SHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Halper Sadeh LLC Investigates AVAV, CTV, AE, PLL on Behalf of Shareholders
OpenAI Monday released the latest version of its highly anticipated Sora video generator to the public, stepping into an increasingly crowded field of AI tools that has raised concerns about disruption to creative industries, AFP reported. The company behind ChatGPT said its latest version, dubbed Sora Turbo, offers significant speed improvements over the February preview model and can create high-definition videos lasting up to 22 seconds. While tech giants Google and Meta have also announced similar video tools, none have yet met the huge expectations set for AI since the launch of ChatGPT two years ago. In a launch demonstration, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the video technology's early stage but insisted that "it's going to get a lot, lot better." The service will be available to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers, though notably absent from European and British markets for now. "We're going to try our hardest to be able to launch there," Altman said in a livestream. Basic subscribers can generate up to 50 videos monthly at standard definition, with options to create content in various aspect ratios and incorporate existing media. OpenAI has implemented safeguards against misuse, including verification metadata and visible watermarks. The company is temporarily restricting the generation of videos featuring real people while it strengthens anti-deepfake measures. Despite the launch, Sora still faces technical challenges. Early reviews note inconsistent realism and difficulties with complex sequences. An OpenAI employee tempered expectations in the announcement livestream: "If you come into Sora with the expectation that you'll just be able to click a button and generate a feature film, I think you're coming in with the wrong expectation."After Monday’s ratification of contested October elections, a new wave of protests is under way. At least 21 people have been killed in unrest since Mozambique’s top court confirmed the governing party Frelimo’s victory in disputed elections , the interior minister says. The dead include at least two police officers, Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda said at a news conference on Tuesday. A total of “236 acts of serious violence were reported” since Monday across the Portuguese-speaking African country, in which at least 25 people were wounded, including 13 police officers, he said. The protests began after Frelimo was confirmed the winner by the Constitutional Council. Protesters and opposition groups say the October 9 vote was rigged. Seventy-eight people have been arrested so far and security measures have been tightened across the country, Ronda told public broadcaster TVM. “The armed forces will increase their presence in critical and key points,” he said. Frelimo has been repeatedly accused by opponents and election observers of rigging votes. It has denied the accusations. As soon as the top court announced the governing party’s Daniel Chapo had won the presidential election, supporters of the opposition candidate, Venancio Mondlane, began protesting on Monday night. Protesters have been accused of attacking and vandalising police stations, petrol stations, banks and other public facilities. Reporting from Maputo, Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa said the protesters burned tyres and blocked roads. “This was their way of shutting down Mozambique,” she said. “People say they are tired of years of corruption and unemployment.” Mutasa said some young men were asking motorists for money to drive through some places. “While these protests may have started off over the election result, it seems some elements have come in to try and infiltrate them,” she said. Mozambique has seen violent protests since late October when the electoral authorities declared 47-year-old Chapo the winner of the presidential election. More than 130 people have been killed since October 21, according to human rights and civil society groups that have also accused Mozambican security forces of using excessive violence to quell the protests. After Monday’s announcement by the Constitutional Council, Mondlane asked his supporters on social media to brace themselves for “difficult days ahead”. “History is made of thorny, rocky moments, but the truth is that victory is guaranteed for all of us,” Mondlane wrote on Facebook.
Best Bets for NCAA Basketball Picks Against the Spread for Sunday, November 24Dartmouth sorority, two members of fraternity face charges after student who attended party drowned HANOVER, N.H. (AP) — A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity faces charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party. The Hanover, New Hampshire police department, where Dartmouth is located, said Friday that Alpha Phi was charged with one count of facilitating an underage alcohol house. Two members of the Beta Alpha Omega face a charge of providing alcohol to a person under 21. Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had attended an off-campus party in July hosted by Alpha Phi sorority. Police said the alcohol was provided by Beta Alpha Omega. Tens of thousands of Spaniards protest housing crunch and high rents in Barcelona BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards are marching in downtown Barcelona to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living." The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States. The average rent for Spain has doubled in the last decade. In cities like Barcelona, rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Jason Kelce's wife announces she is pregnant with the couple's fourth child Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce's wife is announcing she's pregnant with the couple's fourth child. Kylie Kelce posted a photo on Instagram on Friday of the couple's three young daughters reacting to the news. The oldest daughter, Wyatt, appears to be cupping her head in shock. The middle daughter, Ellioette, is smiling. The youngest, Bennett, is in tears. A caption attached to the photo reads: “I feel like we captured a very accurate representation of how each of the girls feel about getting another sister. At least Ellie, mom and dad are on the same page!” Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in UAE is missing. Israeli officials fear he may have been kidnapped DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates has gone missing, with Israeli authorities raising the suspicion he may have been kidnapped as tensions remain high with Iran. The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Zvi Kogan has been missing since noon Thursday. It said that against the backdrop of information that this was a terrorist incident, an extensive investigation has been opened in the country. Emirati officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. State-run media in the UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, did not immediately report the incident. Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Officer kills pet dog mistaken for a coyote in Massachusetts town. The owner says it was unnecessary An animal control officer shot and killed a pet dog in a Massachusetts town after mistaking it for a coyote in an incident local police are describing as a sad mix-up. Police in Northbridge, Massachusetts, say the shooting happened on Tuesday after police received a call of a report of a coyote in a residential backyard. Police say the animal control officer went into the woods to look for the coyote and found what they thought was the animal in a threatening position and shot it. The incident happened as communities around Massachusetts and the country have dealt with an uptick in interactions between coyotes and people. Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict.
The Braves may have won the World Series just a few years back, but nearly the entire core of that roster is no longer in Atlanta. The mass exodus began with Freddie Freeman, who went onto sign with the Dodgers just months after the team’s first championship since 1995. Dansby Swanson would follow suit, while others like Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, and others each parted ways at different times. The latest of the bunch being Max Fried , and weeks before him, it was Travis d’Arnaud, when the Braves opted not to pick up his $8 million option for 2025. The news came as a shock to most of the baseball world, including Brian Snitker. d’Arnaud was widely regarded as the best backup catcher in the game and was beloved in the clubhouse. $8 million was a more than palatable price tag for his services, but with so many other needs, Alex Anthopoulos had to make a tough decision. What d’Arnaud brought on the field can be replaced rather easily, whether it’s by Sean Murphy picking up a greater workload or another addition. However, what cannot be replicated is the leadership d’Arnaud brought to the team. He caught every game of the Braves 2021 World Series run, but the clubhouse dynamic is the last thing Brian Snitker is worried about. “They asked me that when we lost Freddie, Dansby, and all that,” Brian Snitker said, via David O’Brien of The Athletic . “I don’t worry about that. That (locker) room’s full of leader-type guys, the (strong) makeup guys that play. And I think those leaders — they lead by example, those guys, how they come to work every day, how they prepare, the energy with which they play. That’s probably the last thing that I worry about is the credibility and the so-called leadership in the room.” There’s no question the Braves clubhouse has been a clear edge for the team dating back to 2018, but their NL East foes have begun to catch up, and perhaps even surpass Atlanta in that area. The Phillies are a tight-knit group that’s as battle-tested as just about any other club in the National League, and the Mets are only going to be more confident following a historic offseason, which began by signing Juan Soto. The Braves’ undoubtedly took a hit in the leadership department with the losses of Travis d’Arnaud and Max Fried, but Brian Snitker is absolutely correct that there are much greater concerns surrounding this team, and they must be addressed before the start of the season. A Braves Thank You To Max Fried This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.Inside ‘assassin’ Luigi Mangione’s life behind bars & why he may become a ‘zombie’ in hellhole jail he shares with DiddyInternationally acclaimed Chinese artist Cao Fei’s first retrospective in Australia, My City is Yours at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, sets out to disorient and overstimulate the senses. In the exhibition introduction, Cao describes “a show that’s boisterous like the mall or the market”. It bombards you with documentaries and sci-fi films, virtual reality (VR) games and vintage arcade machines, neon lights contrasting industrial metal scaffolds, electronica jamming hip-hop music. Yet, this city-scape of an exhibition has been designed with care. You could take these all in: sitting in a vintage cinema chair by some beach sand, perhaps submerged in sponge blocks; lounging on a sofa in a family living room; hunching on a bunk bed in a factory; resting on the vinyl padded chrome chair of a Cantonese yum-cha restaurant. Cao embraces this mix of pleasure, convenience, banality, challenge and alienation condensed into the nostalgic, dazzling yet future-craving contemporary life. Retro-perspective The entrance of the show replicates the reception of the now demolished Hongxia Theatre in Beijing, built in 1957 for workers employed to build China’s first computers, with the aid of the Soviet Union. The gilt Chinese inscriptions on the scarlet signboard — “Splendid Galaxy” and “Human World Motion Pictures” — set the retro-futuristic tone that permeates the exhibition. Through the doors, the gallery space transforms into offices and a cinema furnished with Hongxia Theatre’s chairs, desks and chandeliers. Behind a curtain of a retro wardrobe flashes portraits of current residents. Cao rented the theatre as a studio between 2015 and 2021. Her time roaming the once cultural hotspot for China’s early techno-optimists results in installations, two documentaries and a sci-fi film, as well as VR work. Through this range of media, the ambitious project connects past and future, as the exhibition section title, Enter the Wormhole, suggests. The documentary Postscript of Hongxia (2023) captures the memories and fights of the residents and the buildings being brutally bulldozed. Another video work, An Elegy to Hongxia (2023), plays the overly optimistic folk music The Morning Sun at Eight and Nine O’clock (composed by Chinese contemporary indie musician Xiongxiong Homework). The music takes its title from a famous quote by Chairman Mao stressing young people’s vigour, yet the accordion player performs this elegy amid the ruins of the cinema, farewelling a lost socialist dream. This lost dream and accordion music rebirth in Cao’s 2019 sci-fi film NOVA. In this imagined town Nova, a Chinese computer scientist and a Soviet expert fall in love, dancing to Soviet folk and propaganda music, Katyusha. But this collective dream ends again in tragedy. Their love child dissolves into a digital soul trapped in a virtual realm. He is trekking China’s past, present and future socialisms, perhaps forever. Factory disco and Canto-humour Moving toward the Factory Zone, the doubt on techno progression in NOVA is replaced by a disco frenzy in the film Asia One (2018). This story sets in the world’s first fully automated storage and distribution centre in Kunshan, outskirt of Shanghai. Workers dressed in Maoist period style dance in the empty gigantic warehouse. A red banner in yellow Chinese characters reads “Humans and machines, hand in hand creating miracles”. The rebellious spirit and optimism in Asia One on one hand evoke connection to China’s recent revolution, on another hand suggest some hope of a future collaborating with machines. This retro fantasy could be Cao’s iconic Canto-humour, influenced by 1990s Hong Kong films such as Stephen Chow’s mo lei tau (nonsense) comedies. Such films were once screened in the Harbour City Cinema, in Sydney’s Chinatown, and Cao has selected movie posters to exhibit alongside the Hongxia project. The same kind of absurdist Cantonese humour can be found in her earliest DV video work Imbalance 257 (1999). Youngsters from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts act out scenes in the studio, toilet, dormitory and video game arcade. This is the work that caught the attention of the art world, bringing Cao to a global audience two decades ago. This video work, together with other early DV videos like Rabid Dog (2002) and San Yuan Li (2003, with Ou Ning) are played on retro CRT TVs. You could watch these DVs on the tables surrounding dim-sum trolleys salvaged from the old Haymarket Marigold restaurant. Chinatown hip hop shuffle Sydney’s Asian-Australian community is celebrated in the newly commissioned work, Hip Hop: Sydney. It is part of Cao’s ongoing series featuring amateur locals dancing on the streets of Guangzhou, New York, Fukuoka and now Sydney. For this iteration, cosplayers dance in dress-up photo booths; tour guides dance in front of the Haymarket Chinatown ceremonial archway; 90-year-old George Wing Kee dances in front of the Sydney sensation Emperor’s Garden Cakes & Bakery; shoppers dance between aisles of Asian food in Market City’s Thai Kee supermarket; writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law cameos as a waiter. He dances in front of the famous Chinatown Chinese Noodle Restaurant while its boss, Xiaotang Qin, plays Jingle Bells on his violin. Exiting the exhibition with this seasonal number still ringing in your ears, you walk fittingly into the gift shop. It appropriately decks out in an assortment of Chinese-cyber-sci-fi-inspired gifts, seemingly mirroring the boisterous market. Yet, beyond the alluring frantic façade, Cao grapples with questions of techno-optimism, social and urban transformation, virtual identities and their commidifcation. In other words, this is an exhibition about this brave new human condition we are each coming to terms with. Cao Fei: My City is Yours 曹斐: 欢迎登陆 is at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until April 13 2025.
half the weight of a typical lithium-ion battery. Netherlands-based VC Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam led the round. It's an extension on CarbonX's €10mn capital injection announced in February, capping off the funding round at a cosy €14mn. Graphite is the go-to material for lithium-ion battery anodes, which is the negative electrode responsible for storing and releasing electrons during the charging and discharging process. Its found in batteries that power everything from EVs to smartphones. The EU imports almost 100% of its graphite from China, which recently imposed restrictions on exports of the carbon-based material amid rising political tensions between Bejing and the West. "A resilient battery supply chain is crucial for global electrification," said CarbonX's co-founder Rutger van Raalten. "Yet, we don't see sufficient alternatives for locally sourcing critical raw materials such as graphite." CarbonX wants to offer European and American battery makers a way to source a... Siôn Geschwindt
A groundbreaking technology for sniffing out dangerous microbes in public water supplies has been heralded as a "very significant improvement" compared to existing methods. Scientists at Heriot-Watt University say the innovative system for identifying waterborne pathogens boasts a more than 70% detection rate, dramatically outperforming the industry's typical benchmark of around 30%. It's currently being put through its paces at a "major UK water company", aiming to minimise both the frequency and impact of contamination episodes similar to the recent cryptosporidium crisis in Devon earlier this year, which forced roughly 17,000 homes and businesses in Brixham to boil their water and led to numerous reported illnesses. The team also highlighted data indicating an uptick in illnesses associated with cryptosporidium across the UK, with thousands of annual cases related to this minuscule parasite. Project lead Professor Helen Bridle said: "People across the UK are very concerned about potential contamination in public water systems: incidents like the one in Devon show just how serious an impact they can have on people’s lives and livelihoods. "Our system has achieved a very significant improvement in detection rates of harmful bugs in the water so this technology will prevent illness and economic losses much more effectively in future." Water companies routinely monitor water quality, but according to the scientists, their "different approach" to monitoring has led to a "significantly better performance". The team is currently establishing a spin-out company named Aquazoa, aiming to commercialise the innovative system by early 2026. They have successfully obtained high growth spin-out funding from Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency of Scotland.The Last Learjet Program: A Closer Look At The Learjet 85
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Mexican Peso Strengthens On Christmas EveA WOMAN has revealed the cruel moment she discovered her cheating ex had catfished her in a bid to win her back. The singleton, from Scotland, had met her dream man on Tinder and was looking forward to a first date at the Christmas markets. But ahead of the meeting, she was given a shocking catfish blow instead. Writing in to the Girls Overheard podcast , she said she has been left gutted and scared over the incident. Podcast host Eilidh Wells was tasked with reading out the anonymous message on the show. It read: "I've been talking to this guy for weeks on Tinder. We've never met or Facetimed but I was planning on meeting him at the start of December to go to the Christmas markets together. "We've literally chatted throughout the day every day and I felt like we really clicked. "Then out the blue last night I get a message from an ex." The former boyfriend in question was described as a "serial cheat and a liar" whose behaviour ended their "on and off" relationship last year. The woman' said's message went on: "So anyway he's messaging me out the blue last night telling me that he misses me and he's never clicked with anyone as much as me. "I left him on read for a few hours and then I noticed that he's sent me photos." At this point, the situation takes a creepy turn as the cheating ex exposes himself for catfishing his former lover. Continuing the message, host Eilidh says: "Dot dot dot screenshots of my Tinder messages to the other guy saying 'hope you don't think this is weird but I just wanted to show that we're a perfect match'. "This man has been catfishing me with a fake profile chatting to me for weeks all to prove that we still get on and he thought that that would win me over. "Never blocked anyone as fast in my life. Bit scary. "Also a bit gutted that my potential new man wasn't even real." Giving their verdict on the scheming stunt, Eilidh and her co-hosts Lauren Kerr adn Ash Reid fumed: "CALL NEV [Schulman, Catfish host] we need an intervention with this SNAKE." The clip has since racked 95,000 views with social media users in full agreement. "Wrong on so many levels", insisted one. A second cried: "No no no run." A third echoed: "Wow that’s seriously creepy behaviour." "Was not expecting that plot twist", someone else gasped. Meanwhile, a fifth said: "Utter madness, poor woman. That's some messed up stuff." Red flags are warning signs that indicate unhealthy or manipulative behaviour. When you encounter relationship red flags, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on the dynamic you really share with that person. For more advice and support, Relate is available: “Whether it’s your relationship with a partner, a child, a family member or anyone else – we help everyone to build better relationships.”