ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) (“Fluence” or the “Company”), a global market leader delivering intelligent energy storage, operational services, and asset optimization software, today announced its results for the three months and full fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Highlights Financial Position Fiscal Year 2025 Outlook The Company is initiating fiscal year 2025 guidance as follows: The foregoing Fiscal Year 2025 Outlook statements represent management's current best estimate as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially depending on a number of factors. Investors are urged to read the Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements included in this release. Management does not assume any obligation to update these estimates. "Our record financial results for 2024 are a testament to our team's dedication, operational efficiency, and commitment to delivering value to our stakeholders as we achieved our highest ever revenue and profitability, marking a significant milestone in the Company's growth trajectory. Furthermore, we had our second consecutive quarter of signing more than $1 billion of new orders, which brought our backlog to $4.5 billion, underscoring the market's strong confidence in our energy storage solutions," said Julian Nebreda, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we look forward, we see unprecedented demand for battery energy storage solutions across the world, driven principally by the U.S. market. We believe we are well positioned to continue capturing this market with our best-in-class domestic content offering which utilizes U.S. manufactured battery cells." "We are pleased with our strong fiscal year-end performance, achieving record revenue growth, robust margin expansion and free cash flow. We also generated positive net income for the first time," said Ahmed Pasha, Chief Financial Officer. "With backlog and development pipeline at record levels, we enter fiscal 2025 poised for sustained profitable growth." Share Count The shares of the Company’s common stock as of September 30, 2024 are presented below: Conference Call Information The Company will conduct a teleconference starting at 8:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, to discuss the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2024 financial results. To participate, analysts are required to register by clicking Fluence Energy Inc. Q4 Earnings Call Registration Link . Once registered, analysts will be issued a unique PIN number and dial-in number. Analysts are encouraged to register at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. General audience participants, and non-analysts are encouraged to join the teleconference in a listen-only mode at: Fluence Energy Inc. Q4 Listen Only - Webcast , or on http://fluenceenergy.com by selecting Investors, News & Events, and Events & Presentations. Supplemental materials that may be referenced during the teleconference will be available at: http://fluenceenergy.com , by selecting Investors, News & Events, and Events & Presentations. A replay of the conference call will be available after 1:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. The replay will be available on the Company’s website at http://fluenceenergy.com by selecting Investors, News & Events, and Events & Presentations. Non-GAAP Financial Measures We present our operating results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”). We believe certain financial measures, such as Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Gross Profit Margin, and Free Cash Flow, which are non-GAAP measures, provide users of our financial statements with supplemental information that may be useful in evaluating our operating performance. We believe that such non-GAAP measures, when read in conjunction with our operating results presented under GAAP, can be used to better assess our performance from period to period and relative to performance of other companies in our industry, without regard to financing methods, historical cost basis or capital structure. Such non-GAAP measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. These measures have limitations as analytical tools, including that other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate these measures differently, reducing their usefulness as comparative measures. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated from the consolidated statements of operations using net income (loss) adjusted for (i) interest income, net, (ii) income taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) stock-based compensation, and (v) other non-recurring income or expenses. Adjusted EBITDA also includes amounts impacting net income related to estimated payments due to related parties pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, dated October 27, 2021, by and among Fluence Energy, Inc., Fluence Energy, LLC, Siemens Industry, Inc. and AES Grid Stability, LLC (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”). Adjusted Gross Profit is calculated using gross profit, adjusted to exclude (i) stock-based compensation expenses, (ii) amortization, and (iii) other non-recurring income or expenses. Adjusted Gross Profit Margin is calculated using Adjusted Gross Profit divided by total revenue. Free Cash Flow is calculated from the consolidated statements of cash flows and is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less purchase of property and equipment made in the period. We expect our Free Cash Flow to fluctuate in future periods as we invest in our business to support our plans for growth. Limitations on the use of Free Cash Flow include (i) it should not be inferred that the entire Free Cash Flow amount is available for discretionary expenditures (for example, cash is still required to satisfy other working capital needs, including short-term investment policy, restricted cash, and intangible assets); (ii) Free Cash Flow has limitations as an analytical tool, and it should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of other GAAP financial measures, such as net cash provided by operating activities; and (iii) this metric does not reflect our future contractual commitments. Please refer to the reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures included in this press release and the accompanying tables contained at the end of this release. The Company is not able to provide a quantitative reconciliation of full fiscal year 2025 Adjusted EBITDA to GAAP Net Income (Loss) on a forward-looking basis within this press release because of the uncertainty around certain items that may impact Adjusted EBITDA, including stock compensation and restructuring expenses, that are not within our control or cannot be reasonably predicted without unreasonable effort. About Fluence Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) is a global market leader delivering intelligent energy storage and optimization software for renewables and storage. The Company's solutions and operational services are helping to create a more resilient grid and unlock the full potential of renewable portfolios. With gigawatts of projects successfully contracted, deployed and under management across nearly 50 markets, the Company is transforming the way we power our world for a more sustainable future. For more information, visit our website, or follow us on LinkedIn or X. To stay up to date on the latest industry insights, sign up for Fluence's Full Potential Blog. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The statements contained in this press release and statements that are made on our earnings call that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements set forth above under “Fiscal Year 2025 Outlook,” and other statements regarding the Company's future financial and operational performance, future market and industry growth and related opportunities for the Company, anticipated Company growth and business strategy, including future incremental working capital and capital opportunities, liquidity and access to capital and cash flows, demand for electricity and impact to energy storage, demand for the Company's energy storage solutions, services, and digital applications offerings, our positioning to capture market share with domestic content offering and future offerings, expected impact and benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and U.S. Treasury domestic content guidelines on us and on our customers, anticipated timeline of U.S. battery module production and timing of our domestic content offering, expectations relating to our contracting manufacturing capacity, potential impact to tariffs, related policies, and regulations from the change in political administration, new products and solutions and product innovation, relationships with new and existing customers and suppliers, expectations relating to backlog, pipeline, and contracted backlog, future revenue recognition, future results of operations, future capital expenditures and debt service obligations, and projected costs, beliefs, assumptions, prospects, plans and objectives of management. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this press release, words such as “may,” “possible,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” "commits", “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions and variations thereof and similar words and expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments, as well as a number of assumptions concerning future events, and their potential effects on our business. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and there can be no assurance that future developments affecting our business will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, our relatively limited operating and revenue history as an independent entity and the nascent clean energy industry; anticipated increasing expenses in the future and our ability to maintain prolonged profitability; fluctuations of our order intake and results of operations across fiscal periods; potential difficulties in maintaining manufacturing capacity and establishing expected mass manufacturing capacity in the future; risks relating to delays, disruptions, and quality control problems in our manufacturing operations; risks relating to quality and quantity of components provided by suppliers; risks relating to our status as a relatively low-volume purchaser as well as from supplier concentration and limited supplier capacity; risks relating to operating as a global company with a global supply chain; changes in the global trade environment; changes in the cost and availability of raw materials and underlying components; failure by manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers to use ethical business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations; significant reduction in pricing or order volume or loss of one or more of our significant customers or their inability to perform under their contracts; risks relating to competition for our offerings and our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers; ability to maintain and enhance our reputation and brand recognition; ability to effectively manage our recent and future growth and expansion of our business and operations; our growth depends in part on the success of our relationships with third parties; ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel; risks associated with engineering and construction, utility interconnection, commissioning and installation of our energy storage solutions and products, cost overruns, and delays; risks relating to lengthy sales and installation cycle for our energy storage solutions; risks related to defects, errors, vulnerabilities and/or bugs in our products and technology; risks relating to estimation uncertainty related to our product warranties; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; risks related to our current and planned foreign operations; amounts included in our pipeline and contracted backlog may not result in actual revenue or translate into profits; risks related to acquisitions we have made or that we may pursue; events and incidents relating to storage, delivery, installation, operation, maintenance and shutdowns of our products; risks relating to our impacts to our customer relationships due to events and incidents during the project lifecycle of an energy storage solution; actual or threatened health epidemics, pandemics or similar public health threats; ability to obtain financial assurances for our projects; risks relating to whether renewable energy technologies are suitable for widespread adoption or if sufficient demand for our offerings do not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate; estimates on size of our total addressable market; risks relating to the cost of electricity available from alternative sources; macroeconomic uncertainty and market conditions; risk relating to interest rates or a reduction in the availability of tax equity or project debt capital in the global financial markets and corresponding effects on customers’ ability to finance energy storage systems and demand for our energy storage solutions; decline in public acceptance of renewable energy, or delay, prevent, or increase in the cost of customer projects; severe weather events; increased attention to ESG matters; restrictions set forth in our current credit agreement and future debt agreements; uncertain ability to raise additional capital to execute on business opportunities; ability to obtain, maintain and enforce proper protection for our intellectual property, including our technology; threat of lawsuits by third parties alleging intellectual property violations; adequate protection for our trademarks and trade names; ability to enforce our intellectual property rights; risks relating to our patent portfolio; ability to effectively protect data integrity of our technology infrastructure and other business systems; use of open-source software; failure to comply with third party license or technology agreements; inability to license rights to use technologies on reasonable terms; risks relating to compromises, interruptions, or shutdowns of our systems; barriers arising from current electric utility industry policies and regulations and any subsequent changes; reduction, elimination, or expiration of government incentives or regulations regarding renewable energy; potential changes in tax laws or regulations; risks relating to environmental, health, and safety laws and potential obligations, liabilities and costs thereunder; failure to comply with data privacy and data security laws, regulations and industry standards; risks relating to potential future legal proceedings, regulatory disputes, and governmental inquiries; risks related to ownership of our Class A common stock; risks related to us being a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ rules; risks relating to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws; risks relating to our relationship with our Founders and Continuing Equity Owners; risks relating to conflicts of interest by our officers and directors due to positions with Continuing Equity Owners; risks related to short-seller activists; we depend on distributions from Fluence Energy, LLC to pay our taxes and expenses and Fluence Energy, LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be limited or restricted in certain scenarios; risks arising out of the Tax Receivable Agreement; unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of tax returns; risks relating to improper and ineffective internal control over reporting to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Act; risks relating to changes in accounting principles or their applicability to us; risks relating to estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies; and other factors set forth under Item 1A.“Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and in other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the effect of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made in this press release. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur, or which we become aware of, after the date hereof, except as otherwise may be required by law. Reclassifications Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Accounts payable with related parties of $2.5 million and Accruals with related parties of $3.7 million as of September 30, 2023, were reclassified from Deferred revenue and payables with related parties to Accounts payable and Accruals and provisions, respectively, on the consolidated balance sheet. The reclassification had no impact on the total current liabilities for any period presented. Corresponding reclassifications were also reflected on the consolidated statement of cash flows for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. The reclassifications had no impact on cash provided by (used in) operations for the period presented. Provision on loss contracts, net of $6.1 million and $30.0 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, was reclassified to current accruals and provisions on the consolidated statement of cash flows. The reclassification had no impact on cash provided by (used in) operations for the period presented. The following tables present our key operating metrics for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The tables below present the metrics in either Gigawatts (GW) or Gigawatt hours (GWh). Our key operating metrics focus on project milestones to measure our performance and designate each project as either “deployed”, “assets under management”, “contracted backlog”, or “pipeline”. The following table presents our order intake for the three months and fiscal years ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The table is presented in Gigawatts (GW): Deployed Deployed represents cumulative energy storage products and solutions that have achieved substantial completion and are not decommissioned. Deployed is monitored by management to measure our performance towards achieving project milestones. Assets Under Management Assets under management for service contracts represents our long-term service contracts with customers associated with our completed energy storage system products and solutions. We start providing maintenance, monitoring, or other operational services after the storage product projects are completed. In some cases, services may be commenced for energy storage solutions prior to achievement of substantial completion. This is not limited to energy storage solutions delivered by Fluence. Assets under management for digital software represents contracts signed and active (post go live). Assets under management serves as an indicator of expected revenue from our customers and assists management in forecasting our expected financial performance. Contracted Backlog For our energy storage products and solutions contracts, contracted backlog includes signed customer orders or contracts under execution prior to when substantial completion is achieved. For service contracts, contracted backlog includes signed service agreements associated with our storage product projects that have not been completed and the associated service has not started. For digital applications contracts, contracted backlog includes signed agreements where the associated subscription has not started. We cannot guarantee that our contracted backlog will result in actual revenue in the originally anticipated period or at all. Contracted backlog may not generate margins equal to our historical operating results. We have only recently begun to track our contracted backlog on a consistent basis as performance measures, and as a result, we do not have significant experience in determining the level of realization that we will achieve on these contracts. Our customers may experience project delays or cancel orders as a result of external market factors and economic or other factors beyond our control. If our contracted backlog fails to result in revenue as anticipated or in a timely manner, we could experience a reduction in revenue, profitability, and liquidity. Contracted/Order Intake Contracted, which we use interchangeably with “order intake”, represents new energy storage product and solutions contracts, new service contracts and new digital contracts signed during each period presented. We define “Contracted” as a firm and binding purchase order, letter of award, change order or other signed contract (in each case an “Order”) from the customer that is received and accepted by Fluence. Our order intake is intended to convey the dollar amount and gigawatts (operating measure) contracted in the period presented. We believe that order intake provides useful information to investors and management because the order intake provides visibility into future revenue and enables evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s sales activity and the attractiveness of its offerings in the market. Pipeline Pipeline represents our uncontracted, potential revenue from energy storage products and solutions, service, and digital software contracts, which have a reasonable likelihood of contract execution within 24 months. Pipeline is an internal management metric that we construct from market information reported by our global sales force. Pipeline is monitored by management to understand the anticipated growth of our Company and our estimated future revenue related to customer contracts for our battery-based energy storage products and solutions, services and digital software. We cannot guarantee that our pipeline will result in actual revenue in the originally anticipated period or at all. Pipeline may not generate margins equal to our historical operating results. We have only recently begun to track our pipeline on a consistent basis as performance measures, and as a result, we do not have significant experience in determining the level of realization that we will achieve on these contracts. Our customers may experience project delays or cancel orders as a result of external market factors and economic or other factors beyond our control. If our pipeline fails to result in revenue as anticipated or in a timely manner, we could experience a reduction in revenue, profitability, and liquidity. Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) ARR represents the net annualized contracted value including software subscriptions including initial trial, licensing, long term service agreements, and extended warranty agreements as of the reporting period. ARR excludes one-time fees, revenue share or other revenue that is non-recurring and variable. The Company believes ARR is an important operating metric as it provides visibility to future revenue. It is important to management to increase this visibility as we continue to expand. ARR is not a forecast of future revenue and should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue as ARR is an operating metric and is not intended to replace these items. The following tables present our non-GAAP measures for the periods indicated. ____________________________ 1 Non-GAAP Financial Metric. See the section below titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for more information regarding the Company's use of non-GAAP financial measures, as well as a reconciliation to the most directly comparable financials measure stated in accordance with GAAP. 2 Backlog represents the unrecognized revenue value of our contractual commitments, which include deferred revenue and amounts that will be billed and recognized as revenue in future periods. The Company’s backlog may vary significantly each reporting period based on the timing of major new contractual commitments and the backlog may fluctuate with currency movements. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Company’s customers have the right to terminate contracts or defer the timing of its services and their payments to the Company. 3 Total cash includes Cash and cash equivalents + Restricted Cash + Short term investments. Contacts Analyst Lexington May, Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations +1 713-909-5629 Email : InvestorRelations@fluenceenergy.com Media Email: media.na@fluenceenergy.comhttps www rich9 art 。

After three years in the position, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger stepped down , it was announced on Monday . The move comes amid stark competition from other chipmakers amid the recent AI boom. "Leading Intel has been the honor of my lifetime — this group of people is among the best and the brightest in the business, and I'm honored to call each and every one a colleague," the former CEO said in a statement obtained by The Hill . "Today is, of course, bittersweet, as this company has been my life for the bulk of my working career," he continued. "I can look back with pride at all that we have accomplished together." Walmart joins growing list of corporations scaling back diversity policies under pressure from conservative activists 'Macy’s employee hid up to $154 million in expenses' as Q3 earnings report delayed Gelsinger started working at Intel in 1979 and worked his way through the ranks, serving as its first chief technology officer. He then spent about a decade away from the company before returning in 2021 to become CEO, taking over from Bob Swan, who led the company for two years. He acknowledged that it's been a "challenging year" for the company, which is struggling to compete with rivals like Nvidia as AI takes over and continues to grow. The company said in August that it would be cutting 15% of its workforce, which amounts to about 15,000 jobs, as it struggles to keep up and faces setback after setback. Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories. Just last month, for the first time in over two decades, Intel was no longer a part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average on the stock market, replaced by Nvidia. It was a significant blow to the chipmaker, which has been one of the 30 stocks in the dow for the aforementioned length of time. "While we have made significant progress in regaining manufacturing competitiveness and building the capabilities to be a world-class foundry, we know that we have much more work to do at the company and are committed to restoring investor confidence," Intel's board chair Frank Yeary said in a statement on Monday. In Gelsinger's absense, David Zinser and Michelle Johnston Holthaus will take over as interim co-CEOs as the search for new chief executives gets underway. DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.Global Tensions: A Snapshot of Current Conflicts and TragediesNorthern Oil and Gas took the unusual step of denying rumors that it is in discussions to acquire Granite Ridge Resources, another non-operating energy investment company. Unnamed sources told Reuters that Eden Prairie-based Northern Oil and Gas had made offers to acquire Dallas-based Granite Ridge. However, Northern Oil and Gas issued a press release late Friday saying, “The company is not currently engaged in formal negotiations to acquire Granite Ridge.” Under Chief Executive Nick O’Grady and board Chair Bahram Akradi, Northern Oil has grown tremendously in the last several years by making strategic acquisitions of non-operating interests in oil and gas properties and is the largest publicly traded non-operator. Once primarily operating in the Williston and Bakken areas of North Dakota and Montana, recent acquisitions have diversified the company’s geographic holdings in the most prominent oil and gas production regions in the continental United States including the Uinta, Permian and Appalachian basins. The company said it maintains an active book of prospects that it is examing at any given time. “The company frequently sends expressions of interest to acquire assets or businesses in order to evaluate and conduct due diligence on potential opportunities.” the company said. “Many of these requests to conduct diligence are rejected.” In 2020, Northern Oil’s revenue was $324 million, and analysts project revenue for 2024 will be $2.25 billion, making the company one of the fastest growing Minnesota-based public firms over those years. Earlier this year, Northern Oil entered two joint ventures, giving the company about 20% interest in deals with Point Partners for Vital Energy and XCL for SM Energy. Those deals expanded the company’s interests in the Permian and Unita basins. On two of the more expensive deals, Northern Oil spent a combined $730 million. The deals increased overall debt, but according to company officials, the company still has about $1 billion on a revolving line of credit and its preferred liquidity ratio is slightly higher than they like. Officials have said they believe Northern Oil has the capacity to make more deals, while still paring down debt. Company officials said Monday they did not have additional comments on the Granite Ridge rumors. The Reuters story claimed that Northern Oil had made two offers for Granite Ridge, at a 20% premium to its share price. Granite Ridge’s current market cap is about $810 million. Granite Ridge owns wells and locations in the Permian, Bakken, and Denver-Julesburg oil and gas production regions, among others. Northern Oil trades on Nasdaq, but more than 40% of its shares are controlled by Grey Rock Investment Partners. Granite Ridge was formed and went public in May 2022 when Grey Rock merged with a special purpose acquisition company. At that time, shares were trading just under $10 a share. Prior to the Reuter’s story, Granite Ridge’s stock was trading around $5.62 a share, but the rumors sent its shares up 10% on Friday. After the Northern Oil issued its denial, Granite Ridge shares traded down on Monday, closing at $5.90 a share, 5% less than the close on Friday. Northern Oil shares on Monday closed at $35.63, up less than 1%.

New pro-European coalition approved in Romania amid period of political turmoilElway: Remorse over passing on Allen mitigated by play of Nix

Richard Parsons, prominent Black executive who led Time Warner and Citigroup, dies at 76

The Arizona Cardinals are 6-6 through 12 games, which makes them an average football team. That's much better than the previous two years, which both ended with just four wins. But after two straight frustrating losses, it's not providing much consolation for a franchise that feels as though it should be much better. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Patchwork Patchwork is a chill two-player puzzle game where you and your opponent compete to create the best quilt. The tactile experience and cozy results are relaxing on a chilly day. If you have more than two players, try Calico instead, where you’ll create quilts for cats. Carcassonne In Carcassonne, players compete to build Medieval cities and fields by laying tiles. The game takes a bit of strategy and luck, and it will generate some friendly competition among children and adults alike. The charming artwork also will transport you on a road trip from the comfort of your home. Everdell and Flamecraft For those looking for longer gameplay, Everdell will have you playing as cute forest creatures building new cities during a game that averages a little over an hour. Flamecraft is another delightfully whimsical game where players try to attract dragons to improve the reputation of their shops. Each of these games is simple to pick up and, with every playthrough offering something new, they’ll get you through the season. Everdell and Flamecraft can also be single-player games if you need a break from socialization. Puzzle and organization games If having everything in its place provides calm in the chaos, you’ll love Unpacking. This puzzle game, available on Switch, PC and Xbox, has you unpacking boxes and putting items away. Playing games like Unpacking can be a meditative experience. Other puzzle games like A Little to the Left and Spiritfarer blend stories into the gameplay. Farming, building and simulation games Maintaining a virtual farm or building a make-believe castle from your sofa can be a great stress reliever. Stardew Valley is a quintessential farming game surrounded by charming townspeople. Palia, a massively multiplayer online game, features farming, quests and community building with other players. It’s also free. For those with a Nintendo Switch, the Animal Crossing series has you interacting with other animal players in a peaceful village. With multiplayer modes, these games are great options for playing with friends and family from afar. For a single-player escape, try the recently released Tiny Glade on PC where you’ll build castles. This cozy game’s detailed artistry and conflict-free gameplay will bring hours of relaxation. Or build a world from tiles in Dorfromantik. The game can be entirely chill or provide a bit of strategy if you want to go for a high score. Relaxing card games A pack of cards is reliable entertainment at any gathering. From classics to innovative new card games, having a few in your collection can be worthwhile. Card games can range from simple to complex, a few minutes to a few hours and single-player to dozens of players. If you have a standard deck of playing cards, Blitz is a great option for any number of players. Also known as Thirty One, this game gives every player three cards and lets them trade out a card on each turn, trying to get a value of thirty-one. President is another simple social card game where players race to get rid of their cards in ascending order. Some people play it as a drinking game. For a two-player card game, try The Fox in the Forest. This trick-taking card game features cozy graphics, and its fast, simple gameplay is perfect for a winter date night. For two to four players, Arboretum has darling tree graphics on its cards. Players lay cards down with the goal of creating a beautiful garden.

Behavioral Health Services Market Unidentified Segments - The Biggest Opportunity Of 2024Michigan aims to cap lost season by beating Ohio StateDespite dysfunction, Caleb Williams etching his name in Bears history

MAPUTO, Mozambique. (AP) — At least 6,000 inmates escaped from a high-security prison in Mozambique’s capital on Christmas Day after a rebellion, the country's police chief said, as widespread post-election riots and violence are roiling the country. Police chief Bernardino Rafael said 33 prisoners died and 15 others were injured during a confrontation with the security forces. The prisoners fled during violent protests that have seen police cars, stations and infrastructure destroyed after the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed the ruling Frelimo party as the winner of the Oct. 9 elections. The escape from the Maputo Central Prison, located 14 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the capital, started around midday on Wednesday after “agitation” by a “group of subversive protesters” nearby, Rafael said. Some of the prisoners at the facility snatched weapons from the guards and started freeing other detainees. “A curious fact is that in that prison we had 29 convicted terrorists, who they released. We are worried, as a country, as Mozambicans, as members of the defense and security forces,” said Rafael. “They (protesters) were making noise, demanding that they be able to remove the prisoners who are there serving their sentences”, said Rafael, adding that the protests led to the collapse of a wall, allowing the prisoners to flee. Story continues below video He called on the escaped prisoners to surrender to authorities and for the population to be informed about the fugitives. Videos circulating on social media show the moment inmates left the prison, while other recordings reveal captures made by military personnel and prison guards. Many prisoners tried to hide in homes, but some were unsuccessful and ended up being detained again. In one video, a prisoner still with handcuffs on his right wrist says he was held n the disciplinary section of the prison and was released by other inmates. Violence has engulfed Mozambique since the country’s highest court confirmed ruling Frelimo party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo as the winner of disputed Oct. 9 elections on Monday. Mozambique's Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda told a news conference in Maputo late Tuesday that the violence was led by mostly youthful supporters of losing candidate Venancio Mondlane, who received 24% of the vote, second to Chapo, who got 65%. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned at the violence and urges all political leaders and relevant parties “to defuse tensions including through meaningful dialogue (and) legal redress,” U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said Thursday. The U.N. chief also calls for a halt to the violence and redoubled efforts “to seek a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis,” she said.Richard Parsons, prominent Black executive who led Time Warner and Citigroup, dies at 76

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and top backup Jordan Mason are being placed on injured reserve. McCaffrey left the snowy field in Buffalo on Sunday night after a 5-yard gain that was preceded by him heading to the sideline in apparent pain at the end of an 18-yard run. McCaffrey was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and did not play in the second half. The 49ers also lost Jordan Mason, who emerged in a starting role with McCaffrey out the first two months of the season, to an ankle injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Mason has a high-ankle sprain, which typically requires a recovery window of 4-6 weeks. Those moves push rookie Isaac Guerendo into the RB1 spot. He scored the team's only touchdown at Buffalo. The IR slots in San Francisco are manned by multiple starters, including wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Mason had a team-leading 789 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Being placed on IR means he's not eligible to play until the regular-season finale at Arizona. McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries on Sunday night and caught two passes for 14 yards before exiting. He was playing in just his fourth game of the season after missing the first eight because of Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season, when he led the league with 2,023 yards from scrimmage: a league-leading 1,459 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns plus 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores. McCaffrey hasn't scored a touchdown in his four appearances this season. He has rushed for 202 yards on 50 carries and caught 15 passes for 146 yards. "It was frustrating," Shanahan said after the game. "He had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff and thought he came out great, looking really good, and it looked like he just got his shoestring there. ... I hurt for him, and tough for our team not having him." The 49ers (5-7) played without defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) in the 35-10 loss. San Francisco has lost three in a row heading into next Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco resides two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (7-5) with five games remaining on the schedule. Seattle and San Francisco split their season series. --Field Level Media6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils Mozambique