Rarely does a college basketball game provide such stark contrast between the sport's haves and have-nots as when Jackson State faces No. 9 Kentucky on Friday in Lexington, Ky. While Kentucky claims eight NCAA Tournament crowns and the most wins in college basketball history, Jackson State has never won an NCAA Tournament game and enters the matchup looking for its first win of the season. Impressive tradition and current record aside, Kentucky (4-0) returned no scholarship players from last season's team that was knocked off by Oakland in the NCAA Tournament. New coach Mark Pope and his essentially all-new Wildcats are off to a promising start. Through four games, Kentucky is averaging 94.3 points per game, and with 11.5 3-pointers made per game, the team is on pace to set a school record from long distance. The Wildcats boast six double-figure scorers with transfer guards Otega Oweh (from Oklahoma, 15.0 ppg) and Koby Brea (from Dayton, 14.5 ppg) leading the team. The Wildcats defeated Duke 77-72 on Nov. 12 but showed few signs of an emotional letdown in Tuesday's 97-68 win over a Lipscomb team picked to win the Atlantic Sun Conference in the preseason. Kentucky drained a dozen 3-pointers while outrebounding their visitors 43-28. Guard Jaxson Robinson, held to a single point by Duke, dropped 20 points to lead the Kentucky attack. Afterward, Pope praised his team's focus, saying, "The last game was over and it was kind of on to, ‘How do we get better?' That's the only thing we talk about." Lipscomb coach Lennie Acuff also delivered a ringing endorsement, calling Kentucky "the best offensive Power Four team we've played in my six years at Lipscomb." Jackson State (0-5) and third-year coach Mo Williams are looking for something positive to build upon. Not only are the Tigers winless, but they have lost each game by nine or more points. Sophomore guard Jayme Mitchell Jr. (13.8 ppg) is the leading scorer, but the team shoots just 35.8 percent while allowing opponents to shoot 52.3 percent. The Tigers played on Wednesday at Western Kentucky, where they lost 79-62. Reserve Tamarion Hoover had a breakout game with 18 points to lead Jackson State, but the host Hilltoppers canned 14 3-point shots and outrebounded the Tigers 42-35 to grab the win. Earlier, Williams, who played against Kentucky while a student at Alabama, admitted the difficulties of a challenging nonconference schedule for his team. "Our goal is not to win 13 nonconference games," Williams said. "We're already at a disadvantage in that regard. We use these games to get us ready for conference play and for March Madness." Jackson State has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2007. The Tigers had a perfect regular-season record (11-0) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2020-21 but lost in the league tournament. Kentucky has never played Jackson State before, but the game is being billed as part of a Unity Series of matchups in which Kentucky hosts members of the SWAC to raise awareness of Historical Black Colleges and Universities and provide funds for those schools. Past Unity Series opponents have been Southern in December 2021 and Florida A&M in December 2022. --Field Level Media

AI Ease Unveils Its Advanced AI Photo Retouching Tool For Flawless Portrait Enhancement( MENAFN - The Conversation) A recent advisory from the United States Surgeon General has made it clear - parents and caregivers are burned out. In a 2023 poll of more than 3,100 American parents, nearly 50 per cent reported experiencing debilitating levels of stress most days. Other recent surveys from Canada and the U.S. also found between 20 to 30 per cent of parents are experiencing moderate to severe levels of anxiety that could warrant a clinical diagnosis. When the tasks of the holidays are piled onto this baseline stress, it's easy to see how the“season of joy” may feel more like the“season of overwhelm.” How can both our society as a whole and parents as individuals dial back the pressure? Structural changes are essential. But scientific insights about child development can also help parents prioritize what matters most and shift how they respond to things that may otherwise trigger anxiety. Much of what is making parents stressed these days is structural in nature: things are more expensive, it's hard to find affordable child care, parents are more isolated, work is taking up more of parents' time and children's engagement with ever-evolving technology brings a range of serious health and safety concerns . These factors disproportionately affect parents who experience poverty, racism, violence or trauma. Addressing them will require substantial political and cultural shifts . But there are smaller factors to tackle as well. Parents today have more access to information than ever before. It's not just a pediatrician or family member they can turn to for advice, but endless blogs, forums and social media platforms. While online sources can build community and confidence, they can also contribute to information overload as panic headlines and contradictory advice often compound parents' feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed. These platforms also tend to showcase idyllic situations that lead parents to create unhelpful comparisons and unrealistic expectations, contributing to feelings of shame and guilt . To counteract these feelings, it's helpful to remember a few things: children's development is influenced by many things parents can't control, there are many benefits to imperfect parenting and independent play and parent wellness matters more than most else. It's common for people who haven't experienced discrimination or unexpected challenges to attribute children's behaviours and outcomes to parents' choices and efforts. This is an example of “attribution bias,” a bias towards a particular kind of explanation . Developmental science helps dispel this bias by highlighting that children's development is influenced by many factors other than parenting and beyond parents' control. First among these is genetics. For example, twin studies have found that genetic factors explain 57-76 per cent of child/adolescent mental illness, 60-84 per cent of picky eating and 60-85 per cent of school achievement. Another is exposure to adverse or positive experiences , such as witnessing violence or being supported by friends and non-parental adults. These types of experiences have substantial effects on children's physical and mental health. But they are inequitably distributed, based on factors such as income and race . There are big differences in children's temperaments and how they respond to their environments . The same parenting strategy applied to two different children can lead to two very different outcomes, as you may have observed in siblings. This is why the next time you catch yourself feeling shame or judgment about a child's behaviour, it's important to remember parenting choices might not be to blame. Psychologists and pediatricians often recommend certain parenting strategies to support children's development. But rarely do these providers suggest parents must follow their advice 100 per cent of the time to achieve the desired effects. It's what happens most of the time that matters. Even when parenting“imperfections” happen, like breaking routines or uncharacteristically snapping at children, they can be seen as opportunities. When“rupture” is followed up by“repair” in the form of acknowledgement, apologies, explanations and/or moments for restoring connection, it can benefit the parent-child attachment relationship and help children build their emotion-regulation skills. By using repair after the overwhelming moments that often happen during the holidays, parents can transform these moments from sources of shame to reasons for pride. Over the past few decades, parents' worries about children's physical safety have grown , while children's unsupervised play time has declined . Many parents are spending more time with their children , hovering or helicoptering over them rather than promoting independent play. No doubt, playing with the support of a responsive adult has many benefits for children's learning and development . But when it comes to parent involvement in play, sometimes less is more. Research shows that unstructured play - play that isn't organized by adults and doesn't have defined goals - is a“fundamental necessity” for children's well-being. Outdoor risky play has enormous benefits for children's physical and mental health that outweigh many of the perceived safety risks. There are also many unique benefits of playing with peers for both academic and social skill development. Read more: Keeping kids active despite the weather: Promoting outdoor activity all year round With this in mind, if you are a parent who is regularly your child's main playmate, it may be time to seek more opportunities to take a step back. The holidays can be a great time to start. News and social media feeds are full of panic headlines that can make it seem that certain foods, toys or parenting habits are what make or break children's life outcomes. It's easy for parents consuming this media to feel anxious or even want to change their purchases or behaviours in response to every new study. But most headlines overstate the findings of weak studies or small effects. And if following the headlines comes at the cost of parental well-being, it could be doing more harm than good. This is because one of the most consistent and strongest predictors of children's well-being is having safe, stable and nurturing relationships with caregivers - as both the Canadian and American Pediatric Societies have stated. Children need present and responsive caregivers more than they need any specific foods, presents or new parenting fads. This is why it may be worth considering what you can do to support yourself or other parents' well-being this year. This could mean providing practical or social support to the parents around you or just making them feel heard and understood . With high parental stress , it's more important than ever for everyone to replace judgment with empathy and advice with real support. And for parents, let's try to distinguish what we can and can't control, practise self-forgiveness in tough times, allow ourselves moments to do less and focus in on what matters most. It might help us experience more moments of joy in this holiday season and through all the seasons of parenthood. MENAFN17122024000199003603ID1109004710 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

Michelle Keegan & Mark Wright took secret pregnancy picture WEEKS ago & hid her baby bump before big reveal

( MENAFN - Asia Times) National security advisors to incoming President Donald trump are considering decapitating Iran's nuclear program in a bombing campaign. They would not be thinking this way had not Israel been remarkably successful in wiping out Iran's air defenses. The star of the show was the F-35. Interest in the Trump camp to replace the F-35 with drone , with Elon Musk one of the strongest voices, just took a body blow thanks to Israel . Israel destroyed Iran's air defenses including the Russian supplied S-300 MPU-2, an advanced version of the S-300. It was paired with radars including the Russian Rezonans-NE which, it was claimed, could detect Israeli stealth aircraft and missiles. The S-300 interceptor missiles fly at speeds between Mach 6 and Mach 8.5. Iran acquired four S-300 systems, finally delivered in 2016. Iran also sported a large number of other air defense systems that apparently were also liquidated. The F-35 is America's stealth tactical bomber. It is currently in production in a program that will ultimately cost the US taxpayer trillions of dollars. Because of the high price tag and numerous birthing problems, many of them centered on software code issues, top Trump people, including Elon Musk, aim to stop F-35 production and replace the stealth fighter with drones. The US has had some stealth drones for quite a while, but they are man-in-the-loop drones that require constant communications to reach their targets. The use of radio communications creates opportunities for any adversary as he can intercept the radio transmissions, locate the“stealth” drone through triangulation, and, as the Iranians proved, even grab control of the stealth drone and capture it. That's what happened on December 5, 2011 when a US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone was electronically captured by the Iranians over the town of Kashmar. The Iranians knew about the use of Sentinel drones over its territory, used to track Iran's nuclear program, but needed to find a way to intercept them. Watching the communications, they were able (probably with help from Russia) to build a controller and devised a way to grab control of the drone and land it. The Iranian pilot did fairly well, but his landing was rough and a wing was broken and the underside of the drone damaged. Even so it was a spectacular coup by Iran, and gave Iran and Russia access to a top secret platform with capabilities far greater than anything the Russians, or even the Chinese, had at the time. The RQ-170 drone program remains highly classified, but other than the B-21 Raider, it is the only stealth drone in the US inventory. The B-21 is a strategic bomber, but it is believed to be able to operate without a crew as a smart drone. The B-21 program is hugely expensive, with the price of each platform closing in on $1 billion per copy. Israel has a sizable inventory of drones -surveillance, command and control and attack types. But Israel's Air Force (IAF) relies on manned aircraft for its operations. Israel's version of the F-35 is called Adir (Mighty One). It is a customized version of the F-35 that includes domestically developed electronic countermeasures and does not include Lockheed's logistics tracking system (as that would mean its aircraft would be tracked, a significant vulnerability in the F-35 program). The Adir also supports Israeli weapons, air to air weapons such as Python and standoff weapons such as the Popeye Turbo with an accuracy better than 3 meters (9.8 feet). It should not be forgotten that a key advantage of a full-sized aircraft over a drone is the weapon's load, including smart weapons, and the ability to shift to alternative targets. Drones are much more limited, and drones that can release actual weapons (for example the Hellfire missile or small unguided weapons) don't have the punch that a big platform brings to the table. Today's trend is to build drones that fly along with fighter aircraft or even bombers. It remains to be seen if these newer companion drones really augment air force capabilities. Examples include the Russian Okhotnik-B S-70 and the US XQ-58A Valkyrie. While we do not know the costs (including R&D) for the Russian drone, the Valkyrie is likely priced at around $25 million a copy, about a third of the cost of the F-35. These models are unproven and their functionality in combat mostly speculative. Future drones will increasingly use artificial intelligence and synthetic mapping to hit targets, reducing if not eliminating radio communications but still relying on GPS satellites for course correction. One problem in this approach is that there is a considerable delay between an actual strike and reporting on the success of the attack, as the protection of the drone requires operating in silent mode. Probably additional drones will be needed to assess results, or satellites capable of surveying targets attacked. Israel attacked Iranian targets using non-stealth fighter aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 and the F-35 whose main function was to take out Iran's air defenses. Along the way Israel also crippled Iranian early warning radars in Syria and Iraq. Below is a map of the targets in Iran successfully hit by the IAF raid prepared by the Institute for the Study of War: We actually know very little about the logistics of Israel's operation against Iran. No doubt that information is highly classified. However it is obvious that Israel's attack, even taking into account the significant restrictions imposed by the Biden administration, was a great success. Similarly Israel was successful in knocking out Syrian air defenses, again reportedly using its F-35s. The Israeli operations in Syria and Iran are the first use of the F-35 against Russian-produced air defenses, demonstrating the value of the stealth feature of the aircraft. There is a strong lesson for potential adversaries including Russia. The Russians lacked stealth technology until recently. Russia's Su-57 fighter bomber has recently been upgraded to enhance its stealth characteristics (meaning reducing its radar signature). The Russians also are developing a more advanced stealth fighter, the Su-75 Checkmate. And Russia also is building a stealth bomber (the US already has the B-2 and is soon to deploy the B-21 Raider), the Tu-PAK-DA (expected to go into production in 2027). The Russians have also been pushing to develop technologies that can detect enemy stealth aircraft. Low observable technology is built around the idea of reducing radar signatures dramatically in X-band radar. X-band radars are the dominant type of air defense radar sets worldwide. Alternative radars, such as L Band or VHF , can detect stealth aircraft but they are range limited and not accurate enough for most countermeasures. (The Russians have built L Band radars into the wings of the Su-57 and other aircraft including the Su-27, to give them an ability to detect US stealth fighters.) In the United States those who want to cancel the F-35 program will have to answer the question of why production should be stopped on the F-35, a platform that tackled Russian air defenses and an expansionist Iran and taught both of them a lesson. Stephen Bryen is an Asia Times correspondent and served as staff director of the Near East Subcommittee of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as a deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. This article was first published on his Substack newsletter Weapons and Strategy and is republished with permission. Thank you for registering! An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link. MENAFN17122024000159011032ID1109004644 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Rich Warren | A few things to remember fro Black FridayU.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, introduced the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act of 2024 to Congress last week with the goal to improve safety for vulnerable road users. White, who was scheduled to race at the upcoming world championships in Scotland, was killed in July of 2023 when he was struck by a vehicle on a training ride near his home in Boulder. He was 17. If passed, the bill would require the Department of Transportation to issue a rule requiring car manufacturers to install automatic emergency braking systems on all new passenger motor vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds, according to a press release. Automatic emergency braking systems help detect if there is a pedestrian or cyclist in front of a car and will prompt the vehicle to brake before a collision happens, according to the release. “I am deeply inspired by Jill and Michael’s continued courage and advocacy, turning their pain into purpose and honoring Magnus’s memory by helping to make our roads safer for everyone,” Neguse said in a statement. “The Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act implements common-sense solutions that prevent tragedies and ultimately save lives.” Such legislation would protect a wide range of vulnerable road users including cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, highway workers on foot in a work zone, individuals operating a wheelchair and micro-mobility users, according to the proposed bill. Micro-mobility users include those using electric bikes, electric scooters, motorized skateboards, regular skateboards and mopeds. “We can’t bring Magnus back. That pain will never go away,” said Jill White. “This bill isn’t just about technology – it’s about saving lives when drivers fail. It’s about making sure no one else has to bury a loved one because the system didn’t do enough.” White was riding his Trek bike southbound at 12:33 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2023, on Colo. 119 just south of the 63rd Street intersection, when he was hit by a woman driving a Toyota Matrix that had crossed the street from the righthand lane into the shoulder, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Investigators said it appears the driver was asleep at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit. The driver has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial. After Magnus‘ death, his parents founded The White Line Foundation, which aims to drastically reduce traffic fatalities. “White Line is the foundation that was started after Magnus White was killed by a reckless driver last summer,” said Jacqueline Claudia, executive director for the White Line Foundation. “Our mission is to bring the number of cyclists and pedestrians that are killed by drivers down to zero within the next 10 years.” The foundation is optimistic about the introduction of the new bill, Claudia said. “We are excited to see it introduced but we’ll be more excited to see it passed,” said Claudia. “There are many steps getting a bill to be shaped into law, and so we need public support across the country.” Claudia also said the bill is non-partisan and advocated for the implementation of automatic emergency braking systems. “We can no longer afford to leave it up to car manufacturers to decide whether or not they want to put life-saving technology in place,” said Claudia. “This technology exists to save lives so it’s time that we mandate the use of it. Boulder Police Deputy Chief Barry Hartkopp, who oversees Boulder Police Department’s Operations Division which includes the traffic unit, expressed his support for the proposed bill. “The Boulder Police Department supports any legislation that will help make our roadways safer for all community members who use them, especially our most vulnerable,” said Hartkopp. Longmont Public Safety has not taken a position on the bill. “While the council supports traffic safety legislation generally, they have not taken a position on this bill specifically at this time,” said Longmont Public Safety Spokesman Rogelio Mares. According to Claudia, the foundation gets contacted weekly by people who lost a family member due to a fatal crash. “We are trying to amplify their stories to make sure nobody else has a story. That’s our goal,” said Claudia. “Losing Magnus was horrific in every way you can imagine, and we don’t want anyone else to have to go through that.” Claudia said that the White Line Foundation is a nonprofit organization and is mainly funded by donations. “Magnus’ death will not be just another statistic,” Jill and Michael white wrote on their website . “It will be the catalyst for real change in how we protect vulnerable road users. We invite you to join us. Not with sympathy, but with action.”MONTRÉAL, Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nova Bus, a Canadian leader in electric bus manufacturing and a member of the Volvo Group, announces a strategic partnership with Lithion Technologies, a leader in the circular economy of battery materials, to enhance the sustainability of its urban transportation solutions. Through this collaboration, end-of-life batteries from Nova Bus buses in use across Canada will be collected, transported, and recycled by Lithion at its Saint-Bruno facility. The recycling technologies developed by Lithion will enable the recovery of up to 98% of the critical minerals found in bus batteries destined for recycling. By doing so, Nova Bus will reduce the industry's need for virgin materials, support a circular economy, and repurpose strategic and critical materials. Ultimately, this multi-year collaboration aims to enhance sustainability in the hybrid and electric urban bus industry. "I am very excited about this partnership because it represents the full potential of companies with complementary expertise dedicating their efforts to improving the environmental footprint of their products. Recycling is a crucial step in the value chain of batteries. That is why, through this collaboration, we are enhancing the sustainability of our solutions for our customers while strengthening our position as a leader in the electrification of public transportation," explained Mr. Paul Le Houillier, President of Nova Bus. "We are proud to offer a local, sustainable service to a renowned company like Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group. This agreement confirms the critical role of recycling in the transition towards truly sustainable transportation. The prospect of making public transit even more environmentally responsible is truly exciting. Through strategic partnerships like Nova Bus, we can envision achieving full circularity of battery materials right here in Quebec," noted Benoit Couture, President and CEO of Lithion. The Nova Bus batteries recycled by Lithion Technologies will have completed all their life cycles based on various uses, such as energy storage systems or residential electrification, post electrical propulsion. Lithion's intervention will represent a step towards closing the loop in the circular economy for these batteries, which will no longer be capable of storing electricity. About Nova Bus Nova Bus , member of the Volvo Group, is a leading provider of sustainable transportation solutions in North America. Nova Bus accompanies transit authorities and bus fleet operators in their transition to electromobility with its flagship LFSe+ long-range electric bus, combining the proven Nova Bus structure with the latest innovations in electric drive. Nova Bus is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and positively contributing to a greener economy. About Lithion Technologies Lithion has developed a sustainable, robust, and safe solution to produce strategic materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and non-conforming products from their production. Lithion's technologies enable the recovery of up to 95% of battery components, with an environmental impact significantly smaller than that of mining, to loop them back into the battery supply chain. Using Lithion's sustainable technologies and processes reduces the demand for natural resource extraction, making the energy transition a sustainable solution. Lithion's objective is the global deployment of its solutions via strategic partnerships. For more information, visit: www.lithiontechnologies.com . For more information: Christos Kritsidimas Head of Legal, Public Affairs and External Communications at Nova Bus Phone: +1 (438) 350-0454 Email: christos.kritsidimas@volvo.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Max - who is best known for starring in The Wanted - wrote on Instagram: "Say hello to my little friend! Given the last 10 days, this is the best Christmas present I could've ever wished for. "Pacemaker is in. Operation took around 2 and half hours. The main issue being some of my veins had collapsed where the wires were meant to go... But the surgeons and nurses at the NHS have been incredible. I owe everything to them. "The surgeon kindly put my pacemaker just underneath a very special tattoo of mine.. So I'm sure it's being looked after. (sic)" Max intends to focus on his recovery in the next few days and weeks, before he tackles life "full on once again". The pop star wrote: "Few more tests to do due to inflamed lymph nodes on my lungs, but that'll be easy work! "Time to rest and then tackle life full on once again [heart emoji] Thank you for all your support. It's meant a hell of a lot to myself and my family (sic)" Max previously admitted that he didn't have "too much time to wait" before undergoing surgery. The singer wrote on Instagram: "Had a little day trip today. Full CT scan on my heart. Not something I'd choose to do again! "As I mentioned yesterday, I have a 2:1 block in my heart. Unfortunately my heart rate hasn't picked up at all in almost a week. Because of this, we don't have too much time to wait so it looks like I'm going to be in surgery way quicker than the doctors first thought. I may even be home for Christmas! (sic)"

Pep Guardiola: It’s my responsibility to solve Manchester City’s poor runWASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop for the airline. The order, which prevented planes from taking off, was issued at the airline's request after it experienced trouble with its flight operating system, or FOS. The airline blamed technology from one of its vendors. As a result, flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% of the airline's 3,901 domestic and international flights leaving on time, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company. Nineteen flights were canceled. Dennis Tajer, a spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, a union representing American Airlines pilots, said the airline told pilots at 7 a.m. Eastern that there was an outage affecting the FOS system. It handles different types of airline operations, including dispatch, flight planning, passenger boarding, as well as an airplane's weight and balance data, he said. Some components of FOS have gone down in the past, but a systemwide outage is rare, Tajer said. Hours after the ground stop was lifted, Tajer said the union had not heard about any “chaos out there beyond just the normal heavy travel day.” He said officials were watching for any cascading effects, such as staffing problems. On social media, however, customers expressed frustration with delays that caused them or their family members to miss connecting flights. One person asked if American planned to hold flights for passengers to make connections, while others complained about the lack of assistance they said they received from the airline or gate agents. Bobby Tighe, a real estate agent from Florida, said he will miss a family Christmas Eve party in New York because his American flight was repeatedly delayed. The delays made him miss a connecting flight, leaving him the choice of going to his destination — Westchester, New York — on Christmas Day or taking another flight to Newark, New Jersey, that was scheduled to land Tuesday evening. He chose the latter. “I’m just going to take an Uber or Lyft to the airport I was originally supposed to go to, pick up my rental car and kind of restart everything tomorrow,” Tighe said. He said his girlfriend was “going through the same exact situation” on her way from Dallas to New York. Cirium noted that the vast majority of flights were departing within two hours of their scheduled departure time. A similar percentage — 36% — were arriving at their destinations as scheduled. Dallas-Fort Worth, New York’s Kennedy Airport and Charlotte, North Carolina, saw the greatest number of delays, Cirium said. Washington, Chicago and Miami experienced considerably fewer delays. Meanwhile, the flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that 4,058 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed, with 76 flights canceled. The site did not post any American Airlines flights on Tuesday morning, but it showed in the afternoon that 961 American flights were delayed. Amid the travel problems, significant rain and snow were expected in the Pacific Northwest at least into Christmas Day. Showers and thunderstorms were developing in the South. Freezing rain was reported in the Mid-Atlantic region near Baltimore and Washington, and snow fell in New York. Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline tends to be expensive. An American spokesperson said Tuesday was not a peak travel day for the airline — with about 2,000 fewer flights than the busiest days — so the airline had somewhat of a buffer to manage the delays. The groundings happened as millions of travelers were expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers through Jan. 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. ___ Associated Press writers David Koenig, Mae Anderson and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report. Matt Ott And Haleluya Hadero, The Associated Press

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nova Bus, a Canadian leader in electric bus manufacturing and a member of the Volvo Group, announces a strategic partnership with Lithion Technologies, a leader in the circular economy of battery materials, to enhance the sustainability of its urban transportation solutions. Through this collaboration, end-of-life batteries from Nova Bus buses in use across Canada will be collected, transported, and recycled by Lithion at its Saint-Bruno facility. The recycling technologies developed by Lithion will enable the recovery of up to 98% of the critical minerals found in bus batteries destined for recycling. By doing so, Nova Bus will reduce the industry’s need for virgin materials, support a circular economy, and repurpose strategic and critical materials. Ultimately, this multi-year collaboration aims to enhance sustainability in the hybrid and electric urban bus industry. “I am very excited about this partnership because it represents the full potential of companies with complementary expertise dedicating their efforts to improving the environmental footprint of their products. Recycling is a crucial step in the value chain of batteries. That is why, through this collaboration, we are enhancing the sustainability of our solutions for our customers while strengthening our position as a leader in the electrification of public transportation,” explained Mr. Paul Le Houillier, President of Nova Bus. “We are proud to offer a local, sustainable service to a renowned company like Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group. This agreement confirms the critical role of recycling in the transition towards truly sustainable transportation. The prospect of making public transit even more environmentally responsible is truly exciting. Through strategic partnerships like Nova Bus, we can envision achieving full circularity of battery materials right here in Quebec,” noted Benoit Couture, President and CEO of Lithion. The Nova Bus batteries recycled by Lithion Technologies will have completed all their life cycles based on various uses, such as energy storage systems or residential electrification, post electrical propulsion. Lithion’s intervention will represent a step towards closing the loop in the circular economy for these batteries, which will no longer be capable of storing electricity. About Nova Bus Nova Bus , member of the Volvo Group, is a leading provider of sustainable transportation solutions in North America. Nova Bus accompanies transit authorities and bus fleet operators in their transition to electromobility with its flagship LFSe+ long-range electric bus, combining the proven Nova Bus structure with the latest innovations in electric drive. Nova Bus is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions and positively contributing to a greener economy. About Lithion Technologies Lithion has developed a sustainable, robust, and safe solution to produce strategic materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and non-conforming products from their production. Lithion’s technologies enable the recovery of up to 95% of battery components, with an environmental impact significantly smaller than that of mining, to loop them back into the battery supply chain. Using Lithion’s sustainable technologies and processes reduces the demand for natural resource extraction, making the energy transition a sustainable solution. Lithion’s objective is the global deployment of its solutions via strategic partnerships. For more information, visit: www.lithiontechnologies.com . For more information: Christos Kritsidimas Head of Legal, Public Affairs and External Communications at Nova Bus Phone: +1 (438) 350-0454 Email: christos.kritsidimas@volvo.comFrese pleased after No. 8 Maryland stays unbeaten in 'phenomenal game' against No. 19 Michigan State