Mainaklot: August 2023

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Tesla Model 3 Highland officially unveiled with new design and more features - Electrek

Just hours after photos leaked of the upcoming Tesla Model 3 refresh, codenamed “Project Highland,” Tesla has officially unveiled its highly-anticipated facelift in Europe.

The refresh includes a “facelifted” front-end design, interior changes like more screen space (including a new rear display), and increased range. Tesla says that the refresh replaces more than half of the parts in the vehicle, though we’re not exactly sure how it measures that metric.

The most striking change is obviously the new design, which keeps most of the same look of the current Model 3, but changes the front end to look sleeker, removing the somewhat bulbous bump in the front end of the current Model 3.

We saw this front end in a leaked photo back in April, and it looks like it was the real thing all along. Now we have actual photos from Tesla, so you can see the changes in their full glory.

These photos show the new “Ultra Red” color, replacing the current red multi-coat. But this color may only be available in Europe – we’ll have to wait for more word from Tesla on this one.

The headlights have also gotten narrower and more aggressive-looking, in keeping with the general changes to make the front end look sleeker.

Tesla says that the refreshed Model 3 will have longer range, rated at 344 miles WLTP for the SR RWD version, and 421 miles WLTP for the LR, both with 18″ aero wheels. These numbers are an 11-12% improvement from WLTP ratings for the current Model 3.

But note that those are WLTP numbers, so they’re bigger than the US EPA numbers will be when they come out. If we expect a similar 11-12% improvement, then you’ll see roughly a ~300 mile EPA range on the SR and ~370 miles on the LR.

This increased range largely comes from improvements in aerodynamics, with a lower and less bulbous front end, channeling air around the vehicle more effectively. This has resulted in a Cd of .219, Tesla’s lowest yet (down from .225 on the current Model 3), which improves range by 5-8% on its own.

Another improvement is new wheel cover inserts which strike a compromise between consumers’ desires for larger-looking wheels and more range. Aerodynamic wheel inserts can increase range by a lot, but many think the wheels look better without the caps on (personally, I disagree, but whatever floats your boat).

There is a significant slate of interior changes as well:

A new rear 8-inch touchscreen, giving rear seat passengers control over climate change and entertainment
Deleted stalks on the steering column, much as in the Model S and X, with the gear selector now on the touchscreen and turn signal buttons on the left side of the steering wheel
Ventilated front seats, which can be controlled from outside the vehicle through Tesla’s phone app, heating or cooling them up before you get in the car
Cushier rear seats (now perforated, but not ventilated like the front seats)
The sound system has been upped to 17 speakers (from 14)
Improved bluetooth microphone performance
Improved wi-fi and bluetooth for better connectivity to routers and phone keys
A quieter interior than on the original Model 3, due to several changes to aerodynamics and materials
Customizable interior ambient lighting
Larger rear trunk, up to 594 liters from 561

Changes are now live on Tesla’s European sites, where the refreshed Model 3 is now available for order.

Deliveries begin in October (right after Tesla’s shameless FSD transfer scheme expires) in left-hand drive markets in Europe and the Middle East. Tesla has not yet announced when deliveries begin for North America (or for RHD markets like the UK). We don’t have pricing for North America yet, either, but in Norway for example, the SR version is the same base price as before, and the LR version is 10,000 NOK (~$941 USD) more expensive. So far, no performance Highland version has been announced.

Electrek’s Take

We’ve expected this refresh for quite a while now, but now that we see it, it’s a lot more extensive than we had imagined it would be.

The front end changes have been well documented, but the significant overhaul of the interior is quite a lot more than we thought it would be.

I personally love most of the changes, but am not a fan of the new steering wheel. While I haven’t tried this specific one, the “yoke” wheel on the Model S was not that pleasant to use. I’m sure it would be fine after getting used to it, but turn signal stalks are just so convenient and familiar, and I don’t like the change to buttons.

Same for using the screen for gear selection, which just feels kludgy – though that command isn’t used nearly as often as the turn signals, so it’s not as offensive to me personally.

And, lest you think I am merely a luddite, recall that in our original Model 3 review, I raved about almost everything about this car, including the changes that many considered odd. It was and is an exceptional vehicle, and the Highland changes do not change that on balance.

We’ll have to wait and see if changing 50% of the parts in the car results in a few glitches here and there with early models, but Tesla has gotten a lot better at manufacturing since the early days, so hopefully it won’t be too bad. Even my early Model 3 (VIN ~2500) has been mostly free of problems (except for the stinky feet air conditioning issue – it remains to be seen if Tesla has finally solved this with Highland, but we sure hope they have).

What do you think of the new Project Highland Model 3 Refresh? Let us know in the comments below.

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When a child is shot, doctors must heal more than just bullet holes - BBC

By Rebecca Hartmann

BBC News in Washington, DC

With the number of young people shot by guns on the rise in the US, a children's hospital in the heart of the America's capital is trying to break the cycle of violence.

In the emergency room at Children's National hospital in Washington, DC, hospital beds line the corridors as cartoons blare on television sets.

Nearby, children with the most traumatic injuries are rushed to the trauma room. These are often victims of road traffic accidents, but in recent years, more and more children have arrived with gunshot wounds. Dr Mikael Petrosyan, a paediatric trauma surgeon who has operated on victims as young as three years old, says it's a near daily occurrence.

"It's shocking, because it's a senseless it's to me, it's mind boggling," he says.

Firearms are now the most common cause of death amongst people under 17 years old, outranking road traffic accidents. The rate of gun-related deaths amongst youths has doubled in the last decade, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open medical journal, but it has got even worse since Covid. According to Pew Research gun deaths among under 18's in the US rose by 50% between 2019-2021.

But it's not just the physical wounds though that need treating, say experts who work with gunshot victims. Dr Petrosyan says that children who have been shot before are much more likely to be shot again, often because they go right back to the same places, and the same people, that led to the initial shooting.

"That child not only gets traumatized, physically, but also mentally," he says.

Young victims may need help getting back on the right track - whether that means enrolling in school, finding a new group of friends or getting a job - in order to break the cycle of violence.

Dr Katie Donnelly, an emergency medical physician at National Children's Hospital, likens gun violence to a chronic illness that eventually proves fatal and says its endemic in parts of Washington DC.

"We have lots of families, who will say to us, every one of my children has been shot, or I still have my bullets in my body or his father was killed on the same street corner where he was shot," she told the BBC.

Last year, she launched the hospital's first youth violence intervention program. Instead of treating gun-shot wounds as isolated incidents, the programme takes that horrific moment in a young person's life and turns it into a starting point for change.

Yvonne Doerre, a social worker in DC for nearly thirty years, says there are many reasons behind the rise in youth gun violence. Guns are relatively easy to access, but there is also the lingering effects of the pandemic.

"When you go back to when Covid started, these kids were in fifth or sixth grades [ages 10-12], which are very volatile times in people's lives," she says. Without the structure of having to attend school in person, many young teens stopped attending online classes, and even failed to enrol in secondary school when the time came, she says.

"If you enrol then don't show, they'll look for you, but they never enrolled. You're just persona non grata. You don't exist," Ms Doerre says.

Getting youths enrolled and attending schools is one of the programme's key goals, but keeping them in school is not the only consideration. There is also the question of keeping young people caught up in gang violence away from the environment that made them a victim in the first place.

It's a fact the team has had to experience first hand. One of the first young men to enter the programme had his first gunshot wound when he was 13 years old. He joined the programme after his second shooting, and the team engaged with his family to talk about how best to help him. A few months later, he was shot and killed for a third and final time.

But there are successes. In their weekly meeting the team talked to a teenager who recently managed to get his job back due to the advice they gave him. For Dr Donnelly, there are many markers of success.

"How many Kids did I get back in school? How many kids did a summer work experience, and they're so proud and they show us their little their debit card with their first paycheque on it," Dr Donnelly says. "There are so many factors that affect whether or not a kid gets shot. We're just one piece of the puzzle."

Jewanna Hardy, who runs a youth programme called Guns Down Friday and has been working with the hospital team, agrees.

"Before this programme a kid would just get shot and go home," she says.

"They'd patch you up and you go on about your way."

"But now it's like a team of us, trying to figure out how we can change that kid's life, how we can change that family's life or community's lives."

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A new way to buy more farmland - Successful Farming

It’s becoming increasingly common for farmers to compete with investors for land. A new company is seeking to turn competitors into partners.

Fractal, a farmland equity financing company, intends to help U.S. row-crop farmers purchase new land by accessing the equity in the land they already own. Fractal will connect the farmer with an investor who will purchase a minority share, up to 45%, of their owned land for cash to assist in the purchase of new land. The farmer maintains majority ownership and total control of their land.

"We strongly believe farmland investment can be a force for good by aligning farmers with capital," says Ben Gordon, CEO and co-founder of Fractal. "We believe farmers are best positioned to manage the land and that investors can drive the greatest impact and returns by supporting strong farm businesses."

Under Fractal’s financing plan, the farmer pays the investor an annually-adjusted fee for the partnership. Any time after two years, the farmer may choose to buy out the investor but Gordon says their hope is farmers see the value in maintaining the partnership as it frees up cash for other opportunities. Fractal is also offering a discount to farmers who choose to enact approved conservation practices.

"Our customer is that farmer who is constantly tinkering, growing, and improving, and has these other opportunities and the desire to improve their farm," says Gordon.

The company’s launch is following a testing period that raised $5 million in investments.

"Having capital ready to buy the must-have farms that come across my desk is very intensive," says Kyle Mehmen of MBS Family Farms, a 5th generation family farming operation in northeast Iowa. "Many farms become available at an inopportune time. Access to equity capital gives us the flexibility to plan for growth to support the next generation, and Fractal has become a trusted tool to help me capitalize on land opportunities when they arise to ensure that growth."

Fractal is backed by Trailhead Capital, Serra Ventures, LLC, Groove Capital, and Virta Ventures and supported by industry partners such as UnCommon Farms.

Learn more by visiting the company's website or signing up for this upcoming informational webinar.

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Russia faces domestic fuel crunch, braces for more shortages - The Globe and Mail

Russia, one of the world’s biggest oil producers, has faced shortages of fuel crucial for gathering the harvest in some parts of its southern breadbasket and the situation may get worse in coming months, market sources told Reuters.

Traders said that the fuel market has been hit by a combination of different factors, including maintenance at oil refineries, infrastructure bottlenecks on railways and the weaker ruble, which incentivizes fuel exports.

Russia has tried to tackle diesel and gasoline shortages over recent months, contemplating export curbs as the last-ditch attempt to prevent a serious fuel crisis – which is sensitive for the Kremlin ahead of a presidential election in March.

A government decision to cut subsidies for refineries is likely to worsen the availability of fuel in the world’s biggest grain exporter.

Regional oil product depots in Russia’s southern regions have had to cut or even suspend fuel sales, while retail filling stations were forced to limit fuel sale volumes to customers.

“The AI-92 gasoline is not available for retail sales in Krasnodar region, Adygea and Astrakhan, there is hardly any AI-95 gasoline and diesel,” a trader in Russia’s south said.

Another trader said there have been no diesel sales at oil depots and there is no diesel on retail markets for the second week running in the whole Samara region, located in the Volga river region.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that there were no fuel shortages.

But he also said government was working on measures to ensure a stable supply of it on the domestic market, including increasing levels of mandatory sales on exchanges and limiting the number of exporters.

Traders said the shortages on the retail market followed by a sharp rise of wholesales prices. The state caps the retail prices, ordering the sellers to raise prices of gasoline and diesel only in line with official inflation.

Industry sources say the situation will improve no earlier than October when many oil refineries will wrap up their maintenance, while seasonal demand is expected to decline.

Some farmers also complained about scarcity of fuel.

“There are shortages of fuel … oil products prices rose in the range of between 10% and 20%,” Andrei Neduzhko, director-general of agricultural holding Step said in written comments.

His company operates in Russia’s southern regions of Rostov, Krasnodar and Stavropol. He said, however, there are no risks to the autumn sowing campaign for his holding.

Wholesale diesel prices started to sharply rise in July. For the past two months, commodity exchange diesel prices jumped on average by more than a quarter to 67,000 rubles (about $944) a ton.

“We do not buy. The prices are crazy,” an owner of a fuel depot said.

The energy ministry said last week that the volume of Russia’s oil products output fully met current demand for fuel, taking into account the redirection of some gasoline and diesel exports to the domestic market, as well as the use of stockpiles.

The energy ministry also was recommending earlier this month that oil companies find ways to curb wholesale fuel price rises in agricultural regions.

It has said in a statement that some supply issues had arisen because of high congestion on railways in southern Russia during the tourism season.

Russian Railways has said it was in discussions with oil producers, and was ready to solve the issues.

It also said in comments to Reuters that fuel supplies to southern regions via railways do not depend on an increase in passenger traffic.

“All requests for the transportation of fuel on domestic routes are given a priority … and “almost 100% of all products are delivered on time,” it said.

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‘A big change’: Calgary’s proposal to build more housing near future Green Line station - Global News

A proposal from the City of Calgary that would make way for more housing near a future Green Line LRT station is also expected to bring significant change to the southeast community of Riverbend.

That proposal would see close to 15 acres of vacant city-owned land on the east end of the neighbourhood redeveloped to build what’s called “transit-oriented development.”

Five sites are set to be re-zoned to allow for the development of three-storey townhomes and six-storey multi-residential buildings within walking distance of the future South Hill LRT station.

A rendering of the proposed redevelopment in Riverbend. City of Calgary

The proposal would see the construction of up to 600 units and would be home to an estimated 1,100 people.

“The majority of the land is owned by the city. There’s existing utilities, existing roads,” said Mike Carnegie, a project manager with the City of Calgary. “So this was one of the lower hanging fruit, transit oriented development opportunities.”

However, the plan would also include impacts to Riverstone Road Southeast, a quiet street with a barrier leaving it unconnected to the city-owned land, as well as the nearby 24 Street Southeast.

A map outlining the proposed changes from the City of Calgary on the east side of Riverbend. Global News

The plan would open up the road as a connector for traffic as well as transit coming from the South Hill LRT station.

“There’s a bit of anger, but mostly concerns. Safety concerns, traffic concerns, things like that,” said Jason Wingate, who lives adjacent to where the street would be opened. “People have been here a long time, a lot of the people have been here 20 years.

“It’s a big change in a really short amount of time.”

According to the proposal, traffic mitigation on Riverstone Road S.E would mean removing on-street parking on one side of the road, as well as an expansion of the road and sidewalks.

Wingate told Global News that many residents who live in the area don’t have parking outside of a spot on the street. He said he’s also heard concerns about the potential increase in traffic flow coming from the LRT station and proposed development.

“We’re talking 1,000 more people,” he said. “It’s a lot of traffic and they’re going to build more infrastructure by the C-Train station as well, so this (street) will just be busier, busier and busier.”

Click to play video: 'Omission of north leg of Green Line LRT in Alberta mandate letters draws frustration'

2:06 Omission of north leg of Green Line LRT in Alberta mandate letters draws frustration

The City of Calgary has held three information sessions with residents, including two targeted to gather feedback from residents on Riverstone Road S.E.

According to Carnegie, more mitigation efforts are being explored with community feedback also set to be included in the city’s application to redevelop the area.

“Folks are concerned, rightfully so, about increases in traffic and new transit route safety,” he said. “The city does take take those concerns seriously.”

Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner said her office has also heard concerns, adding there are opportunities with flexibility around traffic flow on the street if the proposal gets approved at city hall.

“Safety is top of mind. We know there’s residents and kids, and so how we manage and mitigate for all of that is going to be important,” Penner told Global News. “I think once we know, and have a little bit better direction, on what we want to do in terms of who the street gets open to, that that will be there.”

5:32 Green Line LRT forces Calgary artists to search for new studio space

Although construction on the Green Line LRT is still years away, Penner said she believes there will be similar multi-residential development proposals along the line as the project progresses.

“People often talk about how we redevelop the city and this is one of those great opportunities,” Penner said. “I think we’ll see more of this come along with the Green Line and that’s a good thing.”

An understandable move for Wingate, who said he hopes there are reassurances the community’s concerns are being heard.

“I understand the need for the infrastructure,” he said. “I just think they need to keep in mind the people who have lived here and have been paying property taxes for decades.”

There will be another engagement session on the proposal for residents in Riverbend on Sept. 21, after which the city said it will submit the proposal for a review.

A decision on the proposed redevelopment is expected by city council sometime early next year.

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Wednesday, August 30, 2023

PFL sells minority stake, plans expansion into Saudi Arabia - ESPN - ESPN

Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff WriterAug 30, 2023, 12:46 PM ET

SRJ Sports Investments, a company launched earlier this month by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has acquired a minority stake in mixed martial arts promotion Professional Fighters League, it was announced Wednesday.

As part of the agreement, SRJ will also be an investor in a new regional league called PFL MENA, which will launch in 2024, and will support PFL's expansion into Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The upcoming PFL pay-per-view Super Fight events will be held in Saudi Arabia.

SRJ's commitment to the PFL is worth more than $100 million, sources confirmed to ESPN after a report from Sportico. One source told ESPN that the deal "could be worth substantially more" than that number in the future.

The first Super Fight will be in the first quarter of 2024, the PFL said in its announcement. It mentioned that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul will both fight for PFL on pay-per-view next year.

"PFL's mission is to become the global co-leader in MMA with our fighter-first mission and disruptive sport-season format," PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis said in a statement. "This investment by SRJ continues the monumental growth that PFL has experienced throughout the world, and there is no better partner in global sports than SRJ."

This is Saudi Arabia's first official foray into mixed martial arts, although it has been active in combat sports over the past several years, hosting and financing major boxing and WWE events. The country has been aggressive in its investments in soccer, golf, Formula One racing and cycling, among other sports.

According to the release, PFL plans to launch six international regional leagues by 2026, what it called the first "Champions League of MMA." PFL Europe started earlier this year, and PFL MENA will launch in the second quarter of 2024 with a "four-event sport-season format" schedule announced in the fall.

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A million more non-permanent residents live in Canada than official figures, ministers told - The Globe and Mail

Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist of CIBC Capital Markets, told the Liberal government gathering in Charlottetown that the undercounting in the official statistics means Canada is underestimating the number of new homes required to meet the country’s increasing housing needs.Tijana Martin/The Globe and Mail

A leading economist warned federal ministers at their cabinet retreat last week that there are around one million more non-permanent residents living in Canada, including foreign students, than government estimates suggest.

The warning came in a briefing from Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist at CIBC Capital Markets. He told the Liberal government gathering in Charlottetown that the undercounting in the official statistics means Canada is underestimating the number of new homes required to meet the country’s increasing housing needs.

Mr. Tal said in an interview that the government estimate of the number of non-permanent residents in the country in 2021 was around one million. But his analysis found there were closer to two million. The main reason for the discrepancy, he said, is that the government is not counting people who remain in the country after their visas expire.

Mr. Tal said Statistics Canada assumes that temporary resident visa holders, including international students, leave the country 30 days after the expiries of their visas. “Their software, their coding, makes the assumption that 30 days after your visa expired you left the country, despite the fact you have not left the country,” he said.

He said a majority of temporary residents don’t leave in this timeframe, and many apply to extend their stays in Canada.

Canada has changed its permanent residence selection process. Here’s what to know

In a report on his findings, published Wednesday, Mr. Tal says “the practical implication of that undercounting is that the housing affordability crisis Canada is facing is actually worse than perceived, and calls for an even more urgent and aggressive policy action.”

The federal government has increased its immigration targets to historically high levels. It is now aiming to admit about 500,000 new permanent residents this year, and in each of the following two years. But those numbers don’t include foreign students on visas or people on temporary work permits.

There is currently no federal limit on the number of student visas issued each year. At last week’s cabinet retreat, Housing Minister Sean Fraser told reporters the government should consider a cap on the program, which he said has seen “explosive growth” and placed pressure on housing markets.

The high cost of renting and buying housing has become a fraught political issue. The federal Conservatives have argued that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals need to do more to address housing shortages.

Mr. Tal told The Globe and Mail that Statistics Canada’s practice of assuming holders of expired visas leave the country after 30 days accounts for only about 750,000 of the million or so non-permanent residents he estimates are absent from official numbers.

Another 250,000 – mostly international students – are missing from census data, he said. The most recent census forms said students should submit their information if they were living in their main residences. But they were told not to fill out the census if they return home to live with their parents during the year.

Mr. Tal said the system was confusing for students, and that not all of them filled in the census, in some cases because they believed their main residences were abroad.

“This is why even Statistics Canada believes that the census continues to undercount NPRs with valid visas in Canada,” he said, using an abbreviation for non-permanent residents.

He said the shortfall in the census has implications for housing policy, because the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the federal Crown corporation responsible for housing, uses census data to make its forecasts, which are widely relied upon by planners throughout Canada.

“If your starting point is too low, your forecast will be far too low, resulting in a suboptimal planning process,” Mr. Tal said.

His report on the findings says its figures are conservative.

A briefing paper by Henry Lotin, the founder of Integrative Trade and Economics and a former federal economist, agrees with Mr. Tal’s findings. It says “upwards of one million persons are missing in the official population, largely due to expired visa holders remaining in Canada awaiting new visas.”

Statistics Canada should change its counting methodologies to include holders of expired visas, Mr. Lotin’s paper says.

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A million more non-permanent residents live in Canada than official figures, ministers told - The Globe and Mail
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A million more non-permanent residents live in Canada than official figures, ministers told - The Globe and Mail

He said a majority of temporary residents don’t leave in this timeframe, and many apply to extend their stays in Canada.

Canada has changed its permanent residence selection process. Here’s what to know

Mr. Tal said the system was confusing for students, and that not all of them filled in the census, in some cases because they believed their main residences were abroad.

“This is why even Statistics Canada believes that the census continues to undercount NPRs with valid visas in Canada,” he said, using an abbreviation for non-permanent residents.

“If your starting point is too low, your forecast will be far too low, resulting in a suboptimal planning process,” Mr. Tal said.

His report on the findings says its figures are conservative.

Statistics Canada should change its counting methodologies to include holders of expired visas, Mr. Lotin’s paper says.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Angels salary dump: Why Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, more were reportedly placed on waivers and what's next - CBS Sports

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The Los Angeles Angels have placed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, relief pitchers Matt Moore, Dominic Leone, and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Trades are not allowed after the Aug. 1 deadline for players who have appeared in the majors this season, meaning that the Angels will not receive any compensation if/when other teams claim those players. In other words, this is a potential mass salary dump.

The Angels had just acquired Giolito, López, Leone, and Grichuk one month ago at the trade deadline in hopes of making a postseason run. Murphy's law has since applied to the franchise. Impending free agent Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL, ending his season as a pitcher; star outfielder Mike Trout returned from injury for a single game before going back on the shelf; and so on. The Angels have amassed a 7-18 record in August, pushing them well outside of the playoff picture.

To make sense of why the Angels did what they did and what comes next, below CBS Sports has answered five pertinent questions about this surprising development.

1. Why would the Angels do this?

To save money. Provided other teams claim these players, the Angels will essentially trim their big-league payroll as well as their luxury tax number. That second part is likely crucial to owner Arte Moreno, since going over the tax line means that the team in question has to pay an overage fee. (Teams who pay the luxury tax are also penalized when it comes to compensatory draft picks, an important point if the Angels lose Shohei Ohtani in free agency.)

The official Competitive Balance Tax calculations aren't computed until the end of the season, and the publicly available estimates tend to vary. Some sites, like Spotrac, have the Angels over the tax line by $5 million.

If that number is correct, then the Angels can duck under the line if several of the players are claimed.

2. Are these players likely to be claimed?

The smart money is on yes for most, if not all of them. Sure, some of the players, including Giolito and Grichuk, have performed poorly since joining the Angels. But there is a reason those players were in demand at the trade deadline. Besides, it's rare that teams get the opportunity to add external veteran talent of any magnitude at this point in the season, and the financial costs associated with those players are trifling for most teams compared to the money the franchise would earn if they find themselves playing in October.

3. How do waivers work?

Simply, the waiver order is the inverse order of the standings. The worse a team's record is, the better their priority. The best teams, meanwhile, are at the end of the line, giving them the worst chance at landing any of these players. Lest anyone wonder, there is no "back of the line" aspect at play here, like there are in some fantasy leagues. A team remains in whatever spot corresponds to its record no matter how many of its claims are successful.

4. Which contenders could benefit the most?

Again, the teams best positioned to add some of these players are largely those who are furthest back from a playoff spot. Coming into Tuesday, here's the waiver priority order for every team within six games of a playoff spot who would not make the postseason if it were to begin tomorrow.

Do note that the Toronto Blue Jays are actually behind three squads who would make the playoffs: the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins and both the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are holding onto NL wild card slots.

5. Players remain playoff eligible

You might wonder if these players are just regular season rentals, or if they'll be able to suit up should their next teams make it to October. The answer is the latter. Should these players help their new teams reach the playoffs, they will be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor by partaking in the games.

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Angels salary dump: Why Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, more were reportedly placed on waivers and what's next - CBS Sports
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Premier Smith says Alberta needs more energy following grid alert - rdnewsnow.com

The grid alert was cancelled just after 8:00 p.m. as the AESO said the grid was once again stable and working as normal.

Smith said Alberta relies almost entirely on natural gas to power homes and businesses, supplemented with wind and solar.

“It is critical that Alberta add more base-load power from natural gas and other sources to our electricity grid to protect the reliability and affordability of power for Albertans,” said Smith.

On August 3, 2023, the Government of Alberta announced a seven-month pause on approving any new wind and solar energy generation projects over one megawatt, saying that it will use that time to review all policies and procedures related to renewable power.

The Pembina Institute estimated that as many as 188 projects are impacted by the pause.

The Alberta Utilities Commission said it will continue to receive and process applications for new renewables during this time, but will not be able to approve them until after the moratorium has been lifted, which is expected to happen at the end of February 2024.

Kathleen Ganley, Alberta NDP Critic for Energy (Oil and Gas, Minerals and Hydrogen), made the following statement in response to the AESO issuing a Grid Alert:

“Price spikes and unreliable electricity supply in Alberta are the result of the UCP’s botched handling of the provincial grid.

“Albertans are facing unprecedented energy bills, and unprecedented wildfires, while Danielle Smith bans the development of renewable energy. Her actions will limit the supply of electricity, while increasing costs and the emissions that drive climate change.

“Alberta families and businesses need an immediate emergency rate cap, and public hearings into both skyrocketing prices and Danielle Smith’s sabotage of the renewable energy sector.”

by David Opinko

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Premier Smith says Alberta needs more energy following grid alert - rdnewsnow.com
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Police raid suspected gay wedding in Nigeria and arrest more than 200 people - CNN

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —

Nigerian police arrested more than 200 people at a wedding on Monday, in one of the biggest mass arrests in recent years targeting the country’s LGBTQ community.

A police spokesperson in the southern Delta state told reporters Tuesday that 67 people will be prosecuted for “allegedly conducting and attending a same-sex wedding ceremony.”

Same-sex relationships are criminalized in Nigeria, and its penal code approves a punishment of up to 14 years in prison for people who are convicted of entering into a same-sex civil union.

In a live broadcast on Tuesday, a police official described the event as evil and “we cannot copy the western world… we are Nigeria and we must follow the culture of this country.”

Behind him were the suspects, some of whom told journalists in the live broadcast that they were not gay and were models and fashion designers.

Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the situation as “a witch-hunt.” It called on Delta state police to release the detained people, who were “arrested and paraded to the media” and to “put an immediate end to this witch-hunt,” in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“In a society where corruption is rampant, the law banning same sex relationships is increasingly being used for harassment, extortion and blackmail of people by law enforcement officers and other members of the public. This is unacceptable,” the human rights group added.

Police said a video recording of the wedding party and alleged prohibited substances were obtained during the raid.

“The venue of the illicit event was searched, and the following items were recovered at the scene: one codeine bottle, three cups of refined Canadian loud, five sachets of SK, one sachet of tramadol, four tablets of molly drug, one crusher, gay marriage ceremonial dresses,” a police statement said.

The statement added that police got wind of the event after operatives on routine patrol stopped an attendee late Sunday. “He had claimed to be an actor, the statement said.

“Upon interrogation, he confessed that he is a member of a certain gay club and that he was on his way to join his fellow members for a gay marriage ceremony,” the statement said.

This latest arrest comes five years after 57 men accused of homosexuality were arrested during a police raid on a hotel in Lagos in 2018.

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Police raid suspected gay wedding in Nigeria and arrest more than 200 people - CNN
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