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Cizzle Brands Lands Title Sponsorship for the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games

CWENCH Hydration has become the title sponsor of the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games, alongside other sponsors including Nike, TSN and Team Town. Cizzle Brands continues to build out its portfolio of sponsorships in Canadian grassroots sports, driving visibility for CWENCH Hydration as a healthy and great-tasting hydration option for athletes of all ages.

Cizzle Brands Corporation (Cboe Canada: CZZL) (OTCQB: CZZLF) (Frankfurt: 8YF) ( the ‘Company’ or ‘Cizzle Brands’) , is pleased to announce that its flagship brand CWENCH Hydration is gaining further prominence in Canadian athletics through a five-year title sponsorship agreement of the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games, a three-day NBA-sanctioned event for Canadian male and female senior high school basketball players taking place on Friday, April 4, 2025 and Saturday, April 5, 2025. The event will be broadcast across Canada on TSN, and will have pre-promotion during the network’s coverage of the NCAA® March Madness® tournaments this month.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250320762204/en/

CWENCH Hydration is now title sponsor of the CWENCH All Canadian Games, a three-day event that celebrates Canada’s top 24 senior male and female Canadian high school basketball players.

In addition to title sponsorship of the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games, the five-year agreement provides Cizzle Brands with comprehensive sponsorship rights for the promotion of its brands. This includes the naming rights for the event, naming rights for the CWENCH Player of the Game, the CWENCH logo appearing on all players’ jerseys, commercial spots during the national broadcast on TSN, bench rights and exclusivity in the hydration category.

Also, as part the event, all of the athletes will take part in clinical sweat-testing trials to measure the impact that CWENCH Hydration has on performance.

Supporting grassroots sports initiatives in Canada is core to Cizzle Brands’ ethos as a company, and has proven to be especially impactful for the early-stage growth of CWENCH Hydration in the North American marketplace. In addition to Cizzle Brands’ recently announced sponsorship of the CWENCH All Canadian Volleyball Games, CWENCH also sponsors 500 youth hockey teams in Canada, representing over 12,000 youth hockey players. Last year, Cizzle Brands also obtained a sponsorship deal with Canlan Sports for a major four-rink hockey complex in the Toronto area, which is now named CWENCH Centre – A Canlan Sports Community . These efforts have contributed to driving strong demand for CWENCH Hydration, with many of its leading retail and distribution partners re-ordering product at a fast pace, as further detailed in the Company’s March 6, 2025 press release.

The CWENCH All Canadian Games will feature the top 24 senior male and female Canadian high school basketball players as selected by a committee including provincial and national representatives, clubs, coaches, scouts, and media from across the country. At the Athlete Institute in Orangeville, Ontario (near Toronto), participants engage in a series of activities over three days. These activities include on-and-off court training, practices and scrimmages in front of NBA personnel, a 3-Point Shootout, a Slam Dunk Competition, and Boys and Girls games. As an NBA-sanctioned event, the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games attract representation from the majority of the National Basketball Association’s organizations.

More information about the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games can be found on the event’s website: https://www.cwenchallcanadian.com .

Cizzle Brands’ Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer John Celenza commented, ‘We are delighted to sponsor the CWENCH All Canadian Basketball Games. The impact that this event has had on Canadians coast-to-coast is staggering. From a brand recognition standpoint, it will be instrumental to our continued growth and, as an organization, we take great pride in supporting grassroots athletics across Canada. The CWENCH All-Canadian Games will be a key catalyst for the continued growth of CWENCH Hydration.’

Jesse Tipping, CEO of the Athlete Institute Ltd., which is organizing games, added: ‘Cizzle Brands is an incredible Canadian company that puts the needs and health of young athletes at the forefront. I am proud to have CWENCH Hydration be the title sponsor for the games and look forward to our future together.’

‘As the Official Broadcaster of the CWENCH All Canadian Games, it’s an honour for TSN to shine the spotlight on Canada’s emerging young basketball players,’ said Shawn Redmond, VP, Bell Media Sports. ‘Canadian players are making a massive impact on the sport at all levels, and the CWENCH All Canadian Games are a key stepping stone, ensuring the next generation has a national platform to showcase their talents for fans.’

About Cizzle Brands Corporation

Cizzle Brands Corporation is a sports nutrition company that is elevating the game in health and wellness. Through extensive collaboration and testing with leading athletes and trainers across several elite sports, Cizzle Brands has launched two leading product lines in the sports nutrition category: (i) CWENCH Hydration, a better-for-you sports drink that is now carried in over 1,200 stores in Canada, the United States, and Europe; and (ii) Spoken Nutrition, a premium brand of athlete-grade nutraceuticals that carry the prestigious NSF Certified for Sport® qualification. All Cizzle Brands products are designed to help people achieve their best in both competitive sports and in living a healthy, vibrant, active lifestyle.

For more information about Cizzle Brands, please visit: https://www.cizzlebrands.com/

For more information about CWENCH Hydration, please visit: https://www.cwenchhydration.com

For more information about the CWENCH All Canadian Games, please visit: https://www.cwenchallcanadian.com

Notice Regarding Images and Links: This press release may contain images and/or links to outside web pages, which could play an important role in providing the full context of the news update being conveyed through this press release. Some news aggregation services may remove these images and/or links at their discretion. Therefore, readers are encouraged to access SEDAR+ or the News section of the Cizzle Brands Corporation website to view this press release containing all images and/or links as originally published.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

Cizzle Brands Corporation

‘John Celenza’

John Celenza, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains ‘forward-looking information’ which may include, but is not limited to, information with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as, but not limited to: new products of the Company and potential sales and distribution opportunities. Such forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words and phrases such as ‘plans’, ‘expects’, ‘is expected’, ‘budget’, ‘scheduled’, ‘estimates’, ‘forecasts’, ‘intends’, ‘anticipates’, or ‘believes’ or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company.

Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risk factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks include risks related to increased competition and current global financial conditions, access and supply risks, reliance on key personnel, operational risks, regulatory risks, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation, except as otherwise required by law, to update these forward-looking statements if management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors change.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250320762204/en/

Setti Coscarella
Head of Corporate Development
investors@cizzlebrands.com
1-844-588-2088

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NorthStar Gaming Launches Spring Tournament Series with Up To $100,000 Prize Pool on Slots, Parlay and Blackjack Tournaments

Innovative new events position the Company as the destination for tournaments and prize pools

NorthStar Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: BET) (OTCQB: NSBBF) (‘NorthStar’ or the ‘Company’) is once again raising the stakes and offering a total prize pool of up to $100,000 to be won.

NorthStar is today unveiling the launch of three new online tournaments spanning popular gaming categories – Live Blackjack, Slots and Sports betting. The Spring Tournament Series offers a premium, consumer-driven experience and a variety of opportunities for players to participate with tournaments running concurrently from March through April, 2025. Innovative formats, progressive prize pools and interactive leaderboards will keep NorthStar players engaged throughout the series.

The all-new trifecta spring tournaments build on the success of last fall’s NorthStar Blackjack Championship event in Ontario, which helped drive the acquisition of new high-value players and engagement for existing customers while increasing Blackjack wagering activity. These tournaments complement the premium gaming experience and robust spring promotional calendar and support the positioning idea that ‘Tournaments Live at NorthStar Bets.’

‘We plan to run innovative tournaments on an ongoing basis to establish a differentiated market niche consistent with our premium positioning,’ said Michael Moskowitz, Chair and CEO of NorthStar. ‘With these latest events, we are ‘productizing’ the custom development work we initially undertook for the Blackjack Championship to extend into a promising new category. Our aim is to increase the sense of community and exclusivity for NorthStar Bets players and bring more of the excitement of the casino experience to online betting.’

Image 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9376/245431_e2534f7d0405ca88_001full.jpg

The tournaments set to launch in the coming weeks include the following:

  • NorthStar Blackjack Spring Open. Players move up the leaderboard with consecutive win streaks, competing for a total prize pool of $30,000. The event begins March 21 and concludes April 3.

  • NorthStar 50 Grand Slots Showdown. The $50,000 prize pool will be distributed in a series of 30 daily tournaments with players collecting points on the basis of win-to-bet ratio. There will be a rotation through a variety of Slots games over the course of the tournament, which will run from March 28 to April 26.

  • NorthStar Parlay Playoff. Players will compete for a maximum $25,000 prize pool by winning parlay bets on sporting events of their choosing. Points will be awarded based on winning odds, ranking up the leaderboard. The tournament features an innovative progressive prize pool, with $10 of each eligible stake funding the jackpot which starts at $10,000 and grows to $25,000. There is also a bonus $5,000 cash prize for the player that has the highest winning odds on a single parlay wager. The event will run from March 31 to April 13.

The tournaments are open to all players registered on NorthStar Bets online platforms. Additional details and contest rules are available at www.Northstarbets.ca/promotions/all.

About NorthStar

NorthStar proudly owns and operates NorthStar Bets, a Canadian-born casino and sportsbook platform that delivers a premium, distinctly local gaming experience. Designed with high-stakes players in mind, NorthStar Bets Casino offers a curated selection of the most popular games, ensuring an elevated user experience. Our sportsbook stands out with its exclusive Sports Insights feature, seamlessly integrating betting guidance, stats, and scores, all tailored to meet the expectations of a premium audience.

As a Canadian company, NorthStar is uniquely positioned to cater to customers who seek a high-quality product and an exceptional level of personalized service, setting a new standard in the industry. NorthStar is committed to operating at the highest level of responsible gaming standards.

NorthStar is listed in Canada on the Toronto Stock Venture Exchange under the symbol BET and in the United States on the OTCQB under the symbol NSBBF. For more information on the company, please visit: www.northstargaming.ca.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This communication contains ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada (‘forward-looking statements’), including without limitation, statements with respect to the following: expected performance of the Company’s business, player engagement levels, and the recurrence of online tournaments. The foregoing is provided for the purpose of presenting information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company’s anticipated financial position, results of operations, and operating environment. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as ‘plans’, ‘expects’, ‘is expected’, ‘budget’, ‘scheduled’, ‘estimates’, ‘continues’, ‘forecasts’, ‘projects’, ‘predicts’, ‘intends’, ‘anticipates’ or ‘believes’, or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results ‘may’, ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘should’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved. This information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. This forward-looking information is based on management’s opinions, estimates and assumptions that, while considered by NorthStar to be appropriate and reasonable as of the date of this press release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward- looking information. Such factors include, among others, the following: risks related to the Company’s business and financial position; risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry risks; future legislative and regulatory developments; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; and those factors discussed in greater detail under the ‘Risk Factors’ section of the Company’s most recent annual information form, which is available under NorthStar’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Many of these risks are beyond the Company’s control.

If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the opinions, estimates or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results or future events might vary materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors not presently known to the Company or that the Company presently believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date made. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents NorthStar’s expectations as of the date specified herein, and are subject to change after such date. However, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws.

All of the forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements.

For further information:

Company Contact:

Corey Goodman
Chief Development Officer 647-530-2387
investorrelations@northstargaming.ca

Investor Relations:

RB Milestone Group LLC (RBMG)
Northstar@rbmilestone.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/245431

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Skyharbour’s Partner North Shore Uranium Signs Exploration Agreement with English Rivers First Nation

Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH ) (OTCQX: SYHBF ) (Frankfurt: SC1P ) (‘Skyharbour’ or the ‘Company’), is pleased to announce that its partner company, North Shore Uranium (‘North Shore’), has executed an exploration agreement with the English River First Nation (‘ERFN’) in Saskatchewan (‘the Agreement’). The Agreement outlines a number of areas of collaboration between the ERFN and North Shore at its Falcon property ( ‘ Falcon ‘ or the ‘ Property’) at the eastern margin of the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. North Shore may acquire an initial 80% interest in Falcon by issuing common shares having an aggregate value of CAD $1,225,000, making aggregate cash payments of $525,000 to Skyharbour, and incurring an aggregate of $3,550,000 in exploration expenditures on the property over the earn-in period.

Location Map of Falcon Project:  
https://skyharbourltd.com/_resources/maps/Sky-SouthFalconOption.jpg?v=0.1

The ERFN is a First Nation with its main reserve Wapachewunak Saskatchewan, located approximately 200 km southwest of Falcon. ERFN’s ancestral territory covers approximately 75,000 km 2 of north-central Saskatchewan. Traditionally, people of the ERFN are known as the ‘People of the Great River’, referencing the Churchill River. The ERFN prides itself on being guided by ancestral traditions and the knowledge of their Elders while being a partner with industry and governments. More information on the ERFN can be found on the ERFN’s website .

To date, North Shore has identified 36 uranium targets at Falcon. These targets are associated with electromagnetic (‘EM’) conductor anomalies which are often upgraded by other favourable geophysical and structural features. They were selected based on the analysis and interpretation of multiple datasets by North Shore and its consultants. As reported on May 16, 2024, North Shore discovered near-surface uranium mineralization at two drill targets, P03 and P08 in an area that had never seen drilling. In a February 27, 2025, news release, North Shore stated that its near-term priority is to assess the potential for an economic uranium deposit in the southeastern portion of the property by evaluating priority near-surface EM targets in the South Priority and South Walker Areas.

Falcon is located approximately 30 km east of the active Key Lake uranium mill and former mine at the eastern margin of the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan. The mill processes uranium ore from the McArthur River Mine, one of two producing uranium mines in Canada. Between 1983 and 2002, Key Lake Mine produced a total of 209.9 million lbs. of U 3 O 8 at an average grade of over 2.0%. The uranium discovery potential at Falcon is significant and includes shallow basement-hosted unconformity-style and pegmatite-hosted mineralization. The Property has seen limited modern exploration programs and there are a number of unexplained uranium occurrences.

Map Showing Falcon Exploration Targets and Priority Zones:  
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/Map-showing-Falcon-exploration-targets-and-priority-zones-2.jpg

Mr. Brooke Clements, President and CEO of North Shore stated: ‘ We believe that Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin is the best jurisdiction in the world for uranium exploration and development. North Shore places a priority on establishing positive relationships with communities near its activities. We are proud to establish an alliance with the English River First Nation and look forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship.’

Next Steps:

North Shore will continue prioritizing targets at Falcon in pursuit of maximizing the chances of encountering economic uranium mineralization in its next drill program. As currently planned, that drill program would initially focus on several targets in the South Priority Area of Zone 1 and the South Walker Area of Zone 2. Additional updates on North Shore’s target prioritization efforts will be provided on an ongoing basis.

Falcon Uranium Project:

The Falcon Project, which constitutes part of North Shore’s Falcon Property, contains eleven mineral claims comprising approximately 42,908 hectares approximately 50 km east of the Key Lake mine. Nine of the claims are from Skyharbour’s original South Falcon Uranium Project and the remaining two claims are from Skyharbour’s Foster River Project. Historical uranium mineralization discovered at Falcon is shallow and is hosted in several geological settings including classic Athabasca-style basement mineralization associated with well-developed EM conductors. At the EWA target, up to 0.492% U 3 O 8 and 1,300 ppm lead was encountered in outcrop grab samples (Sask. Mineral Deposits Index [SMDI] 5038). Historical grab sampling at Knob Lake (SMDI 1014) also encountered up to 0.01% U 3 O 8 in an outcrop of pegmatite, while anomalous nickel, copper, and molybdenum were found in historical grab samples from the Fraser North target area (SMDI’s 1125 and 1126).

A well-defined northeast-trending, locally folded, electromagnetic conductor system runs throughout the Property, which was defined by airborne and ground geophysical surveys by JNR Resources (‘JNR’) in the 2000’s. In 2008 JNR conducted a drill campaign at the property area. Of the 47 holes drilled that year, 28 holes (totaling 7,348 metres) were drilled on the South Falcon Uranium Property at the Walker (14 holes), Walker South (7 holes), and EWA target areas (6 holes). At the Walker and South Walker targets, which lie along the aforementioned EM conductor system, structurally disrupted and variably altered metasediments (including graphitic pelitic gneisses) with anomalous boron, copper, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, arsenic, and vanadium were encountered in several drill holes. During this same drill campaign, the Fraser Lakes Zone B uranium deposit was discovered approximately four kilometres east of the Walker South target on a refolded extension of the EM conductor system. At the EWA target, which lies along a separate northeast-trending EM conductor, anomalous uranium, boron, lead, and molybdenum were encountered in structurally disrupted pegmatites; the best result was 0.235% U 3 O 8 over 0.5 m (within a 3.5 m interval of 0.113% U 3 O 8 ) in hole WYL-08-501 (Sask. Mineral Assessment File 74H02-0045).

Furthermore, in 2022, Skyharbour completed a FALCON® airborne gravity gradiometer and magnetic survey over nine of the eleven claims at the Falcon Property. This new geophysical data will assist North Shore in prioritizing areas along the EM conductor system for drilling. Over 30 kilometres of the EM conductor system remains untested on the Falcon Property. North Shore’s initial focus will be on the two claims formerly part of the Foster Project (geophysics), and on generating drill targets on three claims at the southeastern end of the EM conductor systems including Knob Lake, which shows similarities to the Fraser Lakes Zone B deposit approximately 6 km to the northeast and several other high-priority targets elsewhere along the main EM conductor system.

Significant potential exists on the project for basement-hosted, unconformity-related uranium deposits like those further to the north in the Wollaston Domain (i.e. Eagle Point, Rabbit Lake, Key Lake and others), as well as for pegmatite/granite-hosted (i.e. alaskite-type) U-Th-REE mineralization like at the Fraser Lakes Zone B deposit on Skyharbour’s adjacent South Falcon East Property, currently under option to Tisdale Clean Energy.

The Option Agreement:

North Shore may acquire an initial 80% interest in the Property by issuing common shares of the Resulting Issuer (‘Shares’) having an aggregate value of CAD $1,225,000; making aggregate cash payments of CAD $525,000; and incurring an aggregate of CAD $3,550,000 in exploration expenditures on the Property over a three-year period. Once North Shore has earned an initial 80% interest in the Property, North Shore may acquire the remaining 20% interest in the Property within 90 business days by issuing Shares having a value of CAD $5,000,000, and making a cash payment of CAD $5,000,000 to Skyharbour. If North Shore does not elect to acquire the remaining 20% interest, a joint venture will be formed with Skyharbour holding a 20% participating interest.

North Shore will be the operator of the exploration programs during the earn-in stage and for the joint venture if formed. Two claims totaling 10,673 hectares that form part of Skyharbour’s Foster River Property are subject to a one percent (1%) NSR royalty payable to Skyharbour. The remaining nine claims totaling 32,235 hectares that comprise Skyharbour’s South Falcon Point Property are subject to a two percent (2%) NSR royalty payable to Denison Mines Corp. (‘Denison’) with North Shore having the right to purchase one percent of the royalty from Denison at anytime by paying $1 million.

Qualified Person:

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Serdar Donmez, P.Geo., VP of Exploration for Skyharbour as well as a Qualified Person.

About North Shore Uranium Ltd:

North Shore is a mineral exploration company focused on uranium exploration at the eastern margin of the Athabasca Basin through its Falcon property which will increase from 12,800 to 55,700 hectares with the addition of the claims subject to the Agreement, and the West Bear property located 90 kilometres to the northeast.

About Skyharbour Resources Ltd.:

Skyharbour holds an extensive portfolio of uranium exploration projects in Canada’s Athabasca Basin and is well positioned to benefit from improving uranium market fundamentals with interest in thirty-six projects covering over 614,000 hectares (over 1.5 million acres) of land. Skyharbour has acquired from Denison Mines, a large strategic shareholder of the Company, a 100% interest in the Moore Uranium Project, which is located 15 kilometres east of Denison’s Wheeler River project and 39 kilometres south of Cameco’s McArthur River uranium mine. Moore is an advanced-stage uranium exploration property with high-grade uranium mineralization in several zones at the Maverick Corridor. Adjacent to the Moore Project is the Russell Lake Uranium Project, in which Skyharbour is operator with joint-venture partner RTEC. The project hosts widespread uranium mineralization in drill intercepts over a large property area with exploration upside potential. The Company is actively advancing these projects through exploration and drilling programs.

Skyharbour also has joint ventures with industry leader Orano Canada Inc., Azincourt Energy, and Thunderbird Resources at the Preston, East Preston, and Hook Lake Projects, respectively. The Company also has several active earn-in option partners, including CSE-listed Basin Uranium Corp. at the Mann Lake Uranium Project; TSX-V listed North Shore Uranium at the Falcon Project; UraEx Resources at the South Dufferin and Bolt Projects; Hatchet Uranium at the Highway Project; CSE-listed Mustang Energy at the 914W Project; and TSX-V listed Terra Clean Energy at the South Falcon East Project. In aggregate, Skyharbour has now signed earn-in option agreements with partners that total to over $36 million in partner-funded exploration expenditures, over $20 million worth of shares being issued, and $14 million in cash payments coming into Skyharbour, assuming that these partner companies complete their entire earn-ins at the respective projects.

Skyharbour’s goal is to maximize shareholder value through new mineral discoveries, committed long-term partnerships, and the advancement of exploration projects in geopolitically favourable jurisdictions.

Skyharbour’s Uranium Project Map in the Athabasca Basin:  
https://www.skyharbourltd.com/_resources/images/SKY_SaskProject_Locator_2024-11-21_v1.jpg

To find out more about Skyharbour Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: SYH) visit the Company’s website at www.skyharbourltd.com .

Skyharbour Resources Ltd.

‘Jordan Trimble’
__________________________________
Jordan Trimble
President and CEO

For further information contact myself or:
Nicholas Coltura
Investor Relations Manager
‎Skyharbour Resources Ltd.
‎Telephone: 604-558-5847
‎Toll Free: 800-567-8181
‎Facsimile: 604-687-3119
‎Email: info@skyharbourltd.com

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward‐looking information or statements’ within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, completing ongoing and planned work on its projects including drilling and the expected timing of such work programs, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of uranium, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company’s views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, and those filed under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather or climate conditions, failure to obtain or maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to obtain or maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), decrease in the price of uranium and other metals, increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward‐looking statements or forward‐looking information, except as required by law. 







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Hydrogen Stocks: 9 Biggest Companies

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		


Hydrogen stocks are benefiting from cleantech sector momentum as the world moves closer to a green energy future. 


The most abundant element on Earth, hydrogen is a colorless gas. It can be produced in liquid form and burned to generate electricity, or combined with oxygen atoms in fuel cells. In this way, hydrogen — which produces no carbon emissions — can replace fossil fuels in household heating, transportation and industrial processes such as steel manufacturing.


Rising demand for carbon-free energy sources alongside significant new government policies are driving growth in the hydrogen market. Grand View Research projects that the global hydrogen-generation market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.3 percent from 2024 to 2030, reaching US$317.39 billion by the end of the forecast period. 




It’s worth noting that the downside to hydrogen as a clean energy source is that 99 percent of the hydrogen fuel currently in production is derived from power generated by coal or gas. To combat this problem, some companies are pursuing green hydrogen, which is produced by splitting hydrogen atoms from oxygen using electrolyzers powered by renewable energy.


The hydrogen stocks on this list are focused on a diverse range of sectors in the hydrogen space, including: low-carbon hydrogen gas production, green hydrogen technology and production, hydrogen fuel cell companies, and hydrogen distribution and storage.






                            US hydrogen stocks                                


The US hydrogen market is well established, accounting for “more than half the world’s fuel cell vehicles, 25,000 fuel cell material handling vehicles, more than 8,000 small scale fuel systems in 40 states, and more than 550 MW of large-scale fuel cell power installed or planned,” according to the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association.


The US was also the top exporter of hydrogen in 2023 with US$2.15 billion in exports based on data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).


Looking at the medium to long term, the use of hydrogen as a fuel source is expected to grow. While the strong government incentives enacted under former US President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, such as a production tax credit, may be on the ropes under the Trump Administration, there is still optimism among industry leaders.














                            1. Linde (NYSE:LIN)




Company Profile






Market cap: US$213.49 billion
Share price: US$453.26


Leading global industrial gases and engineering company Linde has been producing hydrogen for more than a century and is a pioneer in new hydrogen production technologies. Linde’s operations cover each step of the hydrogen value chain, from production and processing through distribution and storage. The company also uses its gases for industrial and consumer applications.


Globally, the company has more than 500 hydrogen production plants. Through its ITM Linde Electrolysis joint venture, Linde has become one of the world’s leading suppliers of green hydrogen produced using proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer technologies. This also makes it one of the few green hydrogen stocks. 


In August 2024, Linde signed a US$2 billion long-term supply agreement to supply clean hydrogen to Dow (NYSE:DOW) subsidiary Dow Canada’s Path2Zero project in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.


In response to the regulatory uncertainties under the Trump Administration, Linde announced in its Q4 2024 earnings call that 90 percent of its US clean hydrogen projects will be focused on blue hydrogen, which is created by reforming natural gas with carbon capture storage. Blue hydrogen is more cost effective to produce, and although it is not zero emission like green hydrogen, it is more environmentally friendly than grey hydrogen produced with coal.








                            2. Air Products & Chemicals (NYSE:APD)




Company Profile






Market cap: US$65.32 billion
Share price: US$292.85


Founded in 1940, Air Products & Chemicals sells industrial gases and chemicals and provides related equipment and expertise to a wide range of industries, including the refining, chemical, metals, electronics, manufacturing, and food and beverage segments. 


In addition to producing oxygen, nitrogen, argon and helium, the company operates more than 100 hydrogen plants and maintains the world’s largest hydrogen distribution network. Air Products has an extensive hydrogen-dispensing technology patent portfolio and has been involved in more than 250 hydrogen-fueling projects worldwide. 


Air Products also has a joint venture project now under construction with ACWA Power (SR:2082) and NEOM Company in Saudi Arabia. Called the NEOM Green Hydrogen Complex, the operation will be powered by 4 gigawatts of renewable power from solar and wind to produce 600 metric tons per day of carbon-free hydrogen, which it says will be delivered in the form of green ammonia. Once production begins at the complex in 2026, Air Products will be the sole off-taker and plans to deliver the green ammonia to Europe’s transport sector.


Air Products’ Louisiana Clean Energy Complex, its largest US investment, is also making headway, with first production expected in 2028. The complex will produce blue hydrogen for power mobility and industrial markets in the Gulf Coast region and other markets. 








                            3. Cummins (NYSE:CMI)




Company Profile






Market cap: US$43.71 billion
Share price: US$312.92


Indianapolis-based Cummins designs, manufactures and distributes engines, filtration and power-generation products with a specialization in diesel and alternative fuel engines and generators.


In March 2023, the company announced the launch of a new brand, Accelera, which features “a diverse portfolio of zero-emissions solutions, includ(ing) battery systems, fuel cells, ePowertrain systems and electrolyzers.” The brand encompasses Cummins’ established battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell systems, as well as electrolyzers for hydrogen refueling stations. Shortly after, Accelera began production at its first US electrolyzer facility, located in the state of Minnesota.


The hydrogen fuel cell company showcased its next generation B6.7H hydrogen engine at the April 2024 Intermat Sustainable Construction Solutions and Technology Exhibition  in Paris. The following month heralded the launch of Accelera’s next-gen hydrogen fuel cell technology for commercial vehicles, specifically the FCE300 and FCE150 fuel cell engines. 


Accelera inked a deal in February 2025 to supply a 100 megawatt PEM electrolyzer system for BP’s (NYSE:BP,LSE:BP) Lingen green hydrogen project in Germany. The system is Accelera’s largest to date and uses its HyLYZER PEM electrolyzer technology.








                            Canadian hydrogen stocks                                


Like its neighbor to the south, Canada is a world leader in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, especially when it comes to innovation, research and development. The country reportedly generates C$200 million in hydrogen technology exports according to data from January 2023. In terms of the global hydrogen market, the country exported $385 million worth of hydrogen in 2023, ranking ninth overall according to the OEC.


The federal government is heavily invested in the sector both in terms of funding and the implementation of clean energy policies. “The Hydrogen Strategy for Canada laid out a framework that focuses low-carbon hydrogen as a tool to achieve our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, while creating jobs, growing our economy, expanding exports and protecting our environment,’ Natural Resources Canada states. 


In British Columbia, the Government of Canada invested C$9.4 billion to launch a new Clean Hydrogen Hub that will use electrolyzer technology and hydroelectricity to generate hydrogen that can be sold to industry users. 


On the global stage, Canada and its trading partner Germany have agreed to each commit C$300 million for a total of C$600 million to launch Atlantic Canada’s hydrogen export industry, which will send hydrogen to Germany. However, delays due to factors including high hydrogen prices and inflation as well as lack of infrastructure have pushed the expected start of exports back from 2025.














                            1. Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLDP)




Company Profile






Market cap: C$526.98 million
Share price: C$1.82


Ballard Power Systems is a global leader in hydrogen fuel cell technology and is working to accelerate the adoption of this technology. The company develops and manufactures PEM fuel cell products that create electrical energy from the combination of hydrogen and air. Ballard’s products are designed for heavy-duty trucks, buses, trains and marine applications, as well as backup power storage.


Two of Ballard’s 200 kilowatt fuel cell modules are located on the world’s first hydrogen-powered ferry, operated by Norwegian company Norled. The company is also supplying hydrogen fuel cell modules to global carbon-reduction company First Mode; they will be used to power several hybrid hydrogen and battery ultra-class mining haul trucks.


In January 2024, Ballard secured a supply contract for a minimum of 100 of its FCmove-HD+ modules to NFI Group to be used in the latter’s New Flyer next generation Xcelsior CHARGE FC hydrogen fuel cell buses, which will be deployed across the US and Canada. The company also announced in April 2024 that it had secured its largest order ever — 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell engines to be supplied to European bus manufacturer Solaris. 


Ballard signed a multi-year supply agreement with an Egypt-based company named Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles, in which Ballard will supply 50 FCmove-HD+ fuel cell engines  to support projects in the European Union with deliveries expected between 2025 and 2026.








                            2. Westport Fuel Systems (TSX:WPRT)




Company Profile






Market cap: C$91.5 million
Share price: C$5.07


Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Westport Fuel Systems supplies advanced alternative fuel delivery components and systems to the transportation industry worldwide. This includes its high pressure direct injection (HPDI) fuel system for commercial vehicles, which can run on biogas, natural gas, hydrogen and other alternative fuel products. 


The company has operations in partnership with leading global transportation brands across more than 70 countries across Europe, Asia, North America and South America.


One of those partners is Swedish automaker Volvo Group (STO:VOLV-B). The two firms are working together to commercialize Westport’s HPDI fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications that will use renewable fuels now and hydrogen in the future.


Westport is also working with a leading global provider locomotive original equipment manufacturer on a two-year proof of concept project to adapt its hydrogen HPDI fuel system for use with the company’s engine design. The project is fully funded by the locomotive company.








                            3. Tidewater Renewables (TSX:LCFS)




Company Profile






Market cap: C$90.25 million
Share price: C$2.32


Tidewater Renewables produces renewable diesel and hydrogen at its facilities located near Prince George in BC, Canada. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 3,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel and 23.7 metric tons per day of hydrogen. It  began production during Q4 2023 using feedstock that included soybean and canola oil.


Tidewater is now focused on expanding operations at the site to produce sustainable aviation fuel, targeting 2028 for first production.








                            Australian hydrogen stocks                                


Australia is another important hotspot for investing in hydrogen. The Australian Government says that ‘over AU$200 billion is currently in the investment pipeline for hydrogen and derivatives,’ accounting for 20 percent of announced renewable hydrogen projects worldwide.


The Australian government’s National Hydrogen Strategy, which it updated in 2023, highlights its intention to position the country as a “major player” in the global hydrogen market by 2030. To this end, Australia has partnered with a number of other nations on hydrogen technology. 


Australia and Germany are working together on a hydrogen technology development program that will help Australia build out its capacity to export hydrogen to Germany as it seeks to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Through a partnership with Japan, Australia is developing new hydrogen fuel cell technology and looking to establish the world’s first clean liquefied hydrogen export pilot project, and its government has invested more than AU$500 million in the development of regional hydrogen hubs across the country.


In May 2024, the Australian government announced an AU$22.7 billion package to bolster the country’s domestic manufacturing and renewable energy sector, including AU$6.7 billion for renewable hydrogen production starting in mid-year 2028 through the 2039/2040 fiscal year.














                            1. Gold Hydrogen (ASX:GHY)




Company Profile






Market cap: AU$70.29 million
Share price: AU$0.45


Gold Hydrogen is an exploration and development company with a focus on making new hydrogen and helium discoveries in South Australia using recorded government data with modern exploration techniques.


During initial drill work conducted at its Ramsey project in 2023, Gold Hydrogen reconfirmed the historical figures for hydrogen while demonstrating new purity levels of up to 86 percent. Additionally, strong levels of up to 17.5 percent purity helium were found.


In August 2024, Gold Hydrogen reported high concentrations of hydrogen and helium at surface. Using new seismic information, the company has identified sites for its first wells, which it intends to drill beginning in 2025. “To have an initial world first to see Hydrogen and Helium to surface is very exciting for our further ongoing exploration and drilling programs in even better locations,” Gold Hydrogen Managing Director Neil McDonald stated.


Gold Hydrogen announced in February 2025 that it had received a AU$6.45 million research and development tax refund associated with its natural hydrogen and helium exploration activities for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. The refund will help fund the company’s 2025 work to delineate the hydrogen and helium accumulation at Ramsey. 








                            2. Hazer Group (ASX:HZR)




Company Profile






Market cap: AU$67.93 million
Share price: AU$0.30


Technology development company Hazer Group is working to commercialize the HAZER Process, a low-emission hydrogen and graphite production process initially developed at the University of Western Australia. It uses iron ore as a process catalyst to convert natural gas and similar feedstocks into hydrogen for use as an industrial chemical and in fuel cells, as well as into high-quality synthetic graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries.


Hazer started operations at its commercial demonstration plant in early 2024 and it is now producing hydrogen and graphitic carbon.


In May 2024, the company inked an agreement with Canadian utility FortisBC for the development of a hydrogen production facility in British Columbia that will use Hazer’s proprietary technology. The proposed commercial production facility will have a design capacity of up to 2,500 metric tons per year of clean hydrogen and approximately 9,500 metric tons per year of Hazer graphite.


The company announced in March 2025 that it had successfully completing its commercial reactor test program, validating a commercial scale-up reactor design. ‘The equipment was designed to mimic key aspects of the Hazer Process for producing hydrogen and graphite at commercial scale, and the completion of this testing is a major milestone for the government support from CleanBC,’ the press release states.








                            3. Pure Hydrogen (ASX:PH2)




Company Profile






Market cap: AU$25.77 million
Share price: AU$0.08


Pure Hydrogen is focused on becoming a leading producer and supplier of hydrogen and hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered vehicles such as buses and waste collection vehicles. The company has several partnerships with companies for its technology. Pure Hydrogen’s hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered Prime Mover truck was displayed at the Brisbane Truck Show last year. 


Pure Hydrogen has a 40 percent stake in the Turquoise Group, an Australian clean energy company, as well as exclusive long-term acquisition rights for the company’s future hydrogen production. Turquoise Group announced in May 2024 that it had produced the first graphene powder and hydrogen during testing at its commercial demonstration plant in Brisbane, Queensland. In August 2024, Pure Hydrogen registered Australia’s first hydrogen-powered semi-truck, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell 110kW 6×4 Prime Mover.


Pure Hydrogen’s majority-owned subsidiary HDrive confirmed in January 2025 that it had sold two Taurus 70 metric ton hydrogen fuel cell prime movers to Australian logistics services provider TOLL Transport as part of a broader AU$2 million package. The vehicles are slated for delivery in the fourth quarter of the calendar year. 








FAQS for hydrogen investing






                            Which is better: EVs or hydrogen?                                


According to research from TWI Global, there are pros and cons to both electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen vehicles. In terms of range and charging time, hydrogen beats electric hands down. However, while a hydrogen-powered vehicle doesn’t need much time to refuel compared to an EV, there is still much more EV charging infrastructure currently available compared to hydrogen fueling stations. EVs are also cheaper to purchase than hydrogen vehicles. As far as safety and emissions are concerned, it’s a draw between the two.






                            Why does Elon Musk not like hydrogen?                                


Elon Musk’s SpaceX has used hydrogen to fuel its rockets, and in 2023 Musk talked about hydrogen playing an important role in industrial applications, such as steelmaking. However, he has balked at the idea of hydrogen fueling vehicles, calling fuel cells “fool sells.” Speaking at a Financial Times conference in May 2022, Musk said, “It’s important to understand that if you want a means of energy storage, hydrogen is a bad choice.”


Starting in 2024, rumors began spreading that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) was planning to launch a Tesla Model H powered by hydrogen, but they have been proven false.






                            Why is Toyota investing in hydrogen?                                


Toyota (NYSE:TM,TSE:7203) first invested in hydrogen fuel cell technology in 1992 as its executives saw clean energy as the future of transport. However, with EVs dominating the clean car space, the automaker began to shift its focus to compete with its peers. Toyota brought its newest hydrogen-powered vehicle to market in the fall of 2023 — a revamped Crown sedan that also has a hybrid-electric version. The following year, the auto maker introduced the first prototype of its Toyota Hilux trucks with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain.


In 2025, Toyota shared its long-term strategy for developing hydrogen passenger vehicles as well as hydrogen technologies for long-haul freight.






                            Who is the leader in hydrogen energy?                                


Some countries leading in green and blue hydrogen production are the US, Germany and Canada. Many countries around the world have released clean hydrogen strategies, including the US, Canada and many countries in the Europe Union. However, clean hydrogen production is still in the early phases as countries develop infrastructure.




Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.




This post appeared first on investingnews.com



		
				
			
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Darden Restaurants sales disappoint as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse miss expectations

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		
Darden Restaurants on Thursday reported weaker-than-expected sales as Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse underperformed analysts’ projections.


Shares of the company were up in premarket trading.




Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:


Darden reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $323.4 million, or $2.74 per share, up from $312.9 million, or $2.60 per share, a year earlier.


Excluding costs related to its acquisition of Chuy’s, Darden earned $2.80 per share.


Net sales rose 6.2% to $3.16 billion, fueled largely by the addition of Chuy’s restaurants to its portfolio.


Darden’s same-store sales rose 0.7%, less than the 1.7% increase expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount estimates.


Both Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, which are typically the two standouts of Darden’s portfolio, reported underwhelming same-store sales growth. Olive Garden’s same-store sales rose 0.6%. Analysts were anticipating same-store sales growth of 1.5%. And LongHorn’s same-store sales increased 2.6%, missing analysts’ expectations of 5% growth.


Darden’s fine dining segment, which includes The Capital Grille and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, reported same-store sales declines of 0.8%.


The last segment of Darden’s business, which includes Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and Yard House, saw same-store sales shrink 0.4% in the quarter.


For the full year, Darden reiterated its forecast for revenue of $12.1 billion. It narrowed its outlook for adjusted earnings from continuing operations to a range of $9.45 to $9.52 per share. Its prior forecast was $9.40 to $9.60 per share.


Darden’s fiscal 2025 outlook includes Chuy’s results, but the Tex-Mex chain won’t be included in its same-store sales metrics until the fiscal fourth quarter in 2026.




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How new professional sports leagues like SailGP are putting women at the fore

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		
As women’s sports surge in popularity, professional leagues are increasingly touting the value of female athletes. New professional leagues like SailGP are launching with the advantage of building from the ground up, with gender diversity as part of their DNA.


Noncontact and noncollision sports are leading the way. Formula 1′s F1 Academy has created a pipeline for women into motorsports, with a goal of increasing female participation and representation on and off the racetrack. At the same time, it’s drawing a more diverse fanbase. Roughly 41% of F1 fans now are female, with women aged 16 to 24 years old making up the fastest-growing fan group, according to Nielsen Sports.




Professional male and female athletes are already competing alongside and against each other in the United Pickleball Association’s unified league, the Global Mixed Gender Basketball league and in SailGP, the international sailing league co-founded by Oracle founder Larry Ellison and champion yachtsman Russell Coutts. 


Founded in 2018, the upstart sailing league involves 12 international teams racing on high-speed, 50-foot catamarans known as F50s. At speeds of more than 60 mph, SailGP is gaining a reputation as a sort of Formula 1 on the water.


“The whole goal is to train athletes to be capable of racing on an F50, which is one of the more complex boats in the world — maybe the most difficult boat to race in the world right now,” said Coutts, who is also SailGP’s chief executive officer. 


The league didn’t set out with gender equity goals in mind, Coutts said, but simply sought to create the most compelling competition.  


“We believe that male and female athletes can compete at the top of our sport against each other and with each other, so when we we saw that there was a difference in participation levels — and didn’t really see any logical reason for that — we took some steps to address that and we’ll take further steps in the future,” said Coutts. 


To bridge the experience gap most female sailors face, SailGP created programs to draw and train talent. In December, its Women’s Performance Camp in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, marked its largest on-the-water women’s athlete training camp to date. 


The league also requires each team to have at least one female athlete onboard during races and has set targets to have at least two female athletes per race crew in key positions within the next five years. Those key positions are the driver, who steers the boat; the strategist, who advises on tactics; the wing trimmer, who adjusts the 85- to 90-foot carbon-fiber wing sail; and the flight controller, who dictates how high or low the boat flies over the water.


The next SailGP races take place Saturday and Sunday in San Francisco, the second in back-to-back U.S. weekend races. 


SailGP has embedded inclusivity and sustainability into the competition via an Impact League that runs parallel to the on-the-water championship. Teams earn points for taking action to make sailing more accessible and to protect the environment in order to reach the podium. Winning teams earn cash prize donations to their partners. The Canadian team is in the lead in the Impact League thanks to its work to offer training opportunities, sailing camps and demo days to introduce foiling to new Canadian athletes.


“That changes the mindframe of very competitive people to care, and to compete, in a world of impact and sustainability as well,” said SailGP Chief Marketing Officer Leah Davis. “When you challenge the world’s most competitive people to be good at something else, they will turn their eyes to that pretty quickly, and in a pretty impactful way.”


Off the water, 43% of SailGP’s C-suite is female, up from just 14% in 2021. For comparison, 29% of C-suite roles at Fortune 500 companies are held by women, according to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2024 report. The league last year introduced Apex Group’s accelerator program, aimed at increasing female representation at senior levels of the company. 


It has also introduced initiatives to train more women on the operations, technology and boat-building side of the business. For example, SailGP Technologies based in Southampton, U.K., offers an apprenticeship training scheme — eight participants join the program each year, four male and four female. Today, 33% of directors at SailGP and 52% of heads of departments are female.


The overall business strategy is helping to grow the league’s appeal to a new set of fans. For the first time in its history, more than half of the ticket holders in attendance at last season’s New Zealand Championships in March were female, a trend that has held steady this season.


“This demographic has been underserved in sports,” said SailGP Chief Purpose Officer Fiona Morgan. “A huge part of our headroom in fans is young fans — and actually they’re female fans — who probably didn’t think about sailing, but they like extreme sports or sustainability, or they like sports that have gender equity at the heart.”


In June, Tommy Hilfiger was announced as the United States SailGP team’s official lifestyle apparel partner, joining brands such as Red Bull, Emirates, Mubadala, Rockwool and Deutsche Bank in sponsoring individual teams. In November, SailGP announced it had signed Rolex as its first title sponsor.


“I don’t think many brands nowadays will go into sponsorship that doesn’t have diversity or equity at some point in it,” said Morgan. “Their consumers and their investors will ensure they do that.” 


In September, the league achieved a major milestone, announcing its first female driver. Two-time Olympic sailing champion Martine Grael joined for the 2024-25 season to skipper the new Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team, making history and immediately climbing the leaderboard. 


After championships in Dubai, Auckland, New Zealand, Sydney and Los Angeles, teams from the UK, Australia and New Zealand are leading the league. Grael has steered her team ahead of the Germany SailGP team, and is proving competitive against the more experienced United States team.


“In the past — and still nowadays — you see a lot of people say, ‘Girls shouldn’t do that,’” Grael said. Her response is to call out that old way of thinking: “Shouldn’t do what?”


Grael credits much of her early success to familiarizing herself with the boats using SailGP’s simulator, developing muscle memory before even getting on the water. Unlike traditional boats built with male sailors in mind, SailGP’s modern foiling boats open opportunities for women in roles that do not require as much physical strength, she said. Knowing when to push a button and developing a good feel for the boat are equally important to the more physical functions, said Grael. 


“Some guys have failed to understand that a girl is very much capable of doing the same role they’re doing,” she said.


Grael is among a number of top female athletes competing in key positions in SailGP — including Emirates Great Britain Team’s strategist Hannah Mills and the U.S. team’s Anna Weis — and says though women are still in the minority, things are changing.


Together with women competing in marquee races — like Switzerland’s Justine Mettraux, who took eighth place in the Vendée Globe single-handed, nonstop, nonassisted round-the-world race this year — they are carving a path for a new cohort of women to gain opportunities and make their mark.


“We have been less limited — I grew up never being told I shouldn’t do something,” said Grael. “There’s a big generation of others looking at us, and they’re going to come out strong.”




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Art created autonomously by AI can’t be copyrighted, federal appeals court rules

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		
A federal appeals court ruled that art created autonomously by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted, saying that at least initial human authorship is required for a copyright.


The ruling Tuesday upheld a decision by the U.S. Copyright Office denying computer scientist Stephen Thaler a copyright for the painting “A Recent Entrance to Paradise.”




The picture was created by Thaler’s AI platform, the “Creativity Machine.”


The “Copyright Office’s longstanding rule requiring a human author … does not prohibit copyrighting work that was made by or with the assistance of artificial intelligence,” a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said in its unanimous ruling.


“The rule requires only that the author of that work be a human being — the person who created, operated, or use artificial intelligence — and not the machine itself,” the panel said.


The panel noted that the Copyright Office “has allowed the registration of works made by human authors who use artificial intelligence.”


Copyright grants intellectual property protection to original works, giving their owners exclusive rights to reproduce the works, sell the works, rent them and display them.


Tuesday’s ruling hinged on the fact that Thaler listed the “Creativity Machine” as the sole “author” of “A Recent Entrance to Paradise” when he submitted a registration application to the Copyright Office in 2018.


Thaler listed himself as the picture’s owner in the application.


Thaler told CNBC in an interview that the Creativity Machine created the painting “on its own” in 2012.


The machine “learned cumulatively, and I was the parent, and I was basically tutoring it,” Thaler said.


“It actually generated [the painting] on its own as it mediated,” said Thaler.


He said his AI machines are “sentients” and “self-determining.”


Thaler’s lawyer, Ryan Abbott, told CNBC in an interview said, “We do strongly disagree with the appeals court decision and plan to appeal it.”


Abbott said he would first ask the full judicial lineup of the Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the case. If that appeal is unsuccessful, Abbott could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the issue.


The attorney said the case detailed “the first publicized rejection” by the Copyright Office “on the basis” of the claim that a work was created by AI.


That denial and the subsequent court rulings in the office’s favor, “creates a huge shadow on the creative community” he said, because “it’s not clear where the line is” delineating when a work created by or with the help of AI will be denied a copyright.


Despite the ruling, Abbott said he “was very pleased to see that the case has been successful in drawing public attention to these very important public policy issues.”


The Copyright Office first denied Thaler’s application in August 2019, saying, “We cannot register this work because it lacks the human authorship necessary to support a copyright claim.”


“According to your application this work was ’created autonomously by machine,” the office said at the time.


The office cited an 1884 ruling by the Supreme Court, which found that Congress had the right to extend copyright protection to a photograph, in that case one taken of the author Oscar Wilde.


The office later rejected two requests by Thaler for reconsideration of its decision.


After the second denial, in 2022, Thaler sued the office in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeking to reverse the decision.


District Court Judge Beryl Howell in August 2023 ruled in favor of the Copyright Office, writing, “Defendants are correct that human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim.”


“Human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright,” Howell wrote.


Thaler then appealed Howell’s ruling to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.


In its decision Tuesday, the appeals panel wrote, “This case presents a question made salient by recent advances in artificial intelligence: Can a non-human machine be an author under the Copyright Act of 1976?”


“The use of artificial intelligence to produce original work is rapidly increasing across industries and creative fields,” the decision noted.


“Who — or what — the ‘author’ of such work is a question that implicates important property rights undergirding growth and creative innovation.”


The ruling noted that Thaler had argued that the Copyright Office’s human authorship requirement “is unconstitutional and unsupported by either statute or case law.”


Thaler also “claimed that judicial opinions ‘from the Gilded Age’ could not settle the question of whether computer generated works are copyrightable today,” the ruling noted.


But the appeals panel said that “authors are at the center of the Copyright Act,” and that “traditional tools of statutory interpretation show that within the meaning of the Copyright Act, ‘author’ refers only to human beings.”


The panel said that the Copyright Office “formally adopted the human authorship requirement in 1973.”


That was six years after the office noted in its annual report to Congress that, “as computer technology develops and becomes more sophisticated, difficult questions of authorship are emerging.”


Abbott, the attorney who represented Thaler in the appeal, told CNBC that the Copyright Act “never says” that “you need a human author at all for a work … or a named author.”


Abbott noted that corporations are granted copyrights, as are authors who are anonymous or pseudonymous.


Protecting a ‘beautiful picture’


The Copyright Office, in a statement to CNBC, said it “believes the court reached the correct result, affirming the Office’s registration decision and confirming that human authorship is required for copyright.”


Thaler said that he will continue to pursue his bid for a copyright for the painting.


“My personal goal is not to preserve the feeling of machines,” Thaler said. “It’s more to preserve, how should I say, orphaned intellectual property.”


“A machine creates a beautiful picture? There should be some protection for it,” Thaler said.




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Klarna lands buy now, pay later deal with DoorDash, notching another win ahead of IPO

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		
Klarna, the buy now, pay later lender that’s headed for an initial public offering, said on Thursday that it’s signed on DoorDash as a partner, another sign of momentum for public market investors.


It’s DoorDash’s first BNPL alliance and gives users of the restaurant delivery service a new way to pay for meals. Klarna said in a press release that DoorDash customers will be able to pay in full at checkout, split payments into four equal interest-free installments, or defer to dates that align conveniently with payday schedules.




Klarna, which is headquartered in Sweden, filed its prospectus last week to list on the New York Stock Exchange. Revenue last year increased 24% to $2.8 billion, and adjusted operating profit was $181 million, swinging from a loss of $49 million a year earlier. CNBC reported on Monday that Klarna will be the exclusive provider of buy now, pay later loans for Walmart, taking a coveted partnership away from rival Affirm.


“Our partnership with DoorDash marks an important milestone in Klarna’s expansion into everyday spending categories,” said David Sykes, Klarna’s chief commercial officer, in Thursday’s release.


Klarna, founded in 2005, said in its prospectus that it has 675,000 merchant partners in 26 countries. It’s among the most hotly anticipated IPOs of the year following an extended stretch of historically little activity for new offerings.




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Israel intercepts missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		
            The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Thursday morning, the second to target Israel since the Gaza ceasefire ended on Tuesday.    


            Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for what the Iran-backed group said was a ballistic missile fired in support of Palestinians and in response to Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza.    


            The missile was intercepted before it entered Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.    


            No injuries were immediately reported, according to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA).    


            Sirens sounded in several areas across the country, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, authorities said.    


            The Houthis said the missile targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.    


            The group also claimed it targeted the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and a number of United States warships in the Red Sea with an unspecified number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, in response to the recent wave of US airstrikes across Yemen.    


            The launch came after US strikes targeted Yemen on Wednesday and early into Thursday, including in the capital Sanaa, as President Donald Trump threatened the Houthis in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying the rebel group “will be completely annihilated.”    


            The Houthis earlier said they will continue their assaults on American and Israeli interests until the hostilities in Gaza cease.    


            Dozens of people have been reported killed after Trump ordered “decisive” military action against the Houthis in Yemen late last week, opening a new salvo against the group that has targeted vital Red Sea shipping routes.    


            US strikes over the weekend killed at least 53 people and wounded almost 100 others in Yemen, including women and children, the Houthi-run health ministry said according to the Associated Press.    


            On Wednesday, US strikes on Sanaa also injured seven women and two children in a residential neighborhood, the Houthi-run health ministry said.    


            US strikes also targeted the western province of Al-Jawf on Wednesday and Hodeidah and Saada early Thursday, the Houthis said.    


            Video from Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV shows Yemeni civil defense teams extinguishing blazing fires in the aftermath of the strikes, damaged buildings and vehicles, and two children with blood on their bodies and clothes.    


            The US Central Command did not clarify specific locations it targeted in Yemen but confirmed Wednesday that its forces “continue 24/7 operations against the Iran-backed Houthis.”    


            This is a developing story and will be updated.    




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Canada condemns China executions of four Canadian drug convicts

						
					

			

	
				
						
				
	

		
	


	

		
		
            Canada said on Wednesday that China had executed four Canadian citizens on drugs smuggling charges earlier this year, and strongly condemned Beijing’s use of the death penalty.    


            Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters that all four had been dual citizens and said Ottawa would ask for leniency for other Canadians facing the same fate.    


            “There are four Canadians that have been executed and therefore we are strongly condemning what happened,” she said, adding that all four had been convicted on drugs charges.    


            Separately, the Canadian Foreign Ministry said that Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian man sentenced to death in 2019 for drug smuggling, had not been executed.    


            Canada-China ties have been icy since 2018 when Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecoms firm Huawei, was detained in Vancouver at the Trump administration’s request. China arrested two Canadians shortly afterwards.    


            Meng and the Canadian duo were released in 2021.    


            Earlier this month Beijing announced tariffs on over $2.6 billion worth of Canadian agricultural and food products, retaliating against levies Ottawa slapped on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products last year.    


            In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Ottawa said Canada was making irresponsible remarks.    


            “China always imposed severe penalties on drug-related crimes and maintains a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards the drug problem,” it said, without confirming that any executions had taken place.    




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