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National Fuel Gas president sells $625,770 in stockCalifornia family blames Elon Musk for son's death while driving Tesla in 'autopilot' modeMatthew Knies did not participate in Friday's practice for the Leafs, but Craig Berube provided a fairly positive update on his health following the skate. Midway through the second period of the Leafs' 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Leafs lost Matthew Knies following a check to the head from Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud. Knies was carrying the puck through the neutral zone when Whitecloud stepped up and caught him with a huge hit that left Knies wobbly and forced him into concussion protocol. There was no immediate update on his status following the game on Wednesday, but Craig Berube noted on Thursday during his media availability that, surprisingly, he was feeling okay . However, Knies was absent from practice on Friday. Following practice, Berube confirmed that Knies is progressing well, but did mention that the 22-year-old former second-round pick would not be playing Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club. Already without Auston Matthews , who is expected to return on Wednesday , David Kampf , Max Domi, Max Pacioretty and Calle Jarnkrok due to injury and Ryan Reaves due to his suspension, the Leafs' forward depth will be tested even more on Sunday without Knies. Berube was unable to provide a firm timeline for a return to action for Knies, but the team will likely be cautious with this one given the nature of the injury. This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.

Trump’s Treasury pick wants shadow Fed chair and maybe weak US dollarMinister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan speaks at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.Photo: CNA By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA Five medical associations yesterday slammed a proposed amendment to the Senior Citizens Welfare Act (老人福利法) that would exempt people older than 65 in a low tax bracket from paying National Health Insurance (NHI) premiums. 請繼續往下閱讀... The Legislative Yuan is expected to hold a vote soon to pass a third reading of amendments to the act, which would allow elderly people in the tax bracket below 20 percent to receive subsidies from the central government. The proposed amendment would exacerbate generational inequality, and the increased financial strain could affect the future of the NHI scheme, five major medical associations said in a joint statement. The five associations are the Taiwan Hospital Association, the Taiwan Medical Association, the Taiwan Union of Nurses Association, the Taiwan Nongovernmental Hospitals and Clinics Association and the Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive. Between last year and the presidential election in January, presidential candidates and legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party have pushed the proposal. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has maintained that it would cause a financial burden, leading to generational inequality. Up to 70 percent of the NHI’s income is funded by people under 65, so exempting seniors from insurance premiums would burden the working population, they said, requesting that the proposal immediately be shelved. The National Development Council estimates that Taiwan is to become a “super-aged” society next year, meaning that 20 percent of the population is to be 65 or older. Medical costs for people older than 65 far exceed all other age groups. It is estimated that by 2070, the 15-to-64-year-old working-age population would decrease by 9.2 million, while people older than 65 would increase by 2.48 million, the associations said. The NHI system was founded on the core principle of equitable risk-sharing, with all citizens contributing their fair share to receive healthcare. However, as elderly people require more medical attention and resources, the proposal would affect those contributing to the system. Insurance premiums should instead be calculated based on ability and fairness, they said. If the central government were to provide NT$35 billion (US$1.07 billion) of subsidies, funds could be diverted from public services and welfare for other vulnerable groups including children, women and the disabled, impacting societal well-being, the associations said. Young people graduating today might not earn as much as previous generations, so the proposed amendment would create generational injustices and infringe on the spirit of “equal burden, equal gain” of the health insurance system, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee. Moreover, next year’s NHI spending is to surpass NT$900 billion, an overall growth rate of between 3.5 and 5.5 percent, he added. The proposal would also allow those older than 80 to apply for foreign caregivers without requiring a Barthel Index assessment, which measures a person’s ability to complete activities of daily living and mobility. 新聞來源: TAIPEI TIMES 不用抽 不用搶 現在用APP看新聞 保證天天中獎 點我下載APP 按我看活動辦法NoneEasyjet to report £600m profit as holiday arm boosts business

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Griffith Public Schools and South Central Community School Corp. students visited the campus on Nov. 6 to witness the launch and take part in their own experiments — such as preparing payload boxes with items such as plants, marshmallows and soda cans to see how different atmospheric conditions impacted these objects. “These events are so important for students to attend because it takes our abstract concepts that we discuss in class and makes them hands-on and meaningful for the students,” said Jessica Lichtenfield, a third-grade teacher at Beiriger Elementary School in Griffith. “The excitement students took away from our balloon launch was contagious and students were talking about how they wanted to become meteorologists and engineers when they get older.” The launch was part of NearSpace Education's Dream Big program. NearSpace Education is an Indiana-based nonprofit educational organization that provides science, technology, engineering, and math programming for students. According to the university, the program will have VU students create a system in which ground stations can download data from a satellite. The stations will only be capable of receiving information and won't be able to "talk back" to the satellite. The university's satellite team will be responsible for the satellite's payload, primarily the radio communication system, while NearSpace will provide the remaining components of the satellite. The students will have until April 15 of next year to design and build the payload components. Additionally, VU's satellite will host a payload from the University of Luxembourg, which will utilize an electromagnetic system that allows it to rotate. The satellite is expected to be launched in late 2025 or early 2026. VU plans to host the other two high-altitude balloon launches later in the spring semester.

Global Greenhouse Irrigation Systems Market Set For 11.7% Growth, Reaching $1.94 Billion By 2028

Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan didn't go to the Taylor Swift concert in Vancouver he was set to attend with free tickets he got from a B.C. Crown corporation, a spokesperson for the minister told CBC News on Monday. After facing fierce criticism for accepting tickets to the in-demand event for himself and his family, Sajjan decided it was best not to go at all, the spokesperson said. Sajjan returned the tickets on Friday to B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo), the provincial entity that owns the B.C. Place stadium where Swift performed over the weekend, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said Sajjan gave PavCo enough time to find someone else to attend in his place. Sajjan told the federal ethics commissioner — who initially cleared him to take the free tickets — that he wouldn't attend. Sajjan, who gave $1,500 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank in lieu of payment for the tickets, is not asking for his donation back, the spokesperson said. PavCo donated Swift tickets to food banks and other charity organizations so that they could raffle them off and raise money. It also auctioned off suites, raising more than $1 million, according to the corporation. In exchange for free tickets to the concert, PavCo expected the political and business leaders it invited to make a "significant donation" to food banks, the company has said. That's how Sajjan initially justified taking the free tickets. He told reporters the funds raised from giving out the Swift tickets were going to a worthy charity. "This is actually supporting a very good cause, something that Taylor Swift also supports as well," Sajjan told reporters last week. "I'm actually very happy to be able to raise money and create greater awareness for the food bank." The Opposition Conservatives, meanwhile, pounced on Sajjan's decision to accept the tickets, saying it was "absolutely unacceptable" for a minister of the Crown to take that sort of gift. A fan poses in front of an inflatable friendship bracelet before the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert stop in Vancouver on Friday, December 6, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/Canadian Press) Swift's Eras Tour, which started in March 2023 and was watched by millions around the world, came to an end in Vancouver Sunday night. "That is, I think, the lasting legacy of this tour, the fact that you have created such space and joy and togetherness and love," Swift told her Vancouver fans.This Week’s Episode of Reveal: A World War II Incident Nearly Lost to History

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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save TRENTON — Debra White, the state’s new “homelessness czar,” has been on the job since September, but Tuesday state officials announced the “first-ever coordinated resource effort with the City of Atlantic City, nonprofit organizations, and healthcare providers is underway.” The plan is to end chronic homelessness through collaboration, enhanced services and housing over the next three years, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs said in a news release. “Atlantic City faces distinct challenges in addressing homelessness, including seasonal employment that affects housing stability and a concentration of social services that attract people in need from across the region,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in the release. White, of Atlantic City, was hired at a salary of $110,000, a state spokesperson has said. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Rosemont College and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from LaSalle University. Ocean City group has no shortage of ideas for area near Gillian's Wonderland Contractors continue to remove rides at former Gillian's Wonderland site in Ocean City 'Great Day Express' takes its maiden voyage to Big SNOW at American Dream Mall Body found in fridge in Belleplain State Forest 'He was one of a kind': Ex-Beach Haven lifeguard chief recalls officer killed in North Carolina shooting DEEM says financing ready to start Bader Field development in Atlantic City Long Beach Island fire damages multimillion-dollar bayfront home Atlantic City police officer accused of assaulting, pointing gun at wife Lower Township man charged with possession of child porn New Jersey 'homelessness czar' at work in Atlantic City, DCA says 2 Wildwood men accused of sexually assaulting juveniles The heartbeat of Atlantic City: How Midtown is redefining its future Who are The Press' 2024 High School Football All-Stars? Who are The Press' football Player, Team and Coach of the Year? Mays Landing's Level Up comic and video game shop to close after 18 years Her previous job was director of business services for the Chelsea Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life in the Chelsea neighborhood of the city. “We can get to a point where we’re either preventing homelessness before it occurs or addressing it so quickly that a person’s homelessness is very brief and nonrecurring,” DCA Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez said in the release. Suarez said White will use real-time data tracking, stakeholder engagement and partnership, and a “laser focus” to find solutions to homelessness. Others joining the effort include Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, AtlantiCare, Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties, and the Atlantic County Continuum of Care. Atlantic City is getting some help addressing homelessness — a tough problem that has persisted for decades in spite of the efforts of dozens of nonprofits and government agencies. Mayor Marty Small Sr. said the city has been working hard to address homelessness, and has made some strides, but looks forward to this partnership with the DCA and others. In 2023, the city and its Boardwalk Improvement Group began efforts to make visitors and residents feel safer on the Boardwalk. That effort included starting a homeless outreach initiative that sends social workers out daily to engage with the unhoused. BIG was started by the city, state and Casino Association of New Jersey, Small said at an October 2023 news conference. “We hired 10 full-time people and a plethora of trucks and other equipment to give us the tools (to succeed),” Small said as he stood on a section of Tennessee Avenue between Atlantic and Pacific avenues during the news conference. It’s an area frequented by folks who loiter and panhandle, Small said. “These people are not ‘Atlantic City homeless.’ These people just happen to be in Atlantic City,” Small said at the time. “I say it all the time, it’s Greyhound therapy.” That’s a term used to describe other municipalities sending their neediest to Atlantic City on buses for help. Keeping the Atlantic City Boardwalk safe and clean is a 24/7 job, and now city workers have a Boardwalk Improvement Group behind them whose work is in full swing, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said during a Monday news conference. “Why? Because we have supreme social services,” Small said. About 3 in 10 people contacted by city workers actually want to be helped, said Kenneth Mitchem, city director of community services. The others decline services. The effort is funded by Clean and Safe funds, part of the amended casino payment-in-lieu-of-taxes bill, Small said. A July news conference updated the public on what the city was doing to address safety on the Boardwalk after a series of damaging fires there, some of which were started by homeless encampments. “We’ve brought all the departments of the city together,” Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Evans said at the time. “The first time — I’ve been here 37 years — in my memory that we have every single department and outside agencies together working from a single playbook.” The fires were threatening the Boardwalk’s future as the city was embarking on a $26 million Boardwalk rebuilding project. City workers were not only clearing homeless encampments from under the historic structure, they also were clearing encampments citywide, and encouraging those living in them to accept help, officials said then. The news conference started at New Jersey Avenue and the Boardwalk, between the Ocean and Hard Rock casinos, where public works employees routinely clear up encampments and Health and Human Services employees and police regularly engage with the homeless. As Atlantic City continues to deal with homeless people living under and around its iconic Boardwalk, the mayor says the new Boardwalk Improvement Group has been working since early this year to make visitors and residents feel safe there. Watching the news conference was “AC Batman” Curtis Douglass Bordley, who said he chooses to be homeless in the summer in Atlantic City, where he dresses as Batman and accepts donations from people in exchange for photos. “I’ve had life-and-death encounters,” Bradley said of being attacked while on the street. “I’ve had my jaw wired, been hit in the head with a bike lock.” But he said he now sleeps where there are cameras and he feels safer. White REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Staff Writer Author twitter Author email {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Tidal Investments LLC Purchases 978 Shares of Fabrinet (NYSE:FN)

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. It's a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still unsatisfied but some hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. World Resources Institute president and CEO Ani Dasgupta called it “an important down payment toward a safer, more equitable future,” but added that the poorest and most vulnerable nations are “rightfully disappointed that wealthier countries didn’t put more money on the table when billions of people’s lives are at stake.” The summit was supposed to end on Friday evening but negotiations spiraled on through early Sunday. With countries on opposite ends of a massive chasm, tensions ran high as delegations tried to close the gap in expectations. Here's how they got there: What was the finance deal agreed at climate talks? Rich countries have agreed to pool together at least $300 billion a year by 2035. It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, and that experts said was needed. But some delegations said this deal is headed in the right direction, with hopes that more money flows in the future. The text included a call for all parties to work together using “all public and private sources” to get closer to the $1.3 trillion per year goal by 2035. That means also pushing for international mega-banks, funded by taxpayer dollars, to help foot the bill. And it means, hopefully, that companies and private investors will follow suit on channeling cash toward climate action. The agreement is also a critical step toward helping countries on the receiving end create more ambitious targets to limit or cut emissions of heat-trapping gases that are due early next year. It’s part of the plan to keep cutting pollution with new targets every five years, which the world agreed to at the U.N. talks in Paris in 2015. The Paris agreement set the system of regular ratcheting up climate fighting ambition as away to keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world is already at 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) and carbon emissions keep rising. What will the money be spent on? The deal decided in Baku replaces a previous agreement from 15 years ago that charged rich nations $100 billion a year to help the developing world with climate finance. The new number has similar aims: it will go toward the developing world's long laundry list of to-dos to prepare for a warming world and keep it from getting hotter. That includes paying for the transition to clean energy and away from fossil fuels. Countries need funds to build up the infrastructure needed to deploy technologies like wind and solar power on a large scale. Communities hard-hit by extreme weather also want money to adapt and prepare for events like floods, typhoons and fires. Funds could go toward improving farming practices to make them more resilient to weather extremes, to building houses differently with storms in mind, to helping people move from the hardest-hit areas and to help leaders improve emergency plans and aid in the wake of disasters. The Philippines, for example, has been hammered by six major storms in less than a month , bringing to millions of people howling wind, massive storm surges and catastrophic damage to residences, infrastructure and farmland. “Family farmers need to be financed," said Esther Penunia of the Asian Farmers Association. She described how many have already had to deal with millions of dollars of storm damage, some of which includes trees that won't again bear fruit for months or years, or animals that die, wiping out a main source of income. “If you think of a rice farmer who depends on his or her one hectare farm, rice land, ducks, chickens, vegetables, and it was inundated, there was nothing to harvest,” she said. Why was it so hard to get a deal? Election results around the world that herald a change in climate leadership, a few key players with motive to stall the talks and a disorganized host country all led to a final crunch that left few happy with a flawed compromise. The ending of COP29 is "reflective of the harder geopolitical terrain the world finds itself in,” said Li Shuo of the Asia Society. He cited Trump's recent victory in the US — with his promises to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement — as one reason why the relationship between China and the EU will be more consequential for global climate politics moving forward. Developing nations also faced some difficulties agreeing in the final hours, with one Latin American delegation member saying that their group didn't feel properly consulted when small island states had last-minute meetings to try to break through to a deal. Negotiators from across the developing world took different tacks on the deal until they finally agreed to compromise. Meanwhile, activists ramped up the pressure: many urged negotiators to stay strong and asserted that no deal would be better than a bad deal. But ultimately the desire for a deal won out. Some also pointed to the host country as a reason for the struggle. Mohamed Adow, director of climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa, said Friday that “this COP presidency is one of the worst in recent memory,” calling it “one of the most poorly led and chaotic COP meetings ever.” The presidency said in a statement, “Every hour of the day, we have pulled people together. Every inch of the way, we have pushed for the highest common denominator. We have faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides.” Shuo retains hope that the opportunities offered by a green economy “make inaction self-defeating” for countries around the world, regardless of their stance on the decision. But it remains to be seen whether the UN talks can deliver more ambition next year. In the meantime, “this COP process needs to recover from Baku,” Shuo said. ___ Associated Press reporters Seth Borenstein and Sibi Arasu contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org . Melina Walling, The Associated Press

Vaxcyte's SVP Mikhail Eydelman sells $457k in stockThe National List (NL), a ticket for unelected entry to Parliament, is a subject of ongoing controversy, especially in the context of the opening of this country’s 10 th Parliament last Thursday. Mr. Ravi Karunanayake’s entry into the legislature via the NL continues to make waves. As far as the NPP or NPP/JVP, whatever you may prefer to call it, there was no serious problem if the nomination of two defeated candidates is discounted. This party which won a stunning better than two thirds majority at the last general election was entitled to 18 National List seats in proportion to its total national vote. It submitted the list of its nominees days after the conclusion of the election – 16 from the list of names placed before the electorate, i.e. pre-election, and two names of candidates who unsuccessfully ran on Nov. 14. The law permits NL places to be filled either from the submitted list or from candidates who ran at the election. This latter provision was allegedly smuggled into the statute. As at previous elections there has been criticism, as was the case this time round too, that those who were rejected by the voters have been permitted “backdoor entry.” The ruling party, despite its earlier profession that it would not nominate defeated candidates, justified its decision to nominate two such on a basis that was not without some logic. As the JVP’s General Secretary Tilvin Silva explained on a television talk show, the two nominations were made from the Digamadulla and Vanni electoral districts. At Digamadulla, with a sizable Muslim population, his party won four seats that did not include a Muslim. So they nominated a defeated Muslim candidate to represent that segment of the electorate in parliament. In the Vanni they won two seats, both by Tamil candidates. Since the district included many Sinhalese who contributed to their victory, they decided to give their Sinhala district organizer a slot. There had been many other requests they had not conceded, Silva said making the point that in politics there must be room for some flexibility. Where the opposition is concerned, Mr. MA Sumanthiran, a defeated ITAK candidate from the Jaffna district very properly declined his party’s single NL entitlement on the grounds that he had been rejected by the voters. The main opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) was undecided at the time this comment is being written of who will take four of the five slots it won having already nominated its general secretary, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, for one of the places. It is reportedly pondering over six names – Dullas Alahapperuma (who ran against Ranil Wickremesinghe for president in the parliamentary vote), Imthiaz Bakeer Markar (the SJB chairman) Sujeewa Senasinghe (lawyer and former state minister) Eran Wickremaratne (former banker and state minister), Tissa Attanayake (SJB national organizer) and Mano Ganesan (former minister and leader of the Democratic People’s Front influencing an Indian Tamil segment of the electorate). Hirunika Premachandra has also gone public saying she’s seeking a place. Whatever the selection criteria, the party is in a tight bind to make its choice. Namal Rajapaksa correctly judged that he would not be able to win a seat under the SLPP’s pohottuwa symbol and wisely had himself placed on the party’s NL. He has thus been able to enter parliament and keep the Rajapaksa name alive in the legislature. Ravi Karunanayake’s nomination on one of the two NL seats that the Ranil Wickremesinghe-led National Democratic Front (NDF) had earned has since seen a lot of smelly stuff hitting the fan. Wickremesinghe is on record saying he knew nothing about the nomination made by Sharmila Perera, the NDF secretary. Karunanayake was quoted in Friday’s Daily Mirror saying Wickremesinghe had been misled by two people he did not want to name “as everyone knows who they are.” He further accused: “No one is talking about the injustice done to me but only talk about negative things about me.” Karunanayake is the third ranking “assistant leader” of the UNP and now risks expulsion from that party. But whether he can be expelled from the NDF and lose the seat he has just occupied is an open question. Whether this country does need a National List enabling backdoor entry to as many as 29 seats in a 225-member House is a matter that merits serious re-examination. The current NL succeeded the previous six Appointed MPs representing “unrepresented interests” under the Soulbury Constitution. They were appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and included Burghers, Estate Tamils (after they were disenfranchised), European interests, Malays etc. SWRD Bandaranaike nominated Mr. Asoka Karunaratne in 1956 to represent the so-called depressed castes and Mrs. Bandaranaike nominated the well known pediatrician, Dr. LO Abeyratne to represent the children of Sri Lanka. The 1978 constitution created the National List (NL) of 29 members on the basis of bringing in talent unwilling to run for election or could not be elected. But this became a convenience for political parties and their leaders and an avenue of extending patronage. As far as we can recall, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, the best foreign minister we had during a difficult period in our history was one of the few if not the only adornment in parliament through the NL. Are we keeping this backdoor permanently open with beneficiaries receiving generous pensions for life after only five years of parliamentary service? This as much as the long list of “recognized parties” in the books of the Elections Department require urgent review. These parties are brazenly traded, acquired by various vested interests for their own benefit and cost the tax payer hugely as demonstrated in this year’s elections. Hopefully something would be done about both these matters sooner than later.

Putin apologizes for 'tragic incident' but stops short of saying Azerbaijani plane was shot down MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. He stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible. The Kremlin said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike as the plane attempted to land on Wednesday. Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.” The Kremlin also says Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are jointly investigating the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan. Israel detains the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals during a raid DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's Health Ministry says Israel’s army has detained the director of one of northern Gaza's last functioning hospitals. The announcement on Saturday came after health officials said Israeli troops stormed the hospital and forced many staff and patients outside and told them to strip in winter weather. Israel’s military alleges the hospital director is a suspected Hamas operative and says it detained over 240 others. It acknowledges it ordered people outside and that special forces entered the hospital. It says it “eliminated” militants who fired at its forces. Kamal Adwan officials have denied that Hamas operates in the hospital. Abortions are up in the US. It's a complicated picture as women turn to pills, travel Even with abortion bans in place in most Republican-controlled states, the number of people obtaining them has grown slightly. That's part of a complicated picture of the impacts of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two and a half years ago. Abortion pills are more common now. So is traveling to other states for care, often on journeys hundreds of miles long. Public support for the right to abortion has also increased since before the ruling. That's been reflected in most ballot measures to add the right to abortion to state constitutions being adopted. Drought, fires and deforestation battered Amazon rainforest in 2024 BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Amazon rainforest staggered through another difficult year in 2024. A second year of record drought contributed to wildfires that worsened deforestation across the massive forest, which spans Brazil, Peru, Colombia and other Latin American nations and is a critical counterweight to climate change. There were some bright spots. Both Brazil and Colombia reported lower levels of deforestation compared to prior years. Experts say Amazon countries need to do more to strengthen cross-border collaboration and that the global community who reap the benefits of commodities from the rainforest also need to pitch in. Bloodied Ukrainian troops risk losing more hard-won land in Kursk to Russia KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied by daily combat losses and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk. Some want to stay in the region at all costs. Others question the value of having gone in at all. Battles are so intense that commanders are unable to evacuate their dead. Lags in communication and poorly timed operations have cost lives and commanders say they have little way to counterattack. The overstretched Ukrainians have lost more than 40% of the territory they won in the lightning incursion that seized much of Kursk in August. Afghan forces target Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says its forces hit several points inside Pakistan in retaliation for deadly airstrikes. Pakistan last Tuesday launched an operation to destroy a training facility and kill insurgents in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province. The strikes killed dozens of people. The ministry said Saturday that its forces hit points “serving as centers and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan.” Pakistan accuses the Taliban of not doing enough to combat cross-border militant activity, a charge the Taliban government denies. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who instituted economic reforms, cremated in New Delhi NEW DELHI (AP) — Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister widely regarded as the architect of the country’s economic reform program, has been cremated after a state funeral. The veteran leader, who was also credited for a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, died late Thursday at age 92. Singh’s body was taken Saturday to the headquarters of his Congress party in New Delhi, where party leaders and activists paid tributes to him and chanted “Manmohan Singh lives forever.” Later, his body was transported to a crematorium ground for his last rites as soldiers beat drums. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh was prime minister for 10 years until 2014. Sweden embarks on a sober search for more cemetery space in case of war GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) — Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they’ll never have to do. And that's to bury thousands of people in the event of war. The search follows new crisis preparedness guidelines from the country's civil defense agency and the military. The issue is seen in a new light after Russia's invasion of Ukraine led formerly neutral Sweden to join NATO. Sweden and Finland sent out updated civil preparedness guides in November with instructions on how to survive in war. The guides are similar to those in Denmark and Norway, though they don't mention Russia by name. Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film 'Romeo and Juliet,' dies at 73 LONDON (AP) — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media. She was 73. Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account said. Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy. “Romeo and Juliet” won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting. Decades later, the pair brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over nude scenes in the film they said they were coerced to perform. The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023. Winning ticket for $1.22 billion lottery jackpot sold in California, Mega Millions says At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the New Year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.22 billion was sold in California for the drawing Friday night. The California Lottery said the winning ticket was sold at Circle K (Sunshine Food and Gas) on Rhonda Rd. in Cottonwood. The winning ticket matched the white balls 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the gold Mega Ball 6. The identity of the winner or winners was not immediately known. The estimated jackpot was the fifth-highest ever for Mega Millions.

A Pakistan without Benazir Bhutto Ms Benazir Bhutto had returned to Pakistan with mission of reconciliation in politically and religiously divided country Benazir Bhutto takes the oath of office for prime minister on October 19, 1993 in Islamabad. —AFP/File The general belief is that no one is indispensable in this mortal world. But in my humble opinion, there are definitely exceptions to this general rule. Had Jinnah (our Quaid-e-Azam) and Benazir Bhutto lived a little longer, Pakistan would have been a different and a much better country. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); Mohammad Ali Jinnah, like his rival Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, would have given a liberal, democratic and multi-religious constitution to Pakistan, free from exploitation of minorities and deprived classes. Similarly, had Benazir Bhutto lived longer, she might have built a more secure and harmonious Pakistan based on a grand reconciliation which she proposed and advocated before her unfortunate killing in the streets of the power centre of Rawalpindi in broad daylight. Ms Benazir Bhutto had returned to Pakistan with the mission of reconciliation in a politically and religiously divided country. She wrote a book called 'Reconciliation', preaching a long-lasting pact of peaceful coexistence between the warring ideologies. In her philosophical but equally practical formula of grand reconciliation, she referred to and quoted examples from across the globe to prove that conflict can be transformed into peaceful coexistence through dialogue. Benazir Bhutto, who was educated at Oxford University and trained under the traditional British parliamentary practices, initially believed that debate and talks could settle and resolve contentious issues. But with her practical experience in her own country and learning from abroad, she perhaps realised that settled societies like Britain can resolve issues through dialogue without compromising their principled positions. But in unsettled societies like the Middle East, India and Pakistan, the warring rivals have to make sacrifices and compromises to reach reconciliation. These groups might have to sacrifice their principled positions as well. One could say that such efforts at reconciliation were also practised by Israeli politician and philosopher and two-time prime minister Ishaq Rabin (Yitzhak Rabin). Rabin was instrumental in finalising the historic Oslo Accord that suggested a two-state solution for a peaceful and sustainable coexistence between Israel and Palestine. Rabin had met Benazir Bhutto, and both exchanged views on regional and international politics – though it is important to note that Benazir Bhutto strongly supported the Palestinian cause. Ultimately, she did proceed towards a reconciliation between the establishment and the PPP. I am also privy to Benazir Bhutto’s desire to sit with her ideological rival from Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, to pave the way for establishing a working relationship. Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Amir ul Azeem was part of this informal communication. I personally brought Bhutto’s message to the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership. Qazi Sahib had consented to this meeting, but her unfortunate murder spoiled this golden opportunity to bridge the gap between two conflicting ideologies. Had Benazir Bhutto been lucky enough to have survived the second consecutive attack on her life, we might have seen a more harmonious and more peaceful Pakistan. She believed in the reconciliation of ideas rather than the clash of ideas. In the last years of her life, she seemed to act like a mystic who loves all and hates none. She had been a fighter in all her political life, but in her last days, she was peace and reconciliation personified. Benazir Bhutto’s reconciliation with General Musharraf is still very unpopular in Pakistan and is considered a dirty power deal. Guaranteed and patronised by the US and the British establishments, it was the best solution in those critical times of the war against terror. Named the NRO, the agreement was a pact between Musharraf and a popular political party for the transition to democracy through fair and free elections. It was patterned on the Oslo Accords and the Mandela Model. But this pact couldn’t work because General Musharraf backed out. Ironically, the harshest critic of the NRO, Imran Khan, now seeks the same kind of settlement from the army leadership. The prime demand of the PTI is to release Imran Khan, which means withdrawing all the pending cases against him. Isn’t that another NRO? Unfortunately, the powers that be always create Frankensteins to counter their political enemies. But they forget the universal lesson that Frankenstein's monsters ultimately kill their own creators. Benazir Bhutto was accused by her opponents of corruption and having foreign currency accounts in Switzerland. Subsequently, she had to spend the worst time of her life, facing cases at home and abroad. Ultimately, she was sentenced by a Pakistani court (whose judge was later thrown out of the judiciary for committing injustice at the behest of then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif) and red warrants from Interpol were sought against her. Her reputation was damaged a lot, but she fought back against all the odds, and eventually, all the cases against her were withdrawn unconditionally. She returned to Pakistan with a clean slate and radiating victory. But Frankenstein's monsters once again struck at their creators. The Sharif family also came under fire for corruption charges, foreign bank accounts, and kickbacks. Though many cases have already been decided in the Sharifs' favour, they still suffer a loss of reputation. The moral of the story is that whoever digs a pit for others, eventually falls himself into it. Imran Khan’s social media brigade is a new Frankenstein's monster, and if he doesn’t control it, that brigade will attack him as well. Seventeen years have passed since we lost Benazir Bhutto, who used to advocate for reconciliation. But we are getting farther and farther away from reconciliation. And as a result, we are literally drowning in a deep sea of hatred and infighting. We couldn’t benefit from Benazir Bhutto’s recipe of reconciliation, which is the only way out. But this recipe can only be effective if each party involved is ready to sacrifice its stated position. People have been cruel to the real heroes of their times, be they truthful prophets or visionary politicians. Ishaq Rabin was the greatest benefactor of the Jews and wanted a sustainable and peaceful Israel by giving a two-state solution. But the extremists killed their own visionary leader. Since his killing in 1995, Israel has been at war and will remain entangled in the flames of war until and unless the Oslo Accords are fully implemented. Benazir Bhutto was also killed by fundamentalists, although she wanted peace and tranquillity for future generations as well. The writer is the editor of Jang in Lahore, an anchor, and the executive director at Geo TV.