
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 5:56 p.m. EST
IRVING, Texas (AP) — A rape allegation against rapper Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation has produced some of the NFL's entertainment presentations including the Super Bowl halftime show, won’t impact the league's relationship with the music mogul. “We’re aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday after the conclusion of the league's winter meetings. "We know the litigation is happening now. From our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl.” A woman who previously sued Sean “Diddy” Combs, alleging she was raped at an awards show after-party in 2000 when she was 13 years old, amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in the sexual assault. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, said the rape allegation made against him is part of an extortion attempt . The 24-time Grammy Award winner called the allegations “idiotic” and “heinous in nature” in a statement released by Roc Nation, one of his companies. The NFL teamed up with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019 for events and social activism. The league and the entertainment company extended their partnership a few months ago. Kendrick Lamar will perform the Super Bowl halftime show at The Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. Beyonce, who is married to Jay-Z, will perform at halftime of the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game on Christmas. “I think they’re getting incredibly comfortable with not just with the Super Bowl but other events they’ve advised us on and helped us with,” Goodell said. “They’ve been a big help in the social justice area to us on many occasions. They’ve been great partners.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflIn his year-end message, Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran delivered a powerful reflection on the events of 2024, paying tribute to the late Ratan Tata and outlining the Group’s ambitious vision for 2025. Acknowledging the geopolitical upheavals of 2024, including ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, Chandrasekaran highlighted the global shift from efficiency to resilience in supply chains. He emphasized how these changes position India for growth, given its talent pool and manufacturing potential. Chandrasekaran paid a heartfelt tribute to Ratan Tata, whose passing earlier this year left an indelible mark on the Group and India Inc. “Our Group has lost an irreplaceable role model and leader. And I have lost a cherished mentor and friend,” he wrote. Reflecting on the tributes received worldwide, he remarked, “There isn’t room in this letter to capture fully what he meant to us.” The chairman revealed Tata Group’s plans to create 500,000 new jobs in manufacturing over the next five years. These positions will span key sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, solar equipment, and other critical hardware industries. “These will come in part from the aforementioned investments in facilities across India—factories and projects that will produce batteries, semiconductors, electric vehicles, solar equipment and other critical hardware destined to play a central role in the economy of tomorrow,” he shared. In addition to manufacturing, the Group anticipates significant job creation in retail, technology services, aviation, and hospitality. Chandrasekaran also highlighted recent strides in high-tech industries, including the opening of India’s first semiconductor fab in Gujarat, a new battery cell manufacturing plant in the UK, and other facilities. "Big strategic bets, made with his encouragement, are bearing fruit, particularly in hi-tech industries and manufacturing where our footprint continues to expand," he noted. Reflecting on technology's transformative power, Chandrasekaran focused on the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare and mobility. “A fundamental reversal is taking place,” he stated, explaining how advancements in technology are now driving scientific discoveries, revolutionizing industries, and improving human well-being. Looking ahead to 2025, Chandrasekaran expressed optimism for India’s economic growth, driven by the expansion of manufacturing and the digital revolution. "India’s economy is strong, and the great trends of the age are in our favor," he wrote, concluding the letter on a hopeful note.
Equatic, a Los Angeles-based start-up, has developed an unprecedented technology that uses the ocean to address two of the world’s most pressing climate issues: carbon capture and green hydrogen production. However, though the innovation promises a dual solution, it has already caused a stir among scientists and environmental advocates. The ocean naturally absorbs at least a quarter of the CO2 emissions that people cause, acting as an important buffer against climate change. Equatic seeks to enhance this process by using its ocean-based carbon removal technology to store carbon in a stable, long-term form. According to the company, the captured carbon remains locked away for thousands of years, providing a reliable solution to reduce the atmospheric CO2 levels. Edward Sanders, CEO of Equatic, says, “We have a technology that does two things pretty well. One is we take CO2 out of the atmosphere and store it permanently. The second thing we do is produce green hydrogen.” Dual-Action Technology Equatic is the process involving pumping seawater into an electrolyzer powered by renewable energy resources such as wind or sun. The electrolyzer separates it into hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, and an alkaline slurry. In this process, the captured CO2 is converted in the slurry into stable carbonates and bicarbonates released back into the ocean. Unlike the traditional methods, the Equatic system does not produce harmful chlorine gas in the process, owing to the specially designed oxygen-selective anode. The captured CO2 is chemically immobilized, thus trapping it for millennia without releasing back into the atmosphere. In addition to removing CO2, Equatic produces green hydrogen—a clean energy source crucial for decarbonizing industries like shipping and aviation. Although the electrolyzer is less efficient in producing hydrogen compared to conventional models, it has a dual benefit: helping monetize the carbon capture process. Scaling Up: Ambitions And Challenges Equatic has already proven its technology in pilot plants in Los Angeles and Singapore, each removing 30–40 tonnes of CO2 annually. The company is now building a larger facility in Singapore that will capture 4,000 tonnes of CO2 and produce 100 tonnes of hydrogen yearly. A commercial-scale plant in Quebec will be able to remove 100,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. However, scaling up ocean-based carbon removal is not easy. The opponents raise the issue of energy consumption, environmental impact, and the potential for unforeseen effects in marine ecosystems. According to Mary Church of the Center for International Environmental Law, marine carbon removal can interfere with ocean chemistry and impact nutrient levels and populations of species. “At a scale to meaningfully impact the climate, marine CO2 removal would be inherently unpredictable and pose significant risks to ecosystems,” she says. Marine scientist James Kerry adds that the process of Equatic may necessitate the processing of enormous volumes of seawater, thus causing harm to marine life and disrupting food security. Equatic maintains that its process is safe and compliant with international environmental standards. The company neutralizes acidic waste streams before discharge and tracks its effects on marine ecosystems. According to Sanders, there is no alternative to doing nothing. “We have to remove legacy CO2 emissions from the atmosphere to decrease climate-related stress on our oceans,” he says. Next Steps For Ocean-Based Solutions While promising, experts maintain that ocean-based carbon removal must complement, not displace, emissions reductions. As Charlotte Levy of Carbon180 has said, “No removal solution later is as good as mitigation now.” Equatic aims to get the CO2 removal costs below $100 per tonne by 2030 and hopes its technology will be scaled enough to make a significant dent in global emissions by mid-2040s. Whether it can balance innovation with environmental stewardship is a critical question in this race to combat climate change. ALSO READ | Two Massive Asteroids Approaches Earth, Are They A Threat? Here’s WHAT NASA Says
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