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Volkswagen becomes first foreign carmaker to qualify for US electric vehicle credit

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

WASHINGTON — Volkswagen has become the first non-U.S. brand to have an electric vehicle qualify for the Biden administration’s new tax credit for non-fossil-fuel cars and trucks, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.The news came two days after the administration unveiled a list of qualifying vehicle models that consisted entirely of U.S.-based brands such as Ford, General Motors and Tesla. And it could ease some of the transatlantic trade tensions that have reigned since last summer over the protectionist aspects of the United States’ clean-energy incentives.The list may expand further as other automakers excluded from the tax break find ways to meet the U.S. eligibility requirements, which include mandates that specific percentages of the batteries’ critical parts or minerals come from the United States or a close trading partner. BMW, Volvo, Hyundai and Nissan were among the companies whose vehicles failed to make the cut this week.Volkswag...

France and Poland spar as EU plan to buy Ukraine ammo idles in legal limbo

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

France and Poland clashed on Wednesday as ambassadors failed to settle a dispute over who should get the EU’s joint contracts to buy Ukraine ammunition — just local firms, or also competitors elsewhere — according to three diplomats familiar with the situation.EU ambassadors were trying to unblock an impasse over how to enact a plan to jointly purchase ammunition for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The idea is that EU countries will band together and draw money from a communal pot to help deliver Kyiv up to 1 million shells in the next 12 months.While EU leaders have approved the scheme — and even earmarked €2 billion to fund it — countries have since run into disagreements over how to spend the €1 billion set aside for joint contracts. The main point of contention: How much to restrict the money to EU manufacturers, and whether to include companies in places like the U.S. and U.K. France has been leading a charge to keep the money within the bloc, irking some of its EU ...

Elon Musk is wrong and West must ‘win AI race,’ says UK chancellor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

LONDON — The U.K. must go “full steam ahead” in cultivating artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on jobs are overblown, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt argued Wednesday night.Speaking at a POLITICO Tech UK event in London, Hunt shrugged off recent warnings from Twitter owner Elon Musk about the dangers of AI, and said he “doesn’t buy” fears that mass job losses must follow its rise. The West, he said, has to “win the race” to set global standards for the emerging technology.“Of course, there’s the potential for this technology to be used in a bad way. And indeed, we need to be very mindful of that,” Hunt said of artificial intelligence.“But I don’t believe it’s possible in the world we’re in, where there are countries that don’t share our values that are investing massively in AI, to opt out of this race. I think we have to win the race — and then be super smart about the way we re...

Healey Touts “A Ton More Money” For Municipal Climate Planning

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

This Earth Week, the Healey administration is revamping what it calls the state’s “flagship climate resilience program” by planning to help 30 cities and towns upgrade their climate resiliency plans through an equity lens.The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, administered by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, provides grants to municipalities to complete climate change vulnerability assessments and develop “action-oriented” resiliency plans that are specific to their community.Since its launch in 2017, 349 of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns have completed the MVP program, meaning they are eligible for MVP Action Grant funding for resiliency projects. The “MVP 2.0” pilot program that Gov. Maura Healey launched Wednesday will select up to 30 municipalities, five in each region of the state, to undergo an expanded MVP process over the next two years.“We know that climate doesn’t car...

US government tracking more than 650 potential UFO cases, Pentagon says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

(CNN) — The US government is tracking more than 650 potential cases of so-called “unidentified aerial phenomena,” commonly known as UFOs, according to the director of the office created last year to focus on the sightings.Sean Kirkpatrick, director of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee Wednesday that the number of cases was up from the 350 reports referenced in an unclassified intelligence report on unidentified aerial phenomena released earlier this year.“Of those over 650, we’ve prioritized about half of them to be of anomalous interesting value, and now we have to go through those and go ‘How much of those do I have actual data for?'” Kirkpatrick said.Kirkpatrick outlined to lawmakers how his office is helping the Pentagon and intelligence community to identify emerging foreign technologies, including his role in helping to identify the high-altitude surveill...

Ravens free agency tracker 2023: Practice squad WR Tarik Black re-signs, adding depth ahead of draft

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

Welcome to the Ravens’ free-agency tracker, which will be updated throughout the offseason.With the NFL’s new league year beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m., teams can officially announce signings and trades. Here’s a rundown of who the Ravens have agreed to sign, who they’ve lost and who’s still on the open market:Free agent additionsWide receiver Tarik Black: The Ravens added to their receiving corps on April 19, signing Black after he joined their practice squad in January.Undrafted out of Texas in 2021, the 25-year-old has appeared in one NFL game, with the Jets in 2022. He caught one pass for 10 yards in New York after spending his rookie season on the Colts’ practice squad.The 6-foot-3, 217-pound receiver began his college career at Michigan before transferring in 2020 to Texas, where he had 10 catches for 240 yards and a touchdown in six games.Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.: The Ravens made their biggest splash of the offseason to date on Easte...

Max Scherzer ejected in 4th inning vs. Dodgers while being checked for sticky substance

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Max Scherzer made an early exit from his start Wednesday, being thrown out of the Mets’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after a heated argument with umpires.In the third inning, the umpires showed some concern about his glove and he was forced to change it. The Mets ace then came out of the visitor’s dugout to start the fourth and was checked by Dan Bellino again. Scherzer insisted that he only had rosin on his hands, but Bellino and first base umpire Phil Cuzzi seemed unconvinced. Manager Buck Showalter came out to diffuse the situation but his ace became extremely animated with Bellino and Cuzzi and was ejected.It’s unclear whether he was ejected for a substance or for arguing with the officiating crew.Scherzer’s ejection comes four days after Yankees’ starter Domingo German was checked twice due to excessive stickiness on his throwing hand during a 6-1 victory over the Twins. German was allowed to continue after washing his h...

What’s Hot in Healthcare: Florida researchers can diagnose stroke with 83% accuracy

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

Cindy Krischer Goodman | South Florida Sun-SentinelIn the nation’s emergency rooms, strokes are regularly misdiagnosed, but now Florida International University researchers have created an algorithm to diagnose this medical condition more quickly and accurately.The FIU-created algorithm uses hospital data and social determinants of health data such as age, race and underlying conditions to diagnose a stroke even before the results of laboratory tests or diagnostic images are available. The researchers believe currently used pre-hospital stroke scales miss about 30% of cases.With stroke diagnosis, there is a critical window. Patients who are treated within an hour of the onset of symptoms have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage. FIU researchers say their machine learning algorithm, if used by emergency department care teams, would improve the patients’ medical outcome by allowing doctors to make better and faster decisions.The FIU study, published ...

Chris Perkins: I liked what Tua said about considering retirement, but worried about him as a human being

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

A human story broke out Wednesday during a football news conference. It’s a story of hope and trust. It’s a story of family and fatherhood. It’s a story of love and life.Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa revealed, yes, he considered retiring from football in the offseason because of the concussions he sustained.But in the end he couldn’t tear himself away from the game that he loves, not even for the family he loves even more than the game.Tagovailoa is a 25-year-old millionaire with a wife and young son. That’s one of the reasons he had retirement conversations with his family. He doesn’t need football.“But really it would be hard for me to walk away from this game,” Tagovailoa said, “with how old I am, with my son. I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do.“And, yeah, it’s my health, it’s my body, and I feel like this is what’s best for ...

Photos: Want to be Brad Pitt’s neighbor? Rare Carmel home listed for $8.8 million

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:24:47 GMT

A property in the picturesque Carmel Highlands coastal community, an enclave popular with celebrities, is for sale for $8.8 million.A property in the Carmel Highlands, an enclave popular with celebrities, is for sale for $8.8 million. (Wayne Capili)This past summer, Brad Pitt paid $40 million for a home in the secluded area overlooking the Pacific. Other previous residents include Betty White, “Little Mermaid” composer Alan Silvestri, and others. A nearby home was also featured in the Sharon Stone thriller “Basic Instinct.”A property in the Carmel Highlands, an enclave popular with celebrities, is for sale for $8.8 million. (Wayne Capili)The previous owner of the midcentury modern-style home was Anthony Frank, the late U.S. Postmaster General and former CEO of First Nationwide Bank. The property has a coveted design built on rocks that extends over the Pacific. And it is one of few homes in the area that has a stairway that leads to a hidden beach. Today, new buildings are not allow...