music videos and other stuff by then. Q: You’ve written a lot of screenplays with your wife. How many? A: Probably 25. We work a lot for other people, too. I think we’ve done six together for our own projects. Sometimes I’ll start something at night and my wife will finish in the morning. Sometimes we work very closely together, talking and typing together. It’s always different. Right now I’m writing a lot on the road, and my wife is editing her film, which is a musical we wrote, “Ann Lee,” about the founder of the Shakers. I’m working on my next movie now, which spans a lot of time, like “The Brutalist,” with a lot of locations. And I need to make sure we can do it for not a lot of money, because it’s just not possible to have a lot of money and total autonomy. For me making a movie is like cooking. If everyone starts coming in and throwing a dash of this or that in the pot, it won’t work out. A continuity of vision is what I look for when I read a novel. Same with watching a film. A lot of stuff out there today, appropriately referred to as “content,” has more in common with a pair of Nikes than it does with narrative cinema. Q: Yeah, I can’t imagine a lot of Hollywood executives who’d sign off on “The Brutalist.” A: Well, even with our terrific producing team, I mean, everyone was up for a three-hour movie but we were sort of pushing it with three-and-a-half (laughs). I figured, worst-case scenario, it opens on a streamer. Not what I had in mind, but people watch stuff that’s eight, 12 hours long all the time. They get a cold, they watch four seasons of “Succession.” (A24 is releasing the film in theaters, gradually.) It was important for all of us to try to capture an entire century’s worth of thinking about design with “The Brutalist.” For me, making something means expressing a feeling I have about our history. I’ve described my films as poetic films about politics, that go to places politics alone cannot reach. It’s one thing to say something like “history repeats itself.” It’s another thing to make people see that, and feel it. I really want viewers to engage with the past, and the trauma of that history can be uncomfortable, or dusty, or dry. But if you can make it something vital, and tangible, the way great professors can do for their students, that’s my definition of success. “The Brutalist” opens in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 20. The Chicago release is Jan. 10, 2025. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.Automotive Storage Battery Market Look a Witness of Excellent Long-Term Growth - Worldwide Survey by 2030
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Trump convinced Republicans to overlook his misconduct. But can he do the same for his nominees?TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyan military officials said Monday they apprehended hundreds of migrants traversing the country's vast desert hoping to ultimately cross the Mediterranean Sea in pursuit of a better life in Europe. The 444 Brigade, a powerful militia group that operates under the auspices of the Libyan army, said in a statement that its patrolling commanders detained more than 300 migrants and referred them to authorities. The group in a post on Facebook condemned smuggling and human trafficking and said its patrols would continue efforts to block smuggling routes. It posted satellite images of the desert and pictures of what appeared to be migrants sitting in rows in front of armed and masked militants. The apprehensions come as Libya remains a primary point of departure for men, women and children from the Middle East and Africa aiming to reach Europe. Many are escaping war or poverty and many employ smugglers to help them negotiate treacherous deserts and sea routes. Roughly 38,000 people have arrived in Italy and Malta from Libya this year, according to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. The overcrowded boats used by migrants and smugglers are known to routinely capsize and a key priority for European leaders has been to encourage North African countries to prevent migrants from reaching the sea. But unlike in Morocco and Tunisia — where tens of thousands of migrants also attempt to pass through en route to the southern shores of Europe — fighting between rival governments in Libya has added additional challenges to migration management partnerships. Migrant apprehensions are rarely reported in Libya, though the country's state news service LANA reported more than 2,000 arrests in July. The oil-rich country plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Since then, the country has been divided between dueling governments in the east and west, each backed by militias and foreign powers. Human traffickers have for years benefited from the political chaos. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in July said migrants in the country had been subjected to torture, forced labor and starvation while being detained.
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Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has recounted the final conversation she shared with her mother, Janelle Kidman, who passed away in September at the age of 84. “So, I’m doing that more. And I say that to other people in the world, and particularly women,” she continued. “I think we tend not to take care of ourselves; we take care of everybody else.” The Australian-American actress reflected on the profound impact that her mother’s last words have had on her life. “My grandmother left me with ‘be happy,’ and my mom said ’take care of yourself,'” she said. “I’m an older mother, so I want to be around for a long time for my girls,” she continued. “They’re amazing girls, and I’m lucky to have them. “So taking care of myself means that I can take care of them.” Kidman shares two daughters, Sunday, 16, and Faith, 13, with her husband of 18 years, country singer Keith Urban. The “Big Little Lies” star also shares two adopted children, Isabella, 31, and Connor, 29, with her ex-husband, actor Tom Cruise. Following their mother’s passing, the actress and her younger sister, journalist Antonia Kidman, released a joint statement on Instagram expressing gratitude to fans and followers for the support their family had received. “Every message we have received from those who loved and admired our Mother has meant more to us than we will ever be able to express. The actress—who was due to receive the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her new film, “Babygirl”—promptly departed the event to return to her family’s residence in Sydney, Australia. The film’s director, Halina Reijn, later read a statement from Kidman while accepting the prestigious award on her behalf. “I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heart-breaking, and my heart is broken.” Kidman has previously spoken about the profound influence her mother had in shaping not only her personal life but also her professional career. In a May 2020 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the actress described her mother as her mentor, guide, and nurturer. “She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her,” Kidman said. “But she also carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths. “Mum didn’t necessarily get the career that she wanted, but she was determined that her daughters would have opportunities that were equal,” she added. “That’s given me my life. And she gave me my life, she and my dad.” Janelle Kidman married her husband, Antony Kidman, in the early 1960s. The clinical psychologist, who worked at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia, died in September 2014 at the age of 75. The couple added: “We are all heartbroken but knowing we are in the hearts and thoughts of others is so comforting.”NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana civil court judge on Monday halted state agencies' plans to forcibly clear homeless encampments in New Orleans. Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Ethel Julien issued a temporary restraining order blocking state police and two other agencies from evicting homeless people from their encampments in New Orleans or seizing their property without following city laws and due process. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry had called earlier this month for the City of New Orleans to remove a large encampment before Thanksgiving and warned he would intervene if the city did not comply. “If a judge believes that people have a right to be on whatever public space they choose, maybe that judge should have them move into her chambers and courtroom," Landry said after the judge issued the restraining order Monday. Louisiana State Police spokesperson Sgt. Katharine Stegall said the agency’s legal team and the state Attorney General’s Office are reviewing the order. State police have “promptly halted activities” and are “complying with the restrictions” of the order, Stegall said. Landry and New Orleans officials have repeatedly clashed over how to address the issue of homelessness in the city. New Orleans City Councilmember Lesli Harris said Monday that directing more resources towards moving homeless people into stable housing was “infinitely more effective than punitive sweeps” of encampments. “Coordination between the government and service providers on the housing of people is imperative, and continuously moving people only makes it that much harder to house them,” Harris said. But the governor has pushed to clear homeless encampments. In late October, Louisiana State Police, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Department of Transportation and Development converged on a homeless encampment under a highway to remove and relocate dozens of people prior to pop star Taylor Swift’s concerts in the nearby Superdome. Some people who had been away at the time of the clearances returned to the area to find they had lost their personal property including family heirlooms, identification documents and medication, according to testimony in court documents. City officials and advocates for homeless people decried the evictions and said they disrupted ongoing efforts to secure long-term housing for these individuals because they became harder to locate. A judge later granted a temporary restraining order preventing more clearances but declined to extend it beyond early November after lawyers representing the state police indicated in court that removals tied to the Taylor Swift concerts had ceased. But on Friday, homeless people began receiving flyers from state police officers ordering them to leave their encampments within 24 hours, according to a motion for relief filed on behalf of two homeless plaintiffs by the Southern Poverty Law Center and two other legal groups. The planned sweeps preceded the Bayou Classic football game on Saturday between Southern University and Grambling State University at the Superdome. “Your presence is considered a violation,” the flyers stated, according to the motion for relief. However, they were halted by the new temporary restraining order. On Dec. 3, the judge is scheduled to deliberate on whether to issue a preliminary injunction against the three state agencies. “The vulnerable people with disabilities who make up the vast majority of people living in the street deserve to be treated with sensitivity and compassion,” said Joe Heeren-Mueller, director of community engagement for Unity of Greater New Orleans, a homeless outreach organization. There are about 1,450 homeless people in New Orleans and neighboring Jefferson Parish, according to a January survey by the nonprofit Unity of Greater New Orleans. The city has committed to securing housing for these individuals by the end of 2025. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96
Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 seasonBiden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons and first lady gets Christmas tree WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Separately, first lady Jill Biden received the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens are traveling to New York later Monday for an early holiday celebration with members of the Coast Guard. Couple charged in ring suspected of stealing $1 million in Lululemon clothes MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Connecticut couple has been charged in Minnesota with being part of a shoplifting ring suspected of stealing around $1 million in goods across the country from upscale athletic wear retailer Lululemon.Jadion Anthony Richards and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, both of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged this month with one felony count of organized retail theft. Both went free last week after posting bail bonds of $100,000 for him and $30,000 for her. They're also suspected in thefts from Lululemon stores in Colorado, Utah, New York and Connecticut. They're due back in court next month. Formula 1 expands grid to add General Motors' Cadillac brand and new American team for 2026 season LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 will expand the grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a federal investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti, who has since stepped aside. The 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccer. Naeher is on the team’s roster for a pair of upcoming matches in Europe but those will be her last after a full 11 years playing for the United States. Naeher was on the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and the gold medal at this year's Olympics in France. She’s the only U.S. goalkeeper to earn a shutout in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. Megachurch founder T.D. Jakes suffers health incident during sermon at Dallas church DALLAS (AP) — The founder of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was hospitalized after suffering what the church called a “slight health incident.” Jakes was speaking to churchgoers after he sat down and began trembling as several people gathered around him Sunday at the church. Jakes' daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband Touré Roberts said in a statement on social media late Sunday that Jakes was improving. The 67-year-old Jakes founded the non-denominational The Potter's House in 1996 and his website says it now has more than 30,000 members with campuses in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas; and in Denver. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pilot dies in plane crash in remote woods of New York, puppy found alive WINDHAM, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot and at least one dog he was transporting died when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though a puppy on the flight was found alive with two broken legs. The Greene County sheriff’s office says Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area. Officials believe the pilot died from the impact. The surviving dog was hospitalized, while a third dog was not located. The flight was connected with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by handing out more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations Monday, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road.Rockland Trust acquires Enterprise BankAP Trending SummaryBrief at 6:29 p.m. EST
