GM Working on Lithium-Metal Batteries
General Motors hasn't even launched the 2022 GMC Hummer EV full-size electric pickup truck, but the automaker is already working on next-generation batteries to give its electric vehicles more range in the future.
The potential breakthroughs mean an EV could be a customer's primary vehicle in terms of range and cost, Mark Reuss, GM's president, said.
The Hummer will be the first GM product to use the Ultium battery platform, and it will get about 350 miles of range on a full charge. But GM now says it can get about 450 miles of range for some vehicles from its Ultium batteries. The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq midsize SUV is the second vehicle due to utilize the Ultium system and is expected to get more miles per charge than the Hummer, the Lyriq being a much smaller and lighter vehicle.
Ultium—developed by GM with LG Chem—is a technical leap forward from the tech used in the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt and the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV, which are the last vehicles to use GM's older electric platform and battery system.
To take the next leap, GM is partnering with SolidEnergy Systems to jointly develop lithium-metal batteries that will power future models. Reuss announced the new joint venture at a Washington Post virtual conference. SES is a leader in lithium-metal technology and battery management software that uses artificial intelligence. GM Ventures invested in the work SES does in 2015 and this latest announcement is a further ramp-up of the companies' working relationship.
The new batteries, technically not solid-state because SolidEnergy uses liquid electrolytes, will have twice the energy density and reduce cost by 60 percent, Reuss said. Vehicles could travel 500-600 miles on a single charge.
The two companies will also build a test manufacturing facility in Woburn, Massachusetts, to make prototypes of a lithium-metal battery by 2023.
Source-MotorTrend
Kanye West is reportedly worth $6 billion
Kanye West is officially one of the richest people in the U.S., with a new report from Bloomberg stating the "Stronger" rapper is worth a whopping $6.6 billion dollars.
West, 43, earned a significant boost in profits due in part to his clothing brand Yeezy, which UBS Group AG values between $3.2 billion and $4.7 billion.
The Grammy winner also has $122 million in cash and stock tucked away, as well as a music catalogue valued at $110 million. The rest of his assets are valued at $1.7 billion.
Bloomberg also reports that Yeezy's upcoming collaboration with Gap, set to hit stores this summer, "Could be worth as much as $970 million of that total."
According to the deal West signed with Gap, it is a 10-year agreement where the rapper will be tasked to develop styles for men, women and children.
Adds the publication, they expect the line "to break $150 million in sales in its first full year in 2022."
The deal doesn't include footwear, as that department is covered with his collaboration with Adidas that runs until 2026.
West's new net worth makes him the second richest African American, putting him behind private-equity giant Robert F. Smith -- who is worth $7 billion.
Neither Adidas, Gap, UBS or representatives of the "Runaway" rapper respond to request for comment.
Source- ABC
WI need to be 'brutally honest' despite T20 series win
Former West Indies all-rounder Ian Bradshaw has warned the Caribbean side their batting has to be more clinical if they are to successfully defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in India later this year.
The 46-year-old said while West Indies defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in the just concluded series in Antigua, the home side lacked conviction in their batting and were also guilty of irresponsible stroke-play which needlessly put the innings under pressure.
Bradshaw also urged West Indies management to be “brutally honest” with the squad in order to lift the level of performances.
“I'm disappointed by the manner of our victories,” said Bradshaw, who featured in five Tests and 62 One-Day Internationals.
“Yes we won, but the result could've easily been 3-0 to Sri Lanka and as we build towards the World Cup, our performances will have to be far more clinical.
“Like so many series with West Indies cricket, we go into it and believe that our bowling is the weak link of the two and when it comes out, it's our batting that struggles and this has been the case in all three formats.”
He continued: “If you look at Test cricket, whenever we've scored 500 runs over two innings, we've won and history will show that. When we get over 300 runs in a One-Day International, we're very competitive.
“I'm sure that Coach [Phil] Simmons and maybe chief selector [Roger] Harper will have to be brutally honest with the guys. Experienced or inexperienced, when you reach this level, your match awareness has to be a lot better.”
West Indies produced a haphazard run chase to overhaul 132 and win the first game by four wickets before crumbling for 117 in pursuit of 161 to lose the second by 43 runs.
The third was another nervy contest, with West Indies eclipsing a modest target of 132 to win by three wickets with an over to spare.
In all three matches, West Indies batsmen appeared lost against Sri Lanka's spinners and none managed a half-century in the series or finished with an aggregate in excess of 100 runs.
Lendl Simmons topped the scoring with 73 runs while his opening partner Evin Lewis finished with 55 runs and left-hander Nicholas Pooran, 31 runs.
Source-CMC
Martinique government suspends use of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
Government has suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, following the lead of France and several other countries that have taken the step after some people who got the jab developed blood clots.
Health officials in the French overseas territory have indicated that so far, none of those who've been vaccinated here have had any serious adverse reactions to the vaccine.
However, the decision to temporarily halt the COVID-19 immunisation programme followed the announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron that his country would stop administering the shot as a precautionary measure.
France is awaiting a new assessment by the European Union's medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency. A decision is expected on Thursday.
However, on Wednesday the agency's executive director Emer Cooke said that while the investigation was ongoing, “we remain convinced that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh the risks of this vaccine”.
British drug regulators and AstraZeneca executives insist there is no link between the Oxford University-developed vaccine and a higher incidence of blood clots.
AstraZeneca said a review of 17 million people in the United Kingdom and Europe who've received the vaccine found that fewer than 40 developed blood clots.
Source-CMC
Trump's wealth down $700m after US presidency
Donald Trump's net worth has dropped by about $700m to $2.3bn (£1.65bn) during his time as president, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit his fortunes hard, with Mr Trump's office buildings, branded hotels and resorts losing revenue and falling in value.
His fleet of planes and golf courses have also seen drops in their value.
Mr Trump is currently under a criminal investigation into his financial affairs and his family business.
Bloomberg analysed financial documents and other filings from May 2016 and January 2021 to calculate Mr Trump's wealth before and after he became US president.
Mr Trump's commercial real estate accounts for about three-quarters of his net worth. The office towers he owns or co-owns have seen big drops in valuations as more people work from home, a trend that could last in the long term.
Bloomberg estimates a 26% drop in the value of his main commercial property holdings.
He also owns, manages or licenses his name to about a dozen hotels and resorts, plus 19 golf courses.
Although golf has become popular during the pandemic as a socially distanced outdoor sport, Mr Trump's two courses in Scotland have consistently lost money, filings show.
After the Capitol Hill siege in January, the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America ended an agreement to host its 2022 championship tournament at Mr Trump's New Jersey golf course, saying it would hurt the group's brand.
Deutsche Bank, the only bank willing to lend to him after his bankruptcies in the 1990s, also said after the riots that it would not do business with him again.
Mr Trump also owns a fleet of planes that includes a Boeing 757. These planes are decades old and have been marked down in value over the years, according to financial disclosures seen by Bloomberg.
Seven planes were valued at around $59m in 2015 and five were valued at about $6.5m in 2020. The value of Mr Trump's aircraft has dropped over the years, in part because he has sold some of his fleet.
During his presidency, Mr Trump's finances were regularly in the spotlight and he has been very secretive about how much tax he pays.
Last month the Supreme Court ordered Mr Trump to hand over his tax returns and other financial records to prosecutors in New York.
For months they have been trying to obtain eight years' worth of Mr Trump's personal and corporate tax returns.
The investigation was originally started in 2018 to examine the Trump Organization's role in hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to two women who said they had had affairs with Mr Trump.
Source-BBC
Tanzania's president dies aged 61 after Covid rumours
Tanzania's President John Magufuli has died aged 61, the country's vice-president has announced.
He died on Wednesday from heart complications at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, Samia Suluhu Hassan said in an address on state television.
Magufuli had not been seen in public for more than two weeks, and rumours have been circulating about his health.
Opposition politicians said last week that he had contracted Covid-19, but this has not been confirmed.
Magufuli was one of Africa's most prominent coronavirus sceptics, and called for prayers and herbal-infused steam therapy to counter the virus.
"It is with deep regret that I inform you that today... we lost our brave leader, the president of the Republic of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli," Vice-President Hassan said in the announcement.
According to Tanzania's constitution, Ms Hassan will be sworn in as the new president and should serve the remainder of Magufuli's five-year team which he began last year.
Magufuli was last seen in public on 27 February, but Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa insisted last week that the president was "healthy and working hard".
He blamed the rumours of the president's ill-health on "hateful" Tanzanians living abroad.
SOURCE-BBC
TCI PUBLIC FORECAST FOR THURS
GENERAL SITUATION: A PERSISTENT HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED NORTH OF THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MOSTLY DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BEACHGOERS ARE ASKED TO EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS, MAINLY AT NORTH AND EAST COAST BEACHES.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY, WARM AND BREEZY WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF A QUICK PASSING SHOWER TODAY. FAIR AND MILD TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE TCi, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS BUT GUSTY AT TIMES IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET BUT HIGHER IN GUSTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 5 TO 8 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS…SEAS SLIGHTLY HIGHER ACROSS ALL AREAS IN SUBSIDING NORTHEASTERLY SWELLS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 84°F 29°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 68°F 20°C
SUNRISE: 7:17 AM SUNSET: 7:18 PM
MOONRISE: 9:50 AM MOONSET: 11:07 PM
HIGH TIDE: 11:12 AM & 11:37 PM
LOW TIDE: 5:22 PM & 5:59 AM THUR.
WEATHER OUTLOOK: 11:00 AM (FOR TOMORROW/WEEKEND) THE ONCE DOMINANT HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO RETREAT EASTWARDS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS ON LATE FRIDAY OR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.
GOVERNOR’s APPOINTED MEMBER TO THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE – RUTH FORBES
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is one of the two most powerful Standing Committees in the House of Assembly – the other being the Appropriations Committee.
The PAC’s role is to retrospectively review public sector expenditure and hold the Government of the day to account for that expenditure. Section 122(1) of the Constitution sets out that it is chaired by the Opposition. Based on the current composition of the House, it is likely to have two members from the Government benches along with two expert members: one appointed by the Governor and one by the Speaker. Amongst other matters the Committee looks closely at reports from the Auditor General. As a Standing Committee of the House, the appointment lasts for four years.
As a result I have been asked to nominate an expert member to this Committee and have chosen to appoint Mrs Ruth Forbes.
Mrs. Forbes has a Diploma in Business Administration (Honours) from University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Barry University, Florida, USA. She successfully completed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examinations in 2003 and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) in 2014. Prior to joining FortisTCI in 2006, she served as Senior Auditor at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Turks and Caicos Islands.
At FortisTCI, Ruth served as Company Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President of Corporate Services, and was appointed as President and CEO of FortisTCI in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in August 2020. She stands as one of the few female CEOs in the utility sector serving the Caribbean region. Ruth currently serves as a Director on the Board of Fortis Ontario a sister utility of FortisTCI.
Ruth is a former Director of the Turks and Caicos Airports Authority Board and the Turks and Caicos National Insurance Board. She is also a philanthropist and founder of “Jewels Ablaze” a not-for-profit organization geared at mentoring, developing and supporting young women in the community.
This career, and set of professional qualifications will, I believe, allow Ruth to serve TCI well as an expert member of the PAC and brings much skill learned in the accounting and private business sector into a key Committee in the House of Assembly.
Ruth’s appointment completes the three appointments I make to support the work of the Legislature. Along with Harold Charles and Willin Belliard I believe this appointment brings a full range of diverse expertise, skill and background into the House and I’m confident all three will make important contributions to these Islands’ future. I wish all three well.
Caribbean visitor arrivals decline by more than 65 per cent
Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean fell by 65.5 per cent in 2020, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), but it is forecasting a turnaround this year.
In a statement released yesterday, the CTO said the impact of COVID-19 on the travel and tourism industry was particularly evident during the period of April to mid-June, when there was literally no activity in some destinations.
“This was characterised by empty hotels and restaurants, deserted attractions, shut borders, laid-off workers, grounded airlines and crippled cruise lines. While we saw some fluctuations in the levels of visitors for the remaining months of 2020, the influx of visitors has not reached levels even closely comparable to those being experienced prior to March 2020,” it said.
“In fact, some destinations remain closed to visitors, with limited airlift primarily for repatriation of locals and cargo.”
There was a 72 per cent slide to 8.5 million cruise visits in 2020, when compared to the 30 million visits in 2019.
Cruise lines plying Caribbean routes remain non-operational due to a strict ban imposed by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).
The CTO noted that with government restrictions both in the Caribbean and globally reducing and, in many cases, preventing travel for large periods of time, tourist arrivals to the region in 2020 fell to just over 11 million, a decline of 65.5 per cent when compared to the record 32 million tourist visits in 2019.
The CTO said a period of virtually no tourism began in mid-March, and the second quarter was the worst-performing with arrivals down by 97.3 per cent. Tourists began visiting again in June as the sector began to reopen.
“Still, the fall-off in stayover arrivals continued through to September — when a gradual reversal began — and continued right up to December. Destination initiatives such as the long-stay work programmes, other promotional activities and efforts of regional organisations such as the CTO, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and the Caribbean Public Health agency, contributed to the gradual rise in arrivals,” the regional tourism organisation said.
Like stayover arrivals, cruise was buoyed by the performance in the first three months of 2020, particularly the month of February, when there was a 4.2 per cent rise in visits.
However, a 20.1 per cent fall in the first quarter was followed by no activity for the remainder of the year as ships remained non-operational. The overall result was a 72 per cent slide to 8.5 million cruise visits, when compared to the 30 million visits in 2019.
The limited travel beyond the first two-and-a-half months of the year, resulted in difficulties in compiling visitor expenditure numbers in 2020.
However, based on information derived from international partners such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and limited reporting by Caribbean countries, the CTO estimated that across the region visitor expenditure declined by 60 to 80 per cent, in line with the decline in stayover and cruise arrivals.
Preliminary data indicates that the average length of stay for 2020 remained at roughly seven nights, the same as in in 2019.
In its forecast, the CTO said the Caribbean's performance in 2021 will depend largely on the success of the authorities in the marketplace and the region in combating, containing and controlling the virus.
“Already, there are some encouraging signs like the vaccine roll-out taking place in North America, Europe and the Caribbean,” it said.
“However, this must be tempered by some other factors such as: lockdowns in our key source markets which are expected to continue into the second quarter, international travel confidence not expected to pick up until the summer 2021, a steep fall in the number of people planning to travel abroad and the possible requirement by the authorities in our key markets for their citizens to vaccinate before travelling abroad.”
Taking those factors into consideration, the CTO said its initial forecast is for a 20 per cent rise in arrivals in 2021, with a similar increase in visitor expenditure, when compared to 2020.
Source-CMC
Biden, Fauci appear at odds over calling on Trump to urge supporters get vaccinated
President Joe Biden appeared to be at odds with his top scientist in the pandemic fight, Dr. Anthony Fauci, about whether former president Donald Trump should urge his supporters to get vaccinated, given a poll that shows they are the Americans most likely not to get the shots.
"Should President Trump help promote the vaccine amongst skeptics, sir? Especially those Republicans who say that they’re not willing," a reporter at the White House asked at the end of an event Monday.
President Biden responded, "The thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks, is what the local doctors, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community say" and called upon local doctors and ministers to push vaccinations.
A day earlier, Fauci said he wishes Trump would use his influence over supporters to encourage them to get the vaccine, saying it would "be a game changer" during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
While 30 percent of Americans said they would not get the vaccine if it became available to them, the percentage was far greater among white men, and those who voted for Trump are the most likely not to get the vaccine, according to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
Forty-nine percent of white men said they would not get vaccinated if it was available to them, and 47percent of those who supported Trump in 2020 reported they would get the vaccine.
Trump and former first lady Melania Trump both received their vaccines before his term ended, but he made no public statement at the time, reports surfacing only after he left office. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to an ABC News request for comment Monday.
Source-ABC