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Tesla is turning to things besides solar in order to comply with its employment requirements at Gigafactory Buffalo in New York as part of a deal between SolarCity and the state.

Tesla Gigafactory New York

Tesla inherited Gigafactory New York as a result of its acquisition of SolarCity, and with it comes a deal with the state to create a certain number of jobs and maintain a level of investment in the region.

In exchange, the state invested $950 million in the project.

The deal has been somewhat hard to fulfill for Tesla after several changes of plan for the factory, which was first supposed to produce solar panels.

That plan originally failed and was replaced with a deal with Panasonic to produce solar modules for Tesla at the factory, but that deal also ended last year.

Tesla has since focused on building solar roof tiles at the location and Supercharger stations at the factory.

Tesla moves to more non-solar activities

In order to ramp up hiring at the location and comply with the state requirements, Tesla has been bringing more activities to Tesla Gigafactory New York that have nothing to do with solar.

We previously reported on Tesla looking to build a team of data labelers at Gigafactory New York to feed Autopilot neural nets with images.

In a new report about the progress to meet the state employment requirements, Tesla confirmed that its efforts have been slowed down by the pandemic, but it has now hired over 250 people to work on its Autopilot and full self-driving efforts, like data labelers.

Yaron Klein, Tesla treasurer, commented in a letter to the state:

Despite these headwinds, Tesla has been steadily ramping back up GFNY and expanding and diversifying the facility’s operations. Tesla has continued to expand the portfolio of the Power Electronics and vehicle charging equipment manufactured in Buffalo, and we recently onboarded over 250 new positions at the facility to support training Tesla’s autonomous vehicle and full self-driving capabilities.

250 people is significant considering Tesla reports now employing 1,058 people at Gigafactory New York as of the end of April.

Tesla is also turning to power electronics production in order to accelerate hiring at the plant.

While Tesla has achieved its investment requirements for the project, it is still about 30% off its employment goal.

Tesla received an extension from the state to achieve the requirement by the end of the year, and the company is confident that it will achieve the goal:

In sum, Tesla remains committed to expanding our business throughout the State of New York and further building the GFNY facility in Buffalo into a world-class advanced manufacturing center. As we have already exceeded two of our obligations under the Agreement, Tesla anticipates it will continue to recover from the pandemic-related impacts and expects it will meet and exceed all of the Agreement’s Year Two requirements by the end of the 2021.

In the report, Tesla also complained about the state’s direct sale laws that are still limiting the automaker to only five stores and service centers in the state.

It’s preventing Tesla from hiring more people in the state, but a new bill is currently being proposed, and if it passes, it would enable Tesla to open more locations in New York.

Here’s the latest report:


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Jamie Lynn Spears leaves I’m A Celebrity on medical grounds

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Jamie Lynn Spears leaves I'm A Celebrity on medical grounds

Jamie Lynn Spears has become the second contestant to leave I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! on medical grounds.

A spokesperson for the ITV show confirmed to Sky News that Britney Spears‘ sister had left the jungle on Wednesday afternoon.

She follows Grace Dent, whose departure was confirmed on Saturday. She told her fellow campmates that her “heart is broken” after leaving the programme early.

'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' TV show, Series 23, Campmates, Australia - Nov 2023
Grace Dent

Nov 2023
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Grace Dent was the first contestant to leave the show this year. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

“Jamie Lynn Spears has left I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! on medical grounds,” the spokesperson said.

“She’s been a fantastic campmate who has triumphed at trials and bonded well with her fellow celebrities.”

Sky News understands the 32-year-old has now left the camp and her fellow campmates are aware that she won’t be returning.

Her last appearance on the show will be on Wednesday night’s episode.

Spears had threatened to quit last week after just a few days when she became emotional because she was missing her children.

During the episode on 21 November, she told her campmates she was finding it difficult to be so far away from her family.

Jamie Lynn Spears on I'm A Celebrity Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
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Spears had spoken about missing her children while on the show. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

Her emotions bubbled up further when four celebrities were tasked with a challenge to win the contestants’ luxury items, with hers being a photo of her two daughters.

Spears also appeared to use the camp phone – which normally only rings during challenges – in last night’s episode to try to call her family in the US.

During her time on the show, Spears also discussed her relationship with her sister Britney, who she said she had talked to before entering the jungle.

Spears revealed the pair had a “very complicated upbringing” which lead to them having issues with each other.

U.S. singer Britney Spears (R) and her sister Jamie Lynn Spears watch the NBA game between the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles December 17, 2006. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES)
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Jamie Lynn Spears and Britney Spears in 2006

However, she added that she felt Britney would be “worried” about her in the jungle and believed she would be “checking in” regularly.

“She’s (Britney) a good big sister, she is,” Spears said. Yeah, I love her… Me and her throw down. The world’s seen that.

“I’ve learned to stop talking about it publicly, but you know what, families fight. Listen, we just do it better than most.”

Spears also discussed the challenges she faced after falling pregnant as a teenager while starring on TV series Zoey 101, and how she became Catholic after her daughter survived a freak accident where she nearly drowned in a family pond.

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Other celebrities on this year’s show include former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, First Dates star Fred Sirieix and JLS singer Marvin Humes.

The show has so far attracted a lower audience than last year’s series, which featured former health secretary Matt Hancock.

This year’s launch was watched by seven million people in its first week – down from a consolidated audience of nearly 12 million last year.

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Endgame: Publisher of book that appeared to name royal as racist ‘called journalist within one hour’ of his writing about it

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Endgame: Publisher of book that appeared to name royal as racist 'called journalist within one hour' of his writing about it

A journalist who spotted that a new book appeared to name a royal at the centre of a racism row says he was called by the publisher within an hour of writing his article.

Rick Evers, who has been a royal correspondent in the Netherlands for 14 years, told Sky News he published an article with key claims made in Endgame at around midday on Tuesday.

By 1pm, he says the publisher had been in touch to ask him to delete the article over “legal problems” in the book, written by Omid Scobie, who some commentators have said is an ally of Harry and Meghan.

The book appeared to name two royals who the Sussexes claim raised concern over the skin colour of Meghan’s then-unborn son, Archie – but only in the version sold in the Netherlands.

Xander, the publishers of the Dutch translation, have put sales of the book on hold “temporarily” over what it calls an “error”.

“I think it took an hour for the publisher to phone me to ask me to delete the whole article and to get it offline, because there are some legal problems with it,” he said.

“And, of course, I was very curious – what was it? They couldn’t say it, because there were names mentioned.

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“The only thing they had to say [was] that all of the books will be destroyed from the Dutch versions. So, there was something wrong.”

Kate 'ignored Meghan's cries for help'
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The book claimed Kate ‘ignored Meghan’s cries for help’

Mr Scobie’s book claims that Meghan wrote a letter to King Charles, who at the time was the Prince of Wales, expressing concern about unconscious bias in the Royal Family.

This came after the Duchess of Sussex claimed in her March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that a member of the Royal Family raised “concerns” about Archie’s skin colour.

The version being sold in English-speaking countries does not name anyone, with Mr Scobie stating: “Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were.”

But early readers in the Netherlands spotted the Dutch version names an individual.

Mr Evers – who says he did not realise the Dutch version was any different until after he had published an article – said he does not believe it is down to a “mistranslation”, as Mr Scobie has suggested.

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Publishers Xander say there had been an ‘error in the Dutch translation’ of the book, originally written in English by the author.

“If you compare the Dutch version and the English version it is quite clear that there is just a paragraph missing,” he said.

“One of them is replaced by some kind of sentence that Omid is not allowed to say the names because of legal problems to mention them, so it’s very clear that something has been erased.”

He said he suspects the original manuscript was checked by a legal department, who told the publishers the name should “come out”.

“So, I think they sent it to all the translators all over the world, who were translating the manuscript, except for one country – the Netherlands,” he said, adding he does not believe the name was included on purpose.

Mr Evers said he was one of two journalists in the Netherlands to receive an advanced copy of the book – none in the UK did.

Read more:
Who is Omid Scobie and what are his links to the royals?
Five revelations from Omid Scobie’s controversial new book

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Mr Scobie told chat show RTL Boulevard he wrote the English version and “there was no version from me in which names were mentioned”.

Xander, the publishers, said the books are being withdrawn from sale – though Mr Evers says some copies can still be bought in shops.

“[We are] temporarily withdrawing the book by Omid Scobie from sale,” Xander said in a statement. “An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified.”

Harry and Meghan have always refused to reveal who they claim raised concerns about Archie’s skin colour before he was born, but they did clarify it was not Prince Philip or the late Queen.

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Katy Ashworth: Former TV presenter ‘verbally and physically’ abused by former partner, High Court hears

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Katy Ashworth: Former TV presenter 'verbally and physically' abused by former partner, High Court hears

Former children’s television presenter Katy Ashworth has accused her ex-partner of being verbally and physically abusive to her, including when she was pregnant, a court has heard.

A High Court judge concluded Ben Alcott, a television programme director based in Australia, poses an “obvious and continuing risk” to his partners.

Mrs Justice Arbuthnot made her findings after examining evidence at a private hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

The pair had become embroiled in a dispute centred on a child, who lives with Ms Ashworth.

The judge said she had overseen a “fact-finding hearing” after she made a “number of allegations of domestic abuse” against Mr Alcott.

Mr Alcott “denies all the allegations” made by Ms Ashworth, who presented shows on the BBC childrens’ TV channel CBeebies.

Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said her findings were “likely to have a bearing” on future contact between Mr Alcott and the child.

The judge said the litigation began six years ago when Mr Alcott “applied for contact” with the child.

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Ms Ashworth accused Mr Alcott of being “controlling, abusive, manipulative and coercive” and said the behaviour “escalated over the years”.

“The mother alleges that the father controlled her work, he would be verbally abusive to her and accused her of being paranoid and crazy,” the judge said in her ruling.

“He is said to have monitored the mother’s movements by installing spy software onto her computer and he was verbally and physically abusive to her at times including when she was pregnant.”

‘Compelling’ evidence

The judge added: “The mother says the father started a campaign within the media and ensured that Fathers For Justice worked to have the mother sacked by the BBC and organised protests outside the BBC against her.

“Another threat the mother alleges is that the father implied he was going to use naked photographs he had of her.”

The judge said she found Ms Ashworth to be “credible” and her evidence “compelling”.

There had been “numerous complaints of abuse” made to Australian police by other partners of Mr Alcott, the judge said.

“There was an abundance of evidence in relation to his abusive approach to women,” the judge added.

“This is not a man who is just assertive, stubborn and plain selfish, this is a man who is an obvious and continuing risk to his partners.”

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