kijiji legit
2025-01-11   

kijiji legit With no Christian members in the national and Maharashtra minorities commissions, community groups in Mumbai have recommended their nominee to the body. Prominent Christian organisations from the city, Watchdog Foundation, Bombay Catholic Sabha, Association of Concerned Christians, Christian Reform United People Association, and others have written to the National Commission for Minorities, BJP President J P Nadda, and the Prime Minister's Office, suggesting social worker Agnelo Fernandes, General Secretary of BJP's Mumbai minority cell, for the post. Fernandes has the support of Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay, who has written to Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Minority Affairs, recommending Fernandes, a Mahim resident, for the office. Christian groups have been disappointed over the absence of a Christian representative in the Maharashtra State Minority Commission, which they believe has left their voices unheard in policy discussions. The community feels that this leaves out the potential to bridge gaps and represent Christian concerns effectively at the national level. The nine-member state commission currently has six Muslims, two Jains, and a Sikh, with the latter two groups forming a much smaller population than Christians in the state. The national body has a Parsi member but no representative from the Christian community which formed 2.3% of the country's population in 2011. The last Christian member in the national body was George Kurian, now a minister, who was appointed as its vice-chairman in 2017. Janet DSouza, senior vice-president of the Mumbai Congress unit, who was the vice-chairperson of the state body, was its last Christian member. Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, said that he was unaware of any recommendation made by the Cardinal. "However we are disappointed that no Christian is appointed to the minority commission and we urge the government to reconsider and ensure that at least one Christian member is a member of the minority commission," said Barrett. Fernandes explained the absence of Christian members in the national and state minority commissions to the truth that the BJP did not have many Christian office members. "Political parties make appointments to the commissions. We have to accept that appointments are made by political parties. Christians keep away from the BJP. If you do not apply for the posts, how do you expect a Christian to become a member," Fernandes added.A Christian delegation led by community leaders recently met BJP Mumbai President Ashish Shelar, who is reported to have expressed his support for Fernandes. Archie Sodder from AOCC said the National Commission for Minorities has not had a Christian representative for over eight years. "Agnelo Fernandes' presence would address the concerns of our community and foster inclusivity," said Sodder. Godfrey Pimenta from the Watchdog Foundation added, “We are optimistic that Agnelo Fernandes will be appointed this time. His experience, leadership, and community support make him the ideal candidate.”TORONTO — Jakob Poeltl, Kelly Olynyk and Davion Mitchell will all return to the Toronto Raptors lineup tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Poeltl missed Toronto’s 129-92 loss to the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday due to illness. Mitchell was listed as questionable with right hip stiffness after that loss, but Raptors head coach Dakro Rajakovic says he’s available against Dallas. It will be Olynyk’s first time playing in the 2024-25 season after missing the entire pre-season and first 23 games of the campaign with back spasms. Olynyk, who was born in Toronto but grew up in Kamloops, B.C., will add significant depth to the Raptors’ rotation. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 28 games for Toronto last season after he was traded to the Raptors by the Utah Jazz on Feb. 8. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2024. Follow @jchidleyhill.bsky.social on Bluesky John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press

Lisa Simpson once said during an episode of “The Simpsons:” What could be more exciting than the savage ballet that is pro football? On Monday night, the entire Simpsons universe gets to experience it in a way not many could have imagined. The prime-time matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will also take place at Springfield’s Atoms Stadium as part of “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast. The altcast will be streamed on ESPN+, Disney+, and NFL+ (on mobile devices). ESPN and ABC have the main broadcast, while ESPN2 will carry the final “ManningCast” of the regular season. The replay will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, more than 145 countries will have access to either live or on replay. “We’re such huge football fans, and the Simpsons audience and the football audience, I feel, are like the same audience of just American families and football. And the Simpsons are so much a part of the DNA of the American family and culture that for us to, like, mush them together in this crazy video game, it’s so fun,” said Matt Selman, executive producer of “The Simpsons.” While the game is the focal point, the alternate broadcast, in some ways, will resemble a three-hour episode of “The Simpsons.” It starts with Homer eating too many hot dogs and having a dream while watching football. Homer joins the Cowboys in the dream while Bart teams up with the Bengals. Lisa and Marge will be sideline reporters. “That’s the beginning of the story, and the story continues through the entire game until Homer wakes up from his dream at the end of the game. It is like a complete story, and the NFL game will happen in between. It’s just going to be an amazing presentation with tons of surprises,” said Michael “Spike” Szykowny, ESPN’s VP of edit and animation. This is the second year ESPN has done an alternate broadcast for an NFL game. It used the characters from “Toy Story” for last year’s Sunday morning game from London between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. “The Simpsons” has featured many sports-themed episodes during its 35 seasons. Even though “Homer at the Bat” remains the consensus favorite sports episode for many Simpsons fans, there have been football ones such as “Bart Star” and “Lisa The Greek.” There also was a Super Bowl-themed one after Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl 33 between Denver and Atlanta in 1999. Even though “The Simpsons” remains a staple on Fox’s prime-time schedule, it is part of the Disney family after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. All 35 seasons are on Disney+. The show’s creators have worked with ESPN and the NFL to make sure the look and sound is definitely Simpsonsesque. The theme song is a mash-up of “The Simpsons” opening and “Monday Night Football’s” iconic “Heavy Action.” There have also been pre-recorded skits and bits to use during the broadcast featuring Simpson’s legendary voices Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith. The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real-time on the field. That is done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Sony’s Beyond Sports Technology. While Next Gen Stats tracks where players are on the field with a tracking chip in the shoulder pads, there is skeletal data tracking and limb tracking data — which uses 29 points per player — to get closer to the player’s movements. The other data tracking will allow Beyond Sports and Disney to add special characters to the game. For example, there might be a play where Lisa catches the ball and goes 30 yards instead of Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. “Lisa is much smaller than the rest of the players. So, in real life, the ball would go over her head, but now, with data processing, we can take the ball and make it go exactly into her hands. So for the viewer, it still looks believable, and it all makes sense,” said Beyond Sports co-founder Nicolaas Westerhof. The other major challenge is making “The Simpsons” two-dimensional cartoon characters into 3-D simulations. Szykowny and his team worked to make that a reality over the past couple of months. “That’s a big leap of faith for them to say, hey, we trust you to make our characters 3-D and work with it. Our ESPN creative studio team has done a wonderful job,” Szykowny said. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart and the Bengals; while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe join up with with Homer and the Cowboys. The broadcast will also feature ESPN personalities Stephen A. Smith, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. ESPN’s Drew Carter, Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will call the game from Bristol, Connecticut, and also be animated. They will wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield using VR technology. For Kimes, being part of the broadcast and being an animated Simpsons character is a dream come true. She is a massive fan of the show and has a framed photo of Lisa Simpson — who she said is a personal hero and icon — as part of her backdrop when she makes appearances on ESPN NFL shows from her home in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have any input, and I didn’t see anything beforehand, so I wasn’t sure if it would look like me, but it kind of does, which is very funny,” said Kimes, who drew Simpsons characters when she was a kid. “To see the actual staff turn me into one was a dream.” Even though the Bengals (4-8) and Cowboys (5-7) have struggled this season, Selman thinks both teams have personalities that appeal to “The Simpsons” universe. “We were just so lucky also that the Cowboys are sort of like a Homer Simpson-type team, American team, and Mike McCarthy might be a Homer-type guy, one might imagine,” he said. ”And then you have Joe Burrow on the other side who is a cool young, spiky-haired, blonde bad boy -- he’s like Bart. And that fits our character archetypes so perfectly. “If Homer is mad at Bart and has a hot dog dream while watching ’Monday Night Football’, and then it’s basically McCarthy versus Burrow, Homer versus Bart, and that’s the simple father versus son strangling — Homer strangling Bart dynamic that has been part of the show for 35 years. I don’t know if that would have worked as well if it was like Titans versus Jacksonville. We would have found something. We would have made it work.”Taylor Swift’s record-breaking ‘Eras’ tour set for final show

None

Atria Investments Inc Sells 13,640 Shares of TPI Composites, Inc. (NASDAQ:TPIC)Christian Cueva is trolled by a passerby and Rodrigo González warns him: “Pray that Pamela doesn’t do it to you” | ShowsWAG Coleen Rooney is poised to sign a £1million TV deal after leaving the I’m A Celebrity jungle. McFly pop star Danny Jones is also being courted by ITV bosses for big new shows, insiders have revealed. The pair went head-to-head in tonight's finale after the Rev Richard Coles finished third. But before the show, insiders said if Coleen lost out on being crowned Jungle Queen, she was still on course to become one of the show’s most successful celebs. A source said: “She is poised to sign a huge new TV deal, worth around £1million.” It came as her mum, Colette, revealed her daughter asked her, “Have I been boring?” as they hugged during a camp visit this week with the Wag’s sons, Kit, eight, and Cass, six. Colette said: “It broke my heart hearing that, but I said, ‘No, you’ve been yourself — and that’s all that matters’.” Coleen also got emotional after making the final three, saying: “It’s very rare I’m proud of myself, so it means a lot. It’s very rare that I put myself first. So, yeah, these are happy tears.” On her upcoming megabucks offers, a source told The Sun: “Coleen’s return to public life ­following the Wagatha Christie trial was carefully orchestrated — and it has more than paid off. “When she was in the jungle, she was being touted as ITV’s next Holly Willoughby and the offers have already started flooding in. “But there is one deal on the table that has really piqued her team’s interest. “Given Coleen’s love of the Loose Women show too, the team want her secured on their guest roster, with a view to finding something more permanent for her. “It isn’t just TV deals — lifestyle and nutritional brands have all been sending lucrative contracts her way, as well as high street retailers. They all want a piece of Coleen. The sky’s the limit.” The mum of four, 38, will be reunited with hubby Wayne — the former England and Man United striker — this week when she flies back to the UK. He is now manager of Plymouth Argyle. Insiders said her family would be throwing a huge party to welcome her home. But while Coleen wades through the offers, those close to the her said she would not be rushing into making decisions and would wait until the New Year before deciding what she wants to do next. A source added: “Nothing will be agreed with any interested parties until Coleen sits down with her management team. “Her priority when she comes out the jungle will be spending time with family but these conversations will be had when the time is right.” Throughout I’m A Celeb, ITV has been heavily plugging her Real Wagatha Story documentary in ad breaks and at the end of the show, as part of a plan by execs to get her on board. This year, she won a libel battle with fellow Wag Rebekah Vardy , who she accused of leaking stories about her. Coleen had a tearful reunion with Kit and Cass, plus parents Tony and Colette as she crossed the jungle bridge. A source added: “Coleen is a mum first and foremost. Her children mean everything to her. “Doing the jungle was the first proper solo venture she has done in a long time so her next move will be chosen very carefully. “She will only take the deal that is right for her and her family.” After entering the jungle as the show’s highest-paid contestant ever — with a deal worth around £1.5million — Coleen won the hearts of the nation by showing how down-to-earth she is and by getting stuck into grim Bushtucker Trials. Doing the jungle was the first proper solo venture she has done in a long time so her next move will be chosen very carefully Meanwhile, ITV bosses are keen to secure McFly’s Danny long-term as one of the channel’s main players, ­alongside favourites including Joel Dommett and Bradley Walsh. The singer and guitarist, 38, had an emotional reunion with his wife Georgia and their six-year-old son Cooper as he crossed the famous bridge. He is already a judge on The Voice UK, alongside his bandmate Tom Fletcher, but insiders said telly bosses are keen to sign him up for more shows. A source said: “Danny is the embodiment of everything ITV loves. He’s fun, family-friendly and incredibly popular. Watching how popular he was on I’m A Celeb made him a key target for other shows they have coming up. “Danny’s a brilliant musician, but he is also great on telly. ITV bosses want to see if they can sign him on for another series of The Voice UK and there are other shows they think he could be perfect on.” Danny won over I’m A Celeb viewers early on as he opened up on his struggles with mental health . During the first week, he broke down in tears as he revealed he started having therapy for anxiety aged 19 after suffering a panic attack during a live TV interview. He also spoke about his estrangement from his dad Alan, 72, who he has not seen for 18 years after he left his mum, Kathy. Danny said: “He doesn’t speak to me. I just don’t think I’ve really . . . healed with it, maybe. I had a good relationship with my dad. He was my best mate until he left.” All of this year’s I’m A Celebrity stars joined the finalists for a wrap party at the JW Marriott hotel on the Gold Coast. It came a day after ex-Strictly Come Dancing pro Oti Mabuse was evicted from camp, leaving just three contestants to battle it out. Only pop star Tulisa Contostavlos was absent, after flying home to the UK amid struggles with her mental health. Yesterday, she shared photos online and said: “Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with you all.” i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year.. Coleen Rooney - Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney , has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever. Tulisa - The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year's I'm A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal. Alan Halsall - The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities. Melvin Odoom - The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet - the Aussie jungle . GK Barry - The UK's biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers. Dean McCullough - A rising star amongst this year's bunch of celebs , Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live. Oti Mabuse - The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV's Dancing On Ice . Danny Jones - The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle , after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he's now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice , along with bandmate Tom Fletcher. Jane Moore - The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge - having recently split from her husband . It will be Jane's first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past. Barry McGuigan - Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer . He told The Late Late Show in 2021: "She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache." Maura Higgins - The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard . Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year. Rev. Richard Coles - Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity , and he's ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star , said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: "Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth."

Allianz is a global company committed to operating a business that supports sustainability. From the 17 Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN, Allianz emphasises three -- climate action, decent work and economic growth, and partnerships. As a branch of Allianz, Allianz Ayudhya has adopted these three goals to reinforce its environmental policy. Five years ago, Allianz Ayudhya launched a policy to promote waste sorting in the company. Patchara Taveechaiwattana, chief customer officer and chief of sustainability at Allianz Ayudhya, explained that the company aims to encourage its employees to understand waste sorting. "Allianz Ayudhya has 1,200 employees and we believe if we can get people into a habit of sorting waste correctly at the office, they will naturally do the same at home. We aim to cultivate a new habit among our employees by providing an area for waste sorting. Although we cannot force everyone to sort waste, we have consistently provided waste sorting information for five to six years. This includes internal activities such as competitions between different floors and awards to those who cooperate and perform well at waste sorting," said Patchara. "Between 2022 and 2024, Allianz Ayudhya significantly reduced the amount of waste sent to landfills. We are proud of this achievement and grateful for the significant contribution of our housekeeping staff who play a crucial role, since not all employees care to sort waste. Our next goal is to achieve zero waste for landfills. We are proud to say that Allianz Ayudhya does not need garbage collectors from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to collect trash at the company any more." Sureeporn Jantaraprasart of the Soi Phrajen Community. Allianz Ayudhya After the success of the company's internal waste sorting project, Allianz Ayudhya collaborated with Mahamitr (Alliance for Sustainability) Group to create events such as the "Pathumwan Zero Waste" project and "Think Throw... Life" exhibition to promote responsible waste sorting among the public. This year, Allianz Ayudhya extended its cooperation with waste management partners to create a model for reducing and sorting waste at the community level, starting with a pilot project in Soi Phrajen. Located close to Allianz Ayudhya, the Soi Phrajen Community covers over 22 rai of land and consists of around 1,000 residents from over 373 households. The Soi Phrajen Community Waste Sorting Station is part of Mahamitr Group's efforts. It is the result of collaboration of four key organisations, namely Allianz Ayudhya, Wastebuy Delivery (by Wongpanit Suvarnabhumi Recycle Station), Champion Garbage Bags (by Danudet Industry) and Khaya (by Jak Reward Technology). These organisations share a common goal of reducing waste sent to landfills while promoting income generated through waste sorting. While Allianz Ayudhya established a waste sorting station to serve as a hub for storing and collecting sorted waste in the Soi Phrajen Community, Wastebuy Delivery supports income generation from waste purchase; Champion Garbage Bags provide trash bags and equipment for waste sorting; and Wastebuy Delivery and Khaya provide waste sorting education to the community as well as collecting waste sorting data. Itthikon Srichanban of Wongpanit Suvarnabhumi Recycle Station and Wastebuy Delivery. Penggym Within three months, the Soi Phrajen Community Waste Sorting Station reduced the amount of recyclable waste sent to the landfill by more than 6.4 tonnes, which is equivalent to reducing over 12,400kg of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the community has generated more than 26,000 baht in revenue from selling recyclable waste. Sureeporn Jantaraprasart, chairperson of the Soi Phrajen Community, said that she had been interested in waste sorting for years. Many years ago, an effort to encourage community waste sorting failed due to the absence of a sheltered public space for storing the waste. "We had no covered space to keep the waste out of the rain and sunlight. Moreover, garbage collectors from the district office did not come to the community consistently to collect the waste. This meant residents ran out of places to dispose of waste, which led the community to eventually abandon the project. When employees from Allianz Ayudhya approached me about a waste sorting project, I asked if it would be possible to find a covered area to store the waste," said Sureeporn. An income of 26,000 baht may not seem much for some communities, but Sureeporn is satisfied with the result. "The project helps unemployed people or those unable to work to earn some money. As part of this project, ML Jiratip Devakula, chief operating officer of Jak Reward Technology and founder of Khaya, helps educate children about waste sorting and exploring the environment in the community," she said. Kris Danudejsakul of Champion Bags. Penggym At the Soi Phrajen Community Station, waste is sorted and piled according to its category. This includes clear PET plastic bottles, green or brown plastic bottles, clear or green glass bottles, cardboard boxes, milk cartons, juice cartons and used clothing. The price of each type of waste is listed on a cardboard sign. Sing, a community resident who is informed about waste sorting, explained that crushed plastic bottles and aluminium cans have a higher piece than those not crushed. The reason why crushed plastic bottles have a higher price is because they reduce labour involved in the recycling process. "Residents who separate their waste will earn more money than those who simply dump all their trash together. Milk cartons and juice cartons can either be washed or left unwashed. If they are not washed, simply place them in plastic bags and tie them tightly to prevent air from getting in, so the cartons won't give off bad odours," said Sing. "PET plastic bottles earn 10.50 baht per kilo, but crushed PET plastic bottles fetch 11.50 baht a kilo. Soda cans earn 31.70 baht, but crushed soda cans are 32.70 baht." Besides the Soi Phrajen Community, other people can sort waste and contact Wastebuy Delivery through its application to pick up rubbish at their homes. Itthikon Srichanban, chairman of the executive committee of Wongpanit Suvarnabhumi Recycle Station and Wastebuy Delivery, explained that the company came up with Wastebuy Delivery to help people to rid of their waste. ML Jiratip Devakula, founder of Khaya, educates children about waste sorting. Allianz Ayudhya "Our company, Wongpanit Suvarnabhumi, does not have a pick-up service. At Wongpanit Suvarnabhumi, many customers line up to sell their waste, but we realised that there are other customers who cannot come to the company. Many Bangkokians understand waste sorting, but do not know where to dispose their sorted waste. They find it inconvenient, time-consuming and not worth the effort," explained Itthikon. "Therefore, we came up with Wastebuy Delivery which provides a pick-up service. The Wastebuy Delivery app also provides information about selling prices of waste. In addition to earning money, customers will also get points from selling their waste and can use these points to redeem various items, such as bags and mugs." After three months of the Soi Phrajen Community Waste Sorting Station, 10% of the community participated in the project. Patchara hopes that the project can expand to 20%, 30% and 40% in the future. "We are proud of this first step and grateful to our partners. We hope that the Soi Phrajen Community will be a waste sorting model for other communities. In the future, we may manage wet waste from the community since there are food scraps which cause bad odours and attract diseased animals. At Allianz Ayudhya, we have a 200kg waste composting machine, but we aren't sure how to handle wet waste properly. We have to discuss more about it." Sing at the Soi Phrajen Community Waste Sorting Station. Allianz Ayudhya The Soi Phrajen Community Waste Sorting Station. Allianz AyudhyaThe recent overthrow of Syria's authoritarian government has sent ripples of both joy and anxiety throughout the Middle East and beyond, as people react to the end of Bashar Assad's long-standing rule. Assad's leadership was marked by nearly 14 years of civil unrest, resulting in the deaths of half a million Syrians and the displacement of millions more. While some view Assad's fall as a moment of liberation, others express concern about potential instability in a region already fraught with conflict. Middle Eastern governments, whether supportive or adversarial to Assad, are keenly navigating the geopolitical implications of this drastic shift. Globally, nations like Iran, Turkey, and various European states have responded with calls for measured dialogue and reconstruction efforts to address Syria's future, as the international community grapples with ensuring regional stability in the post-Assad era. (With inputs from agencies.)

Kaabi addresses challenges in EU energy policiesNone

Syria's president Bashar al-Assad fled Syria as Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus Sunday, triggering celebrations across the country and beyond at the end of his oppressive rule. Russian news agencies late Sunday said Assad and his family were in Moscow. Crowds toured Assad's luxurious home after the rebels declared he had fled, a spectacular end to five decades of brutal Baath party government. The government fell 11 days after the rebels began a surprise advance more than 13 years after Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria's civil war, which had become largely dormant until the rebel push. "This victory, my brothers, is historic for the region," Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) that spearheaded the advance, said in an address at the landmark Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. US President Joe Biden said Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country. "The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," Biden said from the White House. Residents cheered in the streets as the rebel factions heralded the departure of "tyrant" Assad, saying: "We declare the city of Damascus free." Celebratory gunfire sounded along with shouts of, "Syria is ours and not the Assad family's". AFP correspondents saw dozens of men, women and children wandering through Assad's modern, spacious home whose rooms had been stripped bare. "I can't believe I'm living this moment," tearful Damascus resident Amer Batha told AFP by phone. "We've been waiting a long time for this day," he said. The rebel factions on Telegram proclaimed the end to "50 years of oppression under Baath rule, and 13 years of crimes and tyranny and displacement". It is, they said, "the start of a new era for Syria." The foreign ministry of Assad's key backer, Russia, had announced earlier Sunday that Assad had resigned from the presidency and left Syria. The head of war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP: "Assad left Syria via Damascus international airport before the army security forces left" the facility. Later Sunday, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that he and his family had arrived in Moscow where they had been granted asylum "on humanitarian grounds". Around the country, people toppled statues of Hafez al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad's father and the founder of the repressive system of government he inherited. For the past 50 years in Syria, even the slightest suspicion of dissent could land one in prison or get one killed. During their advance, the rebels said they had freed prisoners, including on Sunday at the Sednaya facility, notorious for the darkest abuses of Assad's era. UN war crimes investigators urged those taking charge in the country to ensure the "atrocities" committed under Assad's rule are not repeated. Amnesty International called this a "historic opportunity" for those responsible for the abuses in Syria to face justice. The end of Assad's rule came just hours after HTS said it had captured the strategic city of Homs. Homs was the third major city seized by the rebels, who began their advance on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took place in neighbouring Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. Hezbollah had supported Assad during the long civil war but has been severely weakened by Israeli strikes. The group's forces "vacated their positions around Damascus", a source close to the group said Sunday. HTS is rooted in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda but has sought to soften its image in recent years. It remains listed as a terrorist organisation by Western governments. On Sunday afternoon the rebels announced a curfew in the capital until 5:00 am (0200 GMT) Monday. The commander of Syria's US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of northeast Syria, hailed the fall of Assad's "authoritarian regime" as "historic". A military council affiliated with the SDF clashed Sunday with Turkish-backed Syrian fighters in Syria's north, leaving 26 fighters from both sides dead, the Observatory said, as the Turkish-backed group launched an offensive on the Manbij area. The Observatory said Israel had struck government security buildings and weapons depots Sunday on the outskirts of Damascus, as well as in the eastern Deir Ezzor province. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the overthrow of Assad was a "historic day in the... Middle East" and the fall of a "central link in Iran's axis of evil". "This is a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, Assad's main supporters," he added. The UN envoy for Syria said the country was at "a watershed moment". Turkey, which has historically backed the opposition, called for a "smooth transition". Iran said it expected "friendly" ties with Syria to continue, even as its embassy in Damascus was vandalised. Since the start of the rebel offensive, at least 910 people, mostly combatants but also including 138 civilians, have been killed, the Observatory said. Syria's war has killed more than 500,000 people, and forced half of the population to flee their homes. Millions fled abroad. "I can barely remember Syria," said Reda al-Khedr, who was only five years old when he and his mother escaped Syria's Homs in 2014. "But now we're going to go home to a liberated Syria," he told AFP in Cairo. Liberated, but facing enormous challenges. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday the bloc would help rebuild a Syria that safeguards minorities after Assad's fall. bur-it/jjRFU accused of betraying game over Premiership promotion criteria

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CNN wants a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson that attacks its report that he made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The network says Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The September report says Robinson, who ran unsuccessfully for governor this month, left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI" and said he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report also says he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson, who was seeking to become the state's first Black governor, said he didn’t write those posts and sued in October, just before early in-person voting was to begin. While filing a dismissal motion Thursday in Raleigh federal court, attorneys for CNN said Robinson’s arguments suggesting he was the likely victim of a computer hacking operation that created fake messages would require a series of events that is not just “implausible, it is ridiculous.” Generally speaking, a public official claiming defamation must show a defendant knew a statement it made was false or did so with reckless disregard for the truth. “Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice,” attorney Mark Nebrig wrote in a memo backing the dismissal motion, adding that the lawsuit “does not include a single allegation demonstrating that CNN doubted the veracity of its reporting.” For Robinson, who already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights , the CNN story nearly led to the collapse of his campaign. After the report's airing, most of his top campaign staff quit, advertising from the Republican Governors Association stopped and fellow Republicans distanced themselves from him, including President-elect Donald Trump. Robinson lost to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by nearly 15 points and will leave office at year-end. Robinson's lawsuit was initially filed in state court. It says, in part, that CNN chose to run its report based on data from the website NudeAfrica, which had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. His suit claims the network did nothing to verify the posts. He's seeking monetary damages. Thursday's memo highlights the network's story, including a section where the CNN journalists showed how they connected Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site. As the CNN story said previously, the memo says the network matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s length of marriage, where he lived at the time, and that both Robinson and the account holder had mothers who worked at a historically Black university, the memo says. CNN also said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts. “This is hardly a case where, as Robinson alleges, CNN ‘disregarded or deliberately avoided the truth’ rather than investigate,” Nebrig said, adding later that the network “had no reason to seriously doubt that Robinson was the author” of the posts. Robinson's attorneys didn't immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. The lawsuit says anyone could have used Robinson's breached data to create accounts on the internet. His state lawsuit also sued Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money was working and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue. Money filed his own dismissal motion in the state lawsuit. But since then, CNN moved the lawsuit to federal court, saying that it's the proper venue for a North Carolina resident like Robinson and a Georgia-based company like CNN and that the claims against Money are unrelated. Gary D. Robertson, The Associated PressPitt QB Eli Holstein carted off with leg injury

Three days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally gunned down by a masked man lying in wait outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, the head of the insurer’s parent company addressed anxious staff in a video sent to all US employees. In it, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty told underlings that their work was “critical” in preventing the US medical system from providing “unnecessary” care he claimed would eventually drive up costs to an “unsustainable” level – as he complained about the “vitriolic” media coverage of the shooting. The two-minute-and-forty-five-second speech came in the wake of widespread glee over the news of Thompson’s murder by Americans who have been denied coverage while insurance companies earn record profits. While social media users shared anecdotes about being denied coverage some musicians have even written and shared murder ballads they composed following Thompson’s killing, elevating the as-yet unidentified subject, who remains on the run, to near-folk hero status. UnitedHealthcare reportedly has one of the highest denial rates in the entire healthcare industry, and was last year sued for allegedly using a “flawed” AI algorithm to “systematically deny” coverage to seniors. “I’m sure everybody has been disturbed by the amount of negative, and in many cases, vitriolic, media and commentary that has been produced over the last few days, particularly in the social media environment,” Witty said in the video, which was leaked to independent investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein. “And I want to reassure you of a few things.” Witty said the company would continue to put customers “first,” making an argument, without providing specifics, that UnitedHealthcare’s “mission... is truly to make sure that we help the system improve by helping the experiences of individuals get better and better.” He told employees that Thompson was dedicated to this somewhat nebulous goal, and claimed few people “in the history of the US healthcare industry [have] had a bigger positive effect on American healthcare than Brian.” According to Witty, UnitedHealthcare’s “role is a critical role” in making sure that care is “safe, appropriate, and is delivered when people need it.” At the same time, Witty emphasized, “[W]e guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care, or for unnecessary care, to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex, and ultimately unsustainable.” “So, we continue to make that case,” Witty said in conclusion. “We will continue to do the work we do... I encourage you to tune out that critical noise that we’re hearing right now. It does not reflect reality. It is simply a sign of an era in which we live.” Witty then exhorted staff to “focus on what we know to be true.” “And what we know to be true,” he went on, is that the “health system needs a company like UnitedHealth Group.” Investigators now believe the suspect in Thompson’s killing may be a disgruntled customer or client. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that three words were etched into rounds and shell casings found at the crime scene – “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” — a possible reference to Rutgers Law professor Jay Feinman’s book, Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It . (Feinman declined to comment when reached by this week by The Independent .) For its part, UnitedHealthcare issued a statement, saying: “While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring of kindness and support in the hours since this horrific crime took place. So many patients, consumers, health care professionals, associations, government officials and other caring people have taken time out of their day to reach out. We are thankful, even as we grieve. Our priorities are, first and foremost, supporting Brian’s family; ensuring the safety of our employees; and working with law enforcement to bring the perpetrator to justice.” The as-yet unidentified shooter remains a fugitive with the multistate manhunt now in its third day.Updated: Otremba helps Mavericks past No. 2 Ohio State

BOZEMAN — The No. 1-seeded Montana State football team rolled to a 49-17 victory over UT Martin in a second-round FCS playoff game Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. The Bobcats improved to 13-0 for their first 13-win season in program history. MSU got going early with a 14-yard carry and a 5-yard catch by wide receiver Ty McCullouch. Quarterback Tommy Mellott scrambled for another 25 yards, and Mellott later found tight end Hunter Provience wide open for the 24-yard touchdown. Provience’s first career score made it 7-0 MSU. QUICK STRIKE 🎯 @HProvience x @Tommy_Mellott #BobcatBuilt | #CATS pic.twitter.com/ZSlm3V4PFV Both teams traded punts. The Bobcats continued to pressure UTM QB Kinkead Dent, with linebacker McCade O’Reilly and defensive back Tayden Gray nearly picking off passes. Meanwhile, MSU’s offense stalled out on its next two possessions. After a third-down stop by safety Rylan Ortt and cornerback Simeon Woodard to force another UTM punt, MSU finally got back on track. Running back Scottre Humphrey broke off a 30-yard run and a face mask penalty on UTM was added to the end of the run. Mellott then threw a dime to WR Taco Dowler over multiple defenders in the back of the end zone. MSU led 14-0. Just an absurd throw 😵‍💫😵‍💫 @Tommy_Mellott x @DowlerTaco #BobcatBuilt | #CATS pic.twitter.com/H7n3f6HdwX The Bobcats added to the lead on their next drive. TE Ryan Lonergan got MSU to midfield on a 32-yard catch and run. McCullouch tried another designed pass — this time more of a wobbler than a tight spiral — intended for Dowler, which came up short. But UTM was called for pass interference. McCullouch later scored on a 6-yard jet sweep. TOUCHDOWN TY ✌️⚡️ 🖥️ ESPN+ @tym4_ | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/kWRCwz0kjp The Skyhawks converted a fourth-and-3 and a third-and-1 to get inside the MSU 25-yard line for the first time. Ortt tackled UTM RB Patrick Smith short on a third-and-6 — the safety’s third stop on third down in the first half. UTM got on the board with a 37-yard field goal. UTM’s Keyshawn Johnson sacked Mellott on a third-and-8 — the 10th sack MSU has allowed all season — to force a punt. After a sack by MSU defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV and a 3-yard run by Dent, UTM faced a third-and-12 on its own 22. MSU called a timeout with 2 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first half. On the next play, though, Dent fired a deep pass to Trevonte Rucker, who was wide open around midfield. Rucker out-ran multiple defenders en route to the end zone. That was the longest play from scrimmage MSU’s defense has allowed since Sept. 24, 2022, against Eastern Washington (80-yard TD catch). Check out this big throw from Kinkead Dent to Trevonte Rucker as the Skyhawk tandem connected for a 78-yard touchdown! #MartinMade | #OVCit pic.twitter.com/Qn0CKys1HK That score made it 21-10 MSU. An immediate answer from the Bobcats followed. Mellott hit Dowler on a 21-yard pass. A few plays later, Mellott connected with McCullouch on a 39-yard TD pass. UTM’s JaMichael McGoy fell down in coverage, leading McCullouch wide open and giving MSU a 28-10 lead. Tommy Bomb to Ty 💣🎯 @Tommy_Mellott x @tym4_ 🖥️ ESPN+ | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/zZBCuWYYVS That play was the eighth TD McCullouch has accounted for this season (five receiving, two rushing, one passing). At halftime, MSU led 28-10 and out-gained UTM 290-178 in total yards. Mellott was 14 of 17 for 178 yards and three TDs. McCullouch had 71 all-purpose yards (51 receiving, 20 rushing) and two TDs. UTM was forced to punt on the opening drive of the second half, which was returned by Dowler 40 yards to the UTM 37. Two plays later, Humphrey scored on a 36-yard TD run to put MSU up 35-10. That gave Humphrey his 14th rushing TD of the year. . @ScottreHumphrey is a bad, bad man 😈 🖥️ESPN+ #BobcatBuilt | #CATS pic.twitter.com/ESroVvgI1c Mellott later connected with Lonergan again, this time on a 48-yard catch and run. Three plays later, Dowler took a screen pass 29 yards for his second receiving TD of the game. That also gave Mellott four passing TDs for the second time in his career, previously doing so against Northern Colorado on Oct. 5. TACO TOUCHDOWN 🌮 (playoff edition) 🖥️ ESPN+ | @DowlerTaco pic.twitter.com/N2eNHQMSJe On the next MSU drive, Mellott set a new career high for passing yards in a game on an 8-yard throw to WR Aidan Garrigan. Mellott finished with 300 passing yards, and also later set a new career-high in single-game completions with 22. OH. MY. @AJonessy SPIN CYCLE 🌀🌀 🖥️ ESPN+ | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/yvvPMI7cUp RB Adam Jones added a 30-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to put MSU up 49-10. Dent later found Rucker for a 4-yard TD catch. MSU will next host the winner of No. 8 seed Idaho and Lehigh in the FCS quarterfinals on either Dec. 13 or 14. This story will be updated. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Howling winds couldn’t stop Notre Dame’s heart from beating again. With three resounding knocks on its doors by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, wielding a specially designed crosier carved from fire-scorched beams, the cathedral roared back to life Saturday evening. For the first time since a devastating blaze engulfed it in 2019, the towering Gothic masterpiece reopened for worship, its rebirth marked by song, prayer, and awe beneath its soaring arches. While the ceremony was initially planned to begin on the forecourt, unusually fierce December winds whipping across the Île de la Cité, flanked by the River Seine, forced all events inside. Yet the occasion lost none of its splendor. Inside the luminous nave, choirs sang psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ, silent for nearly five years, thundered to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies. The evening’s celebration, attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscored Notre Dame’s enduring role as both a spiritual and cultural beacon. For President Emmanuel Macron, who championed the ambitious five-year restoration timeline, it was a rare moment of unity amid profound political crises and threats to his presidential legacy—a clear pivot to elevate the celebration into a fully fledged diplomatic event. The reopening comes at a time of global unrest, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East. Amid this backdrop of division, the cathedral’s resurrection emerged as a rare symbol of resilience and unity. “Notre Dame is not just a French monument—it is a magnificent sign of hope,” said its rector, the Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas. “What seemed impossible has become possible.” The gathering of world leaders reflected the cathedral’s significance as a sanctuary of shared heritage and a reminder of the enduring power of faith. Ukrainian pastor Andriy Morkvas, attending his first Mass at Notre Dame in over a decade, found hope in the cathedral’s rebirth. “God is powerful; He can change things,” he said. “I hope Notre Dame and Mary will help resolve our conflict.” Canadian visitor Noelle Alexandria, who had traveled to Paris for the reopening, was struck by the cathedral’s ability to inspire. “She’s been nearly ruined before, but she always comes back,” Alexandria said. “Not many of us could say the same after such tragedy, but Notre Dame can.” Guests entered through Notre Dame’s iconic western façade, whose arched portals adorned with biblical carvings were once a visual guide for medieval believers. Above the central Portal of the Last Judgment, the Archangel Michael is depicted weighing souls, as demons attempt to tip the scales. These stone figures, designed to inspire both awe and fear, set the stage for a ceremony steeped in history. Inside, the hum of hundreds of guests awaiting the service filled the cathedral with human sounds once more—a stark contrast to the construction din that echoed there for years. Tuners restoring the great organ often worked through the night to find the silence needed to perfect its 7,952 pipes, ranging from pen-sized to torso-wide. Notre Dame’s revival is a story of global collaboration and determination. Over 42,000 square meters of stonework—an area equal to six soccer fields—were cleaned, revealing luminous limestone and intricate carvings long cloaked in soot. Above the nave, 2,000 oak beams, nicknamed “the forest,” were used to rebuild the spire and roof, restoring the cathedral’s iconic silhouette. “It’s night and day,” said François Le Page of the Notre Dame Foundation, which raised nearly half of the €900 million ($950 million) in donations for the restoration. “When I last saw it in 2021, it was filled with scaffolding. Now, it’s perfection.” The cathedral’s thunderous great organ, with its newly renovated console boasting five keyboards, 115 stops, and 30 foot pedals, resounded for the first time since the fire, echoing as a cornerstone of Notre Dame’s identity. The ceremony began with Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors, tapping them three times with his fire-scarred crosier. Psalms and hymns echoed through the cathedral’s hallowed halls, culminating in an organ performance by four world-class musicians. Adding to the ceremony’s visual splendor, Archbishop Ulrich and the clergy donned vibrant liturgical garments designed by renowned French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Known for his eye-popping pop-art aesthetic, Castelbajac crafted 2,000 colorful pieces for 700 celebrants, blending modern elements with medieval touches. A star-studded prerecorded concert featured luminaries like pianist Lang Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and soprano Pretty Yende. Their performances offered a universal message of harmony, celebrating the cathedral’s resurrection and its role as a sanctuary of faith and art. Amid the grandeur, personal stories of faith punctuated the evening. Huguette Euphrasie, attending with her cancer-stricken mother, gazed at the cathedral’s illuminated towers. “It has huge spiritual value for me,” she said. “It’s very moving.” For Patricia and Cyrille Brenner, who traveled overnight from Cannes, the reopening felt like a pilgrimage. “You have to be there to experience it,” Patricia said, comparing it to the Cannes Film Festival. Her husband added, “The fire was a call to renew our faith.” For Macron, the reopening offered a rare reprieve from political turmoil. Just days earlier, his government collapsed in a historic no-confidence vote, plunging France into uncertainty. Macron described the reopening as “a jolt of hope,” framing it as a testament to France’s resilience and unity. The achievement of restoring Notre Dame within five years—a timeline dismissed as overly ambitious by many—was a political win for Macron. Yet, as he addressed the gathering inside the cathedral, his speech highlighted not just the success of the restoration but also France’s enduring spirit amid adversity. Security was tight, echoing measures seen during the Paris Olympics. Police vans and soldiers in body armor patrolled embankments, while a special detail followed President-elect Donald Trump. Public viewing areas along the Seine accommodated 40,000 spectators, who watched the ceremonies unfold on large screens. For many, Notre Dame’s rebirth is not just a French achievement but a global one. After the reopening, the cathedral is expected to welcome 15 million visitors annually, up from 12 million before the fire. As the evening drew to a close, the cathedral stood as a testament to what collective will and faith can achieve. “It’s the soul of Paris,” Dumas said. “And tonight, its heart beats again.” Sylvie Corbet, Yesica Brumec, Marine Lesprit and Mark Carlson in Paris contributed. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through The AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The US provided no evidence that China manipulates TikTok content inside the country, court saysZelensky insists on a 'just peace' at Trump Paris meeting

JICA: PPPs key to build, maintain quality roads, bridges in PhilippinesPittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein was carted off the field with 5:32 left in the first quarter with an apparent left ankle injury during Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game against host Louisville. The freshman was sacked at the Panthers' 49-yard line by Louisville's Ashton Gillotte, who rolled on the quarterback's ankle. Holstein was in a walking boot as he was helped to the cart. Holstein missed last week's game against Clemson after suffering a head injury in the loss to Virginia two weeks ago. Holstein was 3-for-5 passing for 51 yards and an interception before exiting. Nate Yarnell, who threw for 350 yards in the loss to Clemson, replaced Holstein. --Field Level Media

Diplomats from small island nations threatened by rising seas and impoverished African states angrily filed out of a meeting with summit hosts Azerbaijan over a final deal being thrashed out in a Baku sports stadium. "We've just walked out. We came here to this COP for a fair deal. We feel that we haven't been heard," said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). An unpublished version of the final text circulating in Baku, and seen by AFP, proposes that rich nations raise to $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. COP29 hosts Azerbaijan intended to put a final draft before 198 nations for adoption or rejection on Saturday evening, a full day after the marathon summit officially ended. But, in a statement, AOSIS said it had "removed" itself from the climate finance discussions, demanding an "inclusive" process. "If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29," it said. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, said the draft was "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". An earlier offer from rich nations of $250 billion was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, who have demanded much higher sums to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the revised offer of $300 billion was "a significant scaling up" of the existing pledge by developed nations, which also count the United States, European Union and Japan among their ranks. At sunset, a final text still proved elusive, as harried diplomats ran to-and-fro in the stadium near the Caspian Sea searching for common ground. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," said US climate envoy John Podesta in the corridors as somebody shouted "shame" in his direction. Earlier, the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said negotiators were not out of the woods yet. "We're doing everything we can on each of the axes to build bridges and to make this into a success. But it is iffy whether we will succeed," he said. Ali Mohamed, the Kenyan chair of the African Group of Negotiators, told AFP: "No deal is better than a bad deal." South African environment minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." "What we are not up for is going backwards or standing still," he said. "We might as well just have stayed at home then." The revised offer from rich countries came with conditions in other parts of the broader climate deal under discussion in Azerbaijan. The EU in particular wants an annual review on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of global warming. This has run into opposition from Saudi Arabia, which has sought to water down a landmark pledge to transition away from oil, gas and coal made at COP28 last year. "We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the new, few rich fossil fuel emitters," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Wealthy nations counter that it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. The US earlier this month elected former president Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. A coalition of more than 300 activist groups accused historic polluters most responsible for climate change of skirting their obligation, and urged developing nations to stand firm. The draft deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. Even $300 billion would be a step up from the $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire. A group of developing countries had demanded at least $500 billion, with some saying that increases were less than met the eye due to inflation. Experts commissioned by the United Nations to assess the needs of developing countries said $250 billion was "too low" and by 2035 rich nations should be providing at least $390 billion. The US and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. China, which remains classified as a developing nation under the UN framework, provides climate assistance but wants to keep doing so on its own voluntary terms. bur-np-sct/lth/givCryptocurrencies in 401(k) retirement accounts expose portfolios to high risk of decline, with the value of these assets largely dependent on investor sentiment rather than actual market usage, according to a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). GAO compared five crypto assets available for 401(k) plans against the S&P 500 index between 2021 and 2023. Volatility ranged from 4 to 12 times higher than index volatility, and two to seven times more volatile compared to stocks such as Google or Apple. The impact of crypto assets in retirement portfolio diversification remains “unclear,” GAO said. Diversification is done to minimize risk to the portfolio while ensuring maximum possible returns. In order to be considered a diversifier, the asset’s performance must not be positively related to others in the portfolio. If the diversifier asset goes down when other stocks tumble, it essentially defeats the purpose of diversification. All five digital currencies reviewed by GAO were found to have a higher positive correlation with the S&P 500 compared to gold, another asset considered a diversifier. Because cryptos are highly volatile and have a positive correlation to traditional investments like stocks, this results in “larger losses to a portfolio during market downturns” if cryptos are part of the asset mix. “Unlike traditional stocks, investors in crypto assets typically do not own blockchain technology and generally do not have an entitlement to income streams from investment in the same way that holders of stocks have rights to dividends from an operating company,” the report noted. Moreover, cryptos do not have a “well defined use” like other assets. For instance, gold has demand as jewelry and in industries for its corrosion resistant and conductive properties. Digital currencies “mainly derive their value from investor sentiment rather than through tangible company assets or cash flows,” the report noted. “If market sentiment shifts to a new crypto asset, older crypto assets could become obsolete and lose their value.” The GAO report also listed out some regulatory issues on crypto use in retirement assets. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) does not collect data that enables the agency to easily identify 401(k) plans offering crypto assets and “assess their effects on participant savings,” it noted. EBSA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that oversees employee-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k). “Certain crypto assets continue to trade in markets that do not have investor protections or comprehensive oversight,” GAO said. The crypto market “has not been fully subjected to proper oversight and regulation,” Neal said. “As a result, as this report outlines, it has brought uniquely high risk to retirees. Americans must be confident that their investments are secure, and do not face unnecessarily high volatility, cybersecurity, and theft risk.” The agency said it had “serious concerns” about allowing crypto inclusion, noting that these assets “present significant risks and challenges to participants’ retirement accounts, including significant risks of fraud, theft, and loss.” “In the past year, traditional financial institutions’ limited exposure to cryptocurrencies has prevented turmoil in cryptocurrencies from infecting the broader financial system,” it said. “It would be a grave mistake to enact legislation that reverses course and deepens the ties between cryptocurrencies and the broader financial system.”Ramaphosa must be pushed to act on Thembi Simelane

Related hot word search:

Previous: kijiji leamington
Next: