online games research
OpenAI’s unreleased Sora video generation model was leaked Tuesday by a group protesting the company’s “art washing” actions, per a post from X user @legit_rumors . The group, calling themselves Sora PR Puppets , reportedly had gained early access to the Sora API. Through that, they leveraged authentication tokens to create a front-end interface enabling anyone to generate video clips with the model. While the project only remained online for around three hours before Hugging Face (or possibly OpenAI itself) revoked access, several users managed to publish their creations to social media sites. “Hundreds of artists provide unpaid labor through bug testing, feedback and experimental work for the [early access] program for a $150B valued company,” Sora PR Puppets wrote in their manifesto. “This early access program appears to be less about creative expression and critique, and more about PR and advertisement.” The group also accuses the company of screening videos generated during the early access program, demanding that it review and approve those clips prior to them being published. “We are releasing this tool to give everyone an opportunity to experiment with what ~300 artists were offered: a free and unlimited access to this tool,” the group wrote. “We are not against the use of AI technology as a tool for the arts (if we were, we probably wouldn’t have been invited to this program),” the group wrote. “What we don’t agree with is how this artist program has been rolled out and how the tool is shaping up ahead of a possible public release. We are sharing this to the world in the hopes that OpenAI becomes more open, more artist friendly and supports the arts beyond PR stunts.” Users who were quick enough to access the interface before it was taken down were able to generate 10-second video clips in resolutions up to 1080p using what appears to be an optimized “turbo” version of what OpenAI first showed off in February. According to reports from The Information , that earlier iteration operated on a glacial timescale, requiring 10 minutes of real-world processing time to generate a minute-long video clip and continually struggled to maintain a consistent aesthetic style throughout each video. OpenAI, despite its early advantages in video generation technology, is quickly falling behind its competition in the space, with rivals like Meta’s Movie Gen and Kuaishou Technology’s Kling not only matching Sora’s output quality but also reaching market while it languishes in development. OpenAI’s chief product officer Kevin Weil said in a recent Reddit AMA that Sora’s release is being delayed by the “need to perfect the model, get safety/impersonation/other things right, and scale compute.”
STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Star Group, L.P. (the "Company" or "Star") (NYSE:SGU), a home energy distributor and services provider, today announced financial results for its fiscal 2024 fourth quarter and year ended September 30, 2024. Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 Compared to the Three Months Ended September 30, 2023 For the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, Star reported a 10.0 percent decrease in total revenue to $240.3 million compared with $266.9 million in the prior-year period, reflecting slightly lower volumes sold and a decrease in selling prices for petroleum products, partially offset by higher service and installation revenue. The volume of home heating oil and propane sold during the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter decreased by 0.3 million gallons, or 1.5 percent, to 18.5 million gallons, as the additional volume provided from acquisitions was more than offset by the impact of net customer attrition and other factors. Star’s net loss increased by $15.4 million in the quarter, to $35.1 million, as a $28.4 million unfavorable change in the fair value of derivative instruments was only partially offset by a $9.1 million increase in income tax benefit, $1.7 million decrease in Adjusted EBITDA loss, $1.1 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expenses, and $1.1 million lower net interest expense. The Company reported a fourth quarter Adjusted EBITDA loss (a non-GAAP measure defined below) of $29.7 million, or $1.7 million less than in the prior year period, as higher home heating oil and propane per-gallon margins, an increase in service and installation profitability, and additional EBITDA from acquisitions, more than offset an increase in operating expenses and a decline in home heating oil and propane volume sold. “As we move into the heating season and begin a new fiscal year, it’s a great time to reflect on the past twelve months’ performance,” said Jeff Woosnam, Star Group’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Temperatures in fiscal 2024 were roughly flat year-over-year, and total revenue fell modestly due to slightly lower volumes and selling prices. However, full year Adjusted EBITDA rose by $14.7 million, reflecting an increase in home heating oil and propane per-gallon margins and higher service and installation profitability. We continue to focus on cost containment and the pursuit of attractive acquisitions. At the same time, we remain vigilant in working to address net customer attrition which, at 4.2% in fiscal 2024, was up slightly year-over-year. As we enter the heating season, we believe the Company is well prepared to respond to anything Mother Nature throws our way, while providing our customers with superior customer service.” Fiscal 2024 Compared to Fiscal 2023 For fiscal 2024, Star reported a 9.6 percent decrease in total revenue to $1.8 billion compared with $2.0 billion in the prior-year period, reflecting a decrease in total volume sold and a decline in selling prices in response to lower wholesale product costs. The volume of home heating oil and propane sold during fiscal 2024 declined by 5.8 million gallons, or 2.2 percent, to 253.4 million gallons as the additional volume provided from acquisitions and other factors was more than offset by net customer attrition. Temperatures in Star’s geographic areas of operation were less than 0.1 percent warmer than during the prior-year period but 15.1 percent warmer than normal, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Star’s net income increased by $3.3 million for fiscal 2024, to $35.2 million, as a $14.7 million increase in Adjusted EBITDA, a $3.9 million decrease in net interest expense, a $0.9 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expenses and a $0.7 million decrease in income tax expense were largely offset by a $17.0 million unfavorable change in the fair value of derivative instruments. Adjusted EBITDA for fiscal 2024 increased by $14.7 million, to $111.6 million, as an increase in home heating oil and propane per-gallon margins, an increase in service and installation profitability and the additional Adjusted EBITDA from acquisitions more than offset a 10.9 million gallon decrease in home heating oil and propane volume in the base business, a $5.0 million reduction in the Company’s weather hedge benefit and an increase in base business total operating expenses. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Financial Measures) EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) and Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, (increase) decrease in the fair value of derivatives, other income (loss), net, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal charge, gain or loss on debt redemption, goodwill impairment, and other non-cash and non-operating charges) are non-GAAP financial measures that are used as supplemental financial measures by management and external users of the Company’s financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks and research analysts, to assess Star’s position with regard to the following: compliance with certain financial covenants included in our debt agreements; financial performance without regard to financing methods, capital structure, income taxes or historical cost basis; operating performance and return on invested capital compared to those of other companies in the retail distribution of refined petroleum products, without regard to financing methods and capital structure; ability to generate cash sufficient to pay interest on our indebtedness and to make distributions to our partners; and the viability of acquisitions, capital expenditure projects and the overall rates of return of alternative investment opportunities. The method of calculating Adjusted EBITDA may not be consistent with that of other companies, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA both have limitations, as analytical tools and so should not be viewed in isolation but in conjunction with measurements that are computed in accordance with GAAP. Some of the limitations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are as follows: EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect cash used for capital expenditures; although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated or amortized often will have to be replaced and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the cash requirements for such replacements; EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, working capital; EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the cash necessary to make payments of interest or principal on indebtedness; and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the cash required to pay taxes. REMINDER: Members of Star's management team will host a webcast and conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, December 5, 2024. The webcast will be accessible on the company’s website, at www.stargrouplp.com, and the telephone number for the conference call is 888-346-3470 (or 412-317-5169 for international callers). About Star Group, L.P. Star Group, L.P. is a full service provider specializing in the sale of home heating products and services to residential and commercial customers to heat their homes and buildings. The Company also sells and services heating and air conditioning equipment to its home heating oil and propane customers and, to a lesser extent, provides these offerings to customers outside of its home heating oil and propane customer base. Star also sells diesel, gasoline and home heating oil on a delivery only basis. We believe Star is the nation's largest retail distributor of home heating oil based upon sales volume. Including its propane locations, Star serves customers in the more northern and eastern states within the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. regions. Additional information is available by obtaining the Company's SEC filings at www.sec.gov and by visiting Star's website at www.stargrouplp.com , where unit holders may request a hard copy of Star’s complete audited financial statements free of charge. Forward Looking Information This news release includes "forward-looking statements" which represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including the impact of geopolitical events on wholesale product cost volatility, the price and supply of the products that we sell, our ability to purchase sufficient quantities of product to meet our customer’s needs, rapid increases in levels of inflation, the consumption patterns of our customers, our ability to obtain satisfactory gross profit margins, the effect of weather conditions on our financial performance, our ability to obtain new customers and retain existing customers, our ability to make strategic acquisitions, the impact of litigation, natural gas conversions and electrification of heating systems, global health pandemics, recessionary economic conditions, future union relations and the outcome of current and future union negotiations, the impact of current and future governmental regulations, including climate change, environmental, health, and safety regulations, the ability to attract and retain employees, customer credit worthiness, counterparty credit worthiness, marketing plans, cyber-attacks, global supply chain issues, labor shortages and new technology, including alternative methods for heating and cooling residences. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Report including, without limitation, the statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere herein, are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “seek,” “estimate,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" and "Business Strategy" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "Form 10-K") for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations ("Cautionary Statements") are disclosed in this news release and in the Company’s Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the Cautionary Statements. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this news release. (financials follow)
Thousands of Syrian insurgents fanned out inside Aleppo in vehicles with improvised armor and pickups, deploying to landmarks such as the old citadel on Saturday, a day after they entered Syria's largest city facing little resistance from government troops, according to residents and fighters. Witnesses said two airstrikes on the city's edge late Friday targeted insurgent reinforcements and hit near residential areas. A war monitor said 20 fighters were killed. Syria's armed forces said in a statement Saturday that to absorb the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it has redeployed and is preparing for a counterattack. The statement acknowledged that insurgents entered large parts of the city but said they have not established bases or checkpoints. Insurgents were filmed outside police headquarters, in the city center, and outside the Aleppo Citadel. They tore down posters of Syrian President Bashar Assad, stepping on some and burning others. The surprise takeover is a huge embarrassment for Assad, who managed to regain total control of the city in 2016, after expelling insurgents and thousands of civilians from its eastern neighborhoods following a grueling military campaign in which his forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. Aleppo has not been attacked by opposition forces since then. The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. The push into Aleppo followed weeks of simmering low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas. Turkey, which has backed Syrian opposition groups, failed in its diplomatic efforts to prevent the Syrian government attacks, which were seen as a violation of a 2019 agreement sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran to freeze the line of the conflict. The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, primarily Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battles at home. A ceasefire in Hezbollah’s two-month war with Israel took effect Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days. A witness in Aleppo said government troops remained in the city's airport and at a military academy but most of the forces have already filed out of the city from the south. Syrian Kurdish forces remained in two neighborhoods. The redeployment “is a temporary measure and (the military central command and armed forces) will work to guarantee the security and peace of all our people in Aleppo,” the military statement said. Speaking from the heart of the city in Saadallah Aljabri square, opposition fighter Mohammad Al Abdo, said it was his first time back in Aleppo in 13 years, when his older brother was killed at the start of the war. “God willing, the rest of Aleppo province will be liberated" from government forces, he said. There was light traffic in the city center on Saturday. Opposition fighters fired in the air in celebration but there was no sign of clashes or government troops presence. Abdulkafi Alhamdo, an teacher who fled Aleppo in 2016 and returned Friday night after hearing the insurgents were inside, described “mixed feelings of pain, sadness and old memories." “As I entered Aleppo, I kept telling myself this is impossible! How did this happen?” He said he strolled through the city at night, visiting the citadel, where the insurgents raised their flags, a major square and the university of Aleppo, as well as the last spot he was in before he was forced to leave for the countryside. “I walked in (the empty) streets of Aleppo, shouting, ‘People, people of Aleppo. We are your sons,’” Alhamdo told The Associated Press in a series of messages. The insurgents launched their shock offensive in the Aleppo and Idlib countryside on Wednesday and wrestled control of dozens of villages and towns before entering Aleppo on Friday. The pro-government Al-Watan newspaper reported airstrikes on the edge of Aleppo city targeting rebel supply lines. It posted a video of a missile landing on a gathering of fighters and vehicles, in a street lined with trees and buildings. Twenty fighters were killed in the airstrikes, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Aleppo residents reported clashes and gunfire. Some fled the fighting. Schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors, according to Sham FM radio, a pro-government station. Bakeries were open. Witnesses said the insurgents deployed security forces around the city to prevent any acts of violence or looting. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the city's airport has been shut and all flights suspended. On Friday, Aleppo's two key public hospitals were reportedly full of patients while many private facilities closed, OCHA said. In social media posts, the insurgents were pictured outside of Aleppo Citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. In cellphone videos, they recorded themselves having conversations with residents they visited at home, seeking to reassure them they will cause no harm. The Syrian Kurdish-led administration in the country's east said nearly 3,000 people, most of them students, had arrived in their areas after fleeing the fighting in Aleppo, which has a sizeable Kurdish population. State media reported that a number of “terrorists," including sleeper cells, infiltrated parts of the city. Government troops chased them and arrested a number who posed for pictures near city landmarks, state media said. On a state TV morning show Saturday, commentators said army reinforcements and Russia’s assistance will repel the “terrorist groups,” blaming Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ push into Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Russia’s state news agency Tass quoted Oleg Ignasyuk, a Russian Defense Ministry official coordinating in Syria, as saying that Russian warplanes targeted and killed 200 militants who launched the offensive in the northwest on Friday. It provided no further details. —— Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus contributed to this report.Andhra Pradesh: Pawan Kalyan seizes ship smuggling PDS rice to Africa from Kakinada, warns of national security risks
'I tried the Shark FlexStyle and it's a game-changer' — Save $75 ahead of Cyber MondayTennis great Martina Navratilova slams New York Times for referring to women as ‘non-transgender women’
Golden at-bat idea brings critics to the plate: 'Absolutely stupid and ridiculous'
John Fetterman says Hunter Biden, Trump both deserve pardons after 'politically motivated' trialsJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel approved a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants on Tuesday that would end nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire, starting at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza , where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Hours before the ceasefire with Hezbollah was to take effect, Israel carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. There appeared to be lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected. Israel's security Cabinet approved the U.S.-France-brokered ceasefire agreement after Netanyahu presented it, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire and described it as a crucial step toward stability and the return of displaced people. Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state," he said, referring to Israel's demand for freedom of action. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Even as ceasefire efforts gained momentum in recent days, Israel continued to strike what it called Hezbollah targets across Lebanon while the militants fired rockets, missiles and drones across the border. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in central Beirut — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously were not targeted. The warnings sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, with mattresses tied to some cars. Dozens of people, some wearing pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed overhead. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said peacekeepers will not evacuate. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have exchanged barrages ever since. Israel escalated its bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut and Federman from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed. Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-warSpears' 31 lead UTSA past Houston Christian 78-71
David Beckham pays tribute to ‘heartbeat of Manchester United’ Kath PhippsTrump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations