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Libra - (23rd September to 22nd October) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, Navigating Opportunities and Challenges with Balance Today, Libra, you're poised to find harmony between personal and professional life. Trust your instincts and communicate clearly to make the most of the day. As a Libra, today you'll find yourself balancing various aspects of your life. It's a day for making thoughtful decisions, as your innate sense of fairness and diplomacy will be crucial. Pay attention to relationships, as your interactions could lead to rewarding experiences. Keep an open mind and be willing to listen to different perspectives to navigate any challenges smoothly. Libra Love Horoscope Today In matters of the heart, Libra, today encourages open communication and understanding. Whether you're in a relationship or single, being attentive to the feelings of others will foster stronger bonds. It's an ideal time to express your emotions sincerely. If you're single, social settings could offer the chance to meet someone intriguing. Let your natural charm and balance guide you in forming meaningful connections, remembering that honesty is the best policy. Libra Career Horoscope Today At work, today is a day for collaboration and creativity. You'll find that your ability to see both sides of any issue will be an asset in team discussions. Be open to feedback and don't shy away from sharing your innovative ideas. Your diplomatic skills will help you resolve any minor conflicts that arise. Trust in your ability to find harmony and balance, and you'll likely achieve the success you seek in your professional endeavors. Libra Money Horoscope Today When it comes to finances, today is a good time to review your budget and spending habits. Consider setting clear financial goals and make any necessary adjustments to your savings plan. Be cautious with impulsive purchases and prioritize long-term stability over short-term gratification. If you're considering investments, take the time to research and weigh your options carefully, ensuring that you make informed decisions for a secure financial future. Libra Health Horoscope Today For your well-being, today highlights the importance of balance in both mental and physical health. Incorporating activities such as yoga or meditation could enhance your inner peace. Pay attention to your diet and ensure you're consuming nutritious foods that fuel your body. Rest is also crucial, so make sure to get enough sleep to recharge. By focusing on these areas, you'll maintain the equilibrium that supports your overall health and vitality. Libra Sign Attributes Strength: Idealist, socially presentable, Aesthetic, Charming, Artsy, Generous Weakness: Uncertain, Lazy, Non-interventionist Symbol: Scales Element: Air Body Part: Kidneys & Bladder Sign Ruler: Venus Lucky Day: Friday Lucky Color: Brown Lucky Number: 3 Lucky Stone: Diamond Libra Sign Compatibility Chart Natural affinity: Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius Good compatibility: Aries, Libra Fair compatibility: Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces Less compatibility: Cancer, Capricorn By: Dr. J. N. Pandey Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert Website: www.astrologerjnpandey.com E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com Phone: 91-9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)Haitians massacred for practicing voodoo were abducted, hacked to death: UN

Middle East latest: Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon starting at 4 amPakistan was haunted by political uncertainty, economic instability, a deteriorating security situation and troubled relations with neighbours in 2024. But what defined the year were not just these perennial ills but the country’s inability to tackle incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan. Amid political turbulence, Pakistan hosted a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave, which was also attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar — the first high-ranking Indian minister in nearly a decade to visit Islamabad amid frosty ties between the two neighbours. The last Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad to attend the 'Heart of Asia' conference on Afghanistan in December 2015. In his address at the SCO event, Jaishankar said, "If friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address." He also said if activities across borders are "characterised" by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows and connectivity in parallel. His remarks were seen as directed towards Pakistan, which has troubled relations with all its neighbours. If the year began with Iran conducting missile strikes within Pakistan in January, targeting Baloch militants, it ended with Pakistan carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan, killing at least 46 people, including women and children, according to Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Pakistan says the target was militants. Pakistan witnessed a series of terror attacks, particularly in troubled Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces in 2024, among the toughest years for its security forces. According to the details shared with Parliament by the interior ministry, 924 people were killed and 2,121 injured in 1,566 terrorism incidents in the first 10 months of the year. At least 573 dead and 1,353 injured belonged to law enforcement agencies, including the army. On the economic front, Pakistan was on the verge of default in 2022 and only averted it due to the timely intervention by the International Monetary Fund. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif takes credit for pulling the country back from the brink of bankruptcy and turning around the economy. In 2024 inflation came down to single digits, policy rates reduced from 22.5 to 15 per cent, foreign exchange reserves improved, and the stock market made record gains. But it was jailed former prime minister Imran Khan who often hogged the headlines. In the elections in February, independent candidates backed by Khan's party surprised everyone by winning more than 100 out of the 226 seats in a hung parliament. And then the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz threw in a surprise, nominating Shehbaz Sharif as the prime ministerial candidate instead of the party supremo and three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif. As the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples Party struck a power-sharing deal to form a coalition government led by Shehbaz, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf: decided to sit in the Opposition. Khan was arrested in August 2023 after his conviction in a case of corruption and has remained behind bars since then. Contrary to expectations, his popularity swelled in 2024, proving right his words — uttered before he was ousted as PM in 2022 after losing a trust vote in Parliament — that he would be “more dangerous when out of power.” Recently, after his party workers staged a march to Islamabad – triggering a crackdown on them by the authorities — the former cricketer threatened mass ‘civil disobedience’ by his supporters if his major demands were not met. These include the “restoration” of the “mandate” he believes he got in the February parliamentary elections to run the country. His supporters see 2024 as a disaster for electoral politics and democracy, pointing at the “blatant disregard” of popular opinion reflected on the ballots. Some in power also concede this. In a recent interview with Dunya News, senior PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif accepted that “we had lost the elections”. Talks began recently between PTI and the government, but few believe that Khan’s demand to restore his “stolen mandate” will be met. Consequently, the country could continue to face strong political headwinds in 2025. With the traditional challenges still intact, the government now faces another: how to tame a ‘cornered tiger’.EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Justin Jefferson might be weary of all the safeties shadowing his every route, determined not to let the Minnesota Vikings go deep, but he's hardly angry. The double and triple coverage he continually faces, after all, is a sign of immense respect for his game-breaking ability. The strategy also simply makes sense. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.

Congress stages ‘Dr B R Ambedkar Samman Morcha’ in Maharashtra, slams BJPBrazilian police on Thursday called for the indictment of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro over a 2022 "coup" plot to prevent current leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. A police statement said its investigators concluded that Bolsonaro and 36 others planned the "violent overthrow of the democratic state." "Federal police concluded on Thursday the investigation into the existence of a criminal organization that acted in a coordinated way in 2002 in an attempt to maintain the then-president in power," the statement said. "The final report has been sent to the Supreme Court with the request that 37 individuals be indicted for the crimes of the violent overthrow of the democratic state, coup d'etat and criminal organization," it said. It is up to Brazil's attorney general to decide whether the allegations are substantiated enough to warrant criminal charges being laid. The charge of attempting a coup carries a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. Bolsonaro vowed to "fight" the allegation, and accused the Supreme Court judge overseeing the case of overstepping the law. "The fight begins at the Attorney General's office," Bolsonaro said on his X social media account. The judge, Alexandre de Moraes, "leads the entire investigation, adjusts statements, arrests without charges, fishes for evidence and has a very creative advisory team. He does everything that the law does not say," Bolsonaro said. According to police, the alleged plot was hatched in the final months of Bolsonaro's 2019-2022 presidency. Lula, a left-winger who was previously president between 2003 and 2010, won October 2022 elections to succeed the far-right Bolsonaro. The police statement did not draw a direct link between the alleged plot and an insurrection that took place in Brasilia on January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters entered the capital's presidential palace, the Congress building and the Supreme Court. Investigations continue into that upheaval, which echoed scenes from the United States two years earlier, when supporters of Donald Trump protesting President Joe Biden's election win attacked the US Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Bolsonaro has expressed admiration for Trump in the past. The list of alleged co-conspirators in the Bolsonaro case included the names of three elite soldiers and a police officer arrested on Tuesday for allegedly plotting to assassinate Lula and Moraes, in a separately announced case. Trump parallels Bolsonaro is the target of several investigations, but the one on Thursday placing him at the center of an alleged coup is the most dramatic. He says he is innocent and the victim of "persecution." A former army captain, Bolsonaro has already been declared ineligible to hold public office until 2030 for having made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in Brazil's electronic voting system. He has been prohibited from leaving the country while a vast probe named "Tempus Veritatis" ("the time of truth" in Latin) continues. The investigation has already swept up several of Bolsonaro's closest aides. Bolsonaro hopes to overturn the ineligibility ruling and attempt a comeback in 2026 presidential elections. On X, he has posted parallels between his situation and that of Trump, who won over US voters this month to secure a return to the White House. The police investigation calling for Bolsonaro's indictment detailed an alleged decree the ex-president was said to have given high-ranking military officers in December 2022 ordering them to arrest Moraes. Moraes was head of the national electoral tribunal that validated Lula's victory in 2022. That decree was confirmed by the military officers in police questioning, according to transcripts made public by Moraes, who is now in charge of the case at the Supreme Court. According to a transcript released in March, a retired Brazilian army general, Marco Antonio Freire Gomes, had spoken to police investigators about the December 2022 meetings with Bolsonaro. He said a Bolsonaro aide had seen legal opinions the then-president had had drawn up supporting his attempt to stay in power. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the worldJMM, Congress nail Jharkhand social configuration in diverse landscapeJefferson keeps seeing double as Vikings aim to stay focused on overall offensive production

Shares of Formidable ETF ( NYSEARCA:FORH – Get Free Report ) traded down 0.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $21.05 and last traded at $21.16. 274 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 2,646 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.23. Formidable ETF Stock Performance The firm has a market cap of $24.97 million, a P/E ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day moving average is $22.37 and its 200 day moving average is $22.52. Formidable ETF Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) The Formidable ETF (FORH) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in target outcome asset allocation. The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by actively managing a multi-strategy approach to providing alternative exposure, include tail hedge. FORH was launched on Apr 28, 2021 and is managed by Formidable. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Formidable ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Formidable ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .ISRO to demonstrate docking of satellites in space in January, launch on MondayWall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week

Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire to end nearly 14 months of fightingRobert Lewandowski scored his 100th Champions League goal as Barcelona beat Brest 3-0 to climb provisionally second in the Champions League group standings on Tuesday. The veteran striker slotted home from the spot in the 10th minute to fire the Catalans ahead and reach his milestone, adding a second late on after Dani Olmo’s goal to inflict the French side’s first defeat. After dropping points in their last two outings in La Liga, Coach Hansi Flick had urged his players to “eliminate” mistakes in their game and Barca produced a solid display. They got off the mark quickly when Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot clumsily clattered into the back of Lewandowski after the forward controlled Pedri’s cross on his chest. The striker dusted himself down and dispatched the penalty clinically to open the scoring after 10 minutes and bring up his century. It made Lewandowski only the third player to reach that milestone in the competition, behind former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, on 129, and former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, with 140. Under Flick, the forward’s form has improved significantly this season, reaching 22 goals in 19 appearances between La Liga and the Champions League. The 36-year-old has made 125 Champions League appearances with Barcelona and before that German sides Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. “I am very happy, many years ago I did not think I could score more than 100 goals in the Champions League,” Lewandowski told Movistar. “For me the most important thing is that we try to win every game, if I can score, then that’s the perfect solution. “I don’t know how many games we have left before the end of the year but we have to win them all and rest over Christmas.” Barcelona were still without teenage star Lamine Yamal, recovering from an ankle problem, but Raphinha was busy on the right and the Catalans dominated proceedings. Related News Barcelona to extend Lewandowski deal, put Haaland, Gyökeres pursuits on hold La Liga: Leaders Barca suffer late collapse in Celta draw Barcelona reject Arsenal’s €90m Raphinha bid, demand €100m — Report They did not create many clear chances though until Fermin Lopez forced a fine save from Bizot with a diving header. The Dutch goalkeeper made amends for his earlier mistake by denying the Spaniard with his leg. – Olmo on target – Lopez again came close early in the second half when Lewandowski put him in with a neat flick but Bizot was alert to save his low effort. Playmaker Olmo had an effort scrambled off the line by Brendan Chardonnet as Barcelona sought to put the game to bed. The former RB Leipzig midfielder eventually grabbed the second in the 66th minute when he received Gerard Martin’s pass in the box, showing some nifty footwork to dodge Chardonnet and beat Bizot at the near post. Brest thumped RB Salzburg 4-0 and had dropped just two points from their first four matches despite sitting in mid-table in Ligue 1, but were brought down to earth at the Olympic Stadium. Mathias Pereira Lage drilled home to momentarily delight nearly 3,000 travelling supporters but their joy was curtailed when the linesman raised his flag for offside. Barca substitute Pablo Torre should have netted Barcelona’s third when he intercepted a pass with just the goalkeeper to beat, but fired wide. Instead the job fell to Lewandowski and he rolled home his 101st Champions League goal with aplomb, beyond Bizot’s outstretched arm. Brest fall a few places down the table but their strong start to the campaign means they are well placed to secure at least a play-off spot, while Barcelona are aiming to reach the last 16 directly. Flick’s side travel to last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund next, before visiting Benfica and hosting Atalanta. AFP

Blitz-Interview: Four Main Opposition Political Forces’ Politicians on Current Developments and Future PlansTOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form the world’s third-largest automaker by sales, as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Automakers in Japan have lagged behind their big rivals in electric vehicles and are trying to cut costs and make up for lost time as newcomers like China's BYD and EV market leader Tesla devour market share. Honda's president, Toshihiro Mibe, said Honda and Nissan will attempt to unify their operations under a joint holding company. Honda will lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. They aim to have a formal merger agreement by June and to complete the deal and list the holding company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by August 2026, he said. No dollar value was given and the formal talks are just starting, Mibe said. There are “points that need to be studied and discussed,” he said. “Frankly speaking, the possibility of this not being implemented is not zero.” A merger could result in a behemoth worth more than $50 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers. Together, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi would gain scale to compete with Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany’s Volkswagen AG. Toyota has technology partnerships with Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month, with unconfirmed reports saying Taiwan iPhone maker Foxconn was seeking to tie up with Nissan by buying shares from the Japan's company's other alliance partner, Renault SA of France. Nissan's CEO Makoto Uchida said Foxconn had not directly approach his company. He also acknowledged that Nissan's situation was “severe.” Even after a merger Toyota, which rolled out 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, would remain the leading Japanese automaker. If they join, the three smaller companies would make about 8 million vehicles. In 2023, Honda made 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. “We have come to the realization that in order for both parties to be leaders in this mobility transformation, it is necessary to make a more bold change than a collaboration in specific areas,” Mibe said. Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi earlier agreed to share components for electric vehicles like batteries and to jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to electrification. Nissan has struggled following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon. Speaking Monday to reporters in Tokyo via a video link, Ghosn derided the planned merger as a “desperate move.” From Nissan, Honda could get truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn’t have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions, told The Associated Press. Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybrid powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said. But the company said in November that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing its global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million). It recently reshuffled its management and Uchida, its chief executive, took a 50% pay cut while acknowledging responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes , rising costs and other global changes. “We anticipate that if this integration comes to fruition, we will be able to deliver even greater value to a wider customer base,” Uchida said. Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan’s credit outlook to “negative,” citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion). Nissan’s share price also had fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. On Monday, its Tokyo-traded shares gained 1.6%. They jumped more than 20% after news of the possible merger broke last week. Honda's shares surged 3.8%. Honda's net profit slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as its sales suffered in China. The merger reflects an industry-wide trend toward consolidation. At a routine briefing Monday, Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said he would not comment on details of the automakers' plans, but said Japanese companies need to stay competitive in the fast changing market. “As the business environment surrounding the automobile industry largely changes, with competitiveness in storage batteries and software is increasingly important, we expect measures needed to survive international competition will be taken," Hayashi said. ___ Kurtenbach reported from Bangkok.

Trump wastes no time to target CanadaWhen Nathan Hecht ran for the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, no Republican had ever been elected to the state’s highest civil court. His election foreshadowed a coming transformation of the court, civil legal procedure and Texas itself. Hecht is the longest tenured Supreme Court justice in Texas history. He won six reelections and led the court as chief justice for more than a decade. He heard more than 2,700 oral arguments, authored 7,000 pages of opinions, and retires now not because he’s had enough, but because state law requires him to. Late on a Friday afternoon, just two weeks before he hung up his robe, he was still in his office, his mind mired in the work that was left to be done. “This is always a really busy time for us because the opinions are mounting up to be talked about,” he said. “It’ll be busy next week.” Hecht began as a dissenter on a divided court, his conservative positions on abortion, school finance and property rights putting him at odds with the Democratic majority and some moderate Republicans. But as Texas Republicans began dominating up and down the ballot, his minority voice became mainstream on one of the country’s most conservative high courts. In his administration of the court, Hecht has been a fierce advocate for the poor, pushing for more Legal Aid funding, bail reform and lowering the barriers to accessing the justice system. "If justice were food, too many would be starving," Hecht told lawmakers in 2017. "If it were housing, too many would be homeless. If it were medicine, too many would be sick.” Hecht’s departure leaves a vacancy that Gov. Greg Abbott, a former justice himself, will get to fill. He may elevate a current justice or appoint someone new directly to the chief justice role. Whoever ends up in the top spot will have to run for reelection in 2026. In his typical understated manner, so at odds with the bombast of the other branches of government, Hecht told The Texas Tribune that serving on the court has been the honor of his life. “I have gotten to participate not only in a lot of decisions shaping the jurisprudence of the state, but also in trying to improve the administration of the court system so that it works better and fosters public trust and confidence,” he said. “So I feel good about the past,” he said. “And I feel good about the future.” Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Hecht studied philosophy at Yale before getting his law degree from Southern Methodist University. He clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and returned to Texas, where his reputation preceded him. As a young lawyer, Tom Phillips, a former chief justice and now a partner at Baker Botts, reached out to a Dallas law firm that had promised to hire him the next chance they got. “I called them a few months later and said, ‘So I assume you never got a vacancy,’” Phillips recalls. “And they said, ‘Well, we did, but we had a chance to hire Nathan Hecht, so you’ll understand why we went ahead and did that.’” Hecht was appointed to the district court in 1981 and quickly made a name for himself, pushing the court to modernize their stenography practices and taking the unusual step of writing opinions as a trial judge. He was elected to the court of appeals in 1986 and ran for Texas Supreme Court two years later. From left, pictured are Texas Supreme Court Justices Craig Enoch, John Cornyn, Nathan Hecht, Raul Gonzalez, Tom Philips and Jack Hightower in the Texas House chamber in 1993. Republican dominance swept through the Supreme Court as swiftly as it did Texas writ large. The last Democrat would be elected to the court in 1994, just six years after the first Republican. But even among Bush-era Republicans filling the bench, Hecht’s conservatism stood out. In 2000, he wrote a dissent disagreeing with the majority ruling that allowed teens in Texas to get abortions with a judge’s approval if their parents wouldn’t consent, and a few years earlier, ruled in favor of wealthy school districts that wanted to use local taxes to supplement state funds. His pro-business bent stood out next to the court’s history of approving high dollar payouts for plaintiffs. Alex Winslow, the executive director of Texas Watch, a consumer advocacy group, told the New York Times in 2005 that Hecht was “the godfather of the conservative judicial movement in Texas." "Extremist would be an appropriate description,” Winslow said. “He's the philosophical leader of the right-wing fringe." The only other justice who regularly staked out such a conservative position, according to the New York Times , was Priscilla Owen, who President George W. Bush appointed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2005. Hecht and Owen, who now goes by her maiden name, Richmond, wed in 2022. Wallace Jefferson, Hecht’s predecessor as chief justice, said Hecht’s sharp intellect and philosophical approach to the law improved the court’s opinions, even when he ultimately didn’t side with the majority. “He was a formidable adversary,” said Jefferson, now a partner at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson. “You knew that you would have to bring your best approach and analysis to overcome Nathan’s approach and analysis ... You had to come prepared and Nathan set the standard for that.” Hecht briefly became a national figure in 2005 when he helped Bush’s efforts to confirm Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court. As her longtime friend, Hecht gave more than 120 interviews to bolster Miers’ conservative credentials, jokingly calling himself the “PR office for the White House,” Texas Monthly reported at the time. This advocacy work raised ethical questions that Hecht fought for years, starting with a reprimand from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. Hecht got that overturned. The Texas Ethics Commission then fined him $29,000 for not reporting the discount he got on the legal fees he paid challenging the reprimand. He appealed that fine and the case stretched until 2016, when he ultimately paid $1,000. Hecht has largely stayed out of the limelight in the decades since, letting his opinions speak for themselves and wading into the political fray mostly to advocate for court reforms. While Democrats have tried to pin unpopular COVID and abortion rulings on the justices in recent elections, Republicans continue to easily win these down-ballot races. Hecht is aware of the perception this one-party dominance creates and has advocated for Texas to turn away from partisan judicial elections. In his 2023 state of the judiciary address, Hecht warned that growing political divisions were threatening the “judicial independence essential to the rule of law,” pointing to comments by both Democratic politicians and former President Donald Trump. But, in an interview, Hecht stressed that most of the cases the Texas Supreme Court considers never make headlines and are far from the politics that dominate Austin and Washington. “There's no Republican side to an oil and gas case. There's no Democrat side to a custody hearing,” he said. “That's the bread and butter of what we do, and that's not partisan.” Unlike its federal counterpart, the Texas Supreme Court is often a temporary port of call on a judge’s journey. Many, like Abbott, Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, leave for higher office. Others, like Owen and 5th Circuit Judge Don Willett, leave for higher courts. Most, like Phillips, leave for higher pay in private practice. But Hecht stayed. “I didn’t plan it like this,” Hecht said. “I just kept getting re-elected.” Hecht had been considering retirement in 2013 when Jefferson, the chief justice who replaced Phillips, announced he would be stepping down. “He wanted me to consider being his successor,” Hecht said. “So I did, and here I am. I didn’t say, ‘Let's spend 43 years on the bench,’ but one thing led to another.” In 2013, Hecht was sworn in as chief justice by then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, another great dissenter whose views later became the majority. Nathan Hecht is sworn into office by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in the House Chamber on Nov. 11, 2013. Hecht's sister Helen is holding the Sam Houston Bible. While the Texas Supreme Court’s political makeup has changed largely without Hecht’s input, the inner workings of the court have been under his purview. And that, many court watchers say, is where his greatest legacy lies. Hecht ushered in an era of modernization, both to the technology and the rules that govern justice in Texas. He led a push to simplify the appellate rules, removing many of the trapdoors and procedural quirks that led to important cases being decided on technicalities. The court scaled back how long cases could drag on by limiting discovery, including how long a deposition can go. And he ensured every case was decided before the term ended, like the U.S. Supreme Court. “I think people generally don't understand the impact the rules can have on the equitable resolution of disputes, but they're enormous,” Jefferson said. “Nathan recognized that at an early juncture in his career.” Hecht pushed Texas to adopt e-filing before many other states, which proved prescient when COVID hit. Hecht, who was then president of the national Conference of Chief Justices, was able to help advise other states as they took their systems online. Hecht also dedicated himself to improving poor Texans' access to the justice system, pushing the Legislature to appropriate more funding for Legal Aid and reducing the barriers to getting meaningful legal resolutions. He helped usher through a rule change that would allow paraprofessionals to handle some legal matters like estate planning, uncontested divorces and consumer debt cases, without a lawyer’s supervision. “Some people call it the justice gap. I call it the justice chasm,” Hecht said. “Because it’s just a huge gulf between the people that need legal help and the ability to provide it.” Hecht said he’s glad this has been taken up as a bipartisan issue, and he’s hopeful that the same attention will be paid even after he leaves the court. “No judge wants to give his life's energy to a work that mocks the justice that he's trying to provide,” he said. “For the judiciary, this is an important issue because when the promise of equal justice under law is denied because you're too poor, there's no such thing as equal justice under the law.” Despite the sudden departure of their longtime leader, the Texas Supreme Court will return in January to finish out its term, which ends in April. Among the typical parsing of medical malpractice provisions, oil and gas leases, divorce settlements and sovereign immunity protections, the high court has a number of more attention-grabbing cases on its docket this year. Earlier this year, the court heard oral arguments about the Department of Family and Protective Services’ oversight of immigration detention facilities, and in mid-January it'll consider Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to subpoena Annunciation House, an El Paso nonprofit that serves migrants. Justices will also hear arguments over Southern Methodist University’s efforts to cut ties with the regional governing body of the United Methodist Church. Other cases will be added to the schedule before April. Phillips, who has argued numerous cases before the Texas Supreme Court since leaving the bench, said Hecht’s loss will be felt, but he expects the court to continue apace. “It’s not a situation like it might have been at some point in the past where if one justice left, nobody would know what to do next,” he said. “It’s an extremely qualified court.” As for Hecht, he’s tried to put off thinking too much about what comes next for him. He still has opinions to write and work to finish. He knows he wants to stay active in efforts to improve court administration nationally and in Texas, and he’s threatened his colleagues with writing a tell-all book, just to keep them on their toes. But beyond that, he’s waiting for the reality of retirement to sink in before he decides on his next steps. “We’ve got 3,200 judges in Texas, plus adjuncts and associate judges and others,” he said. “I really think it’s such a strong bench, and I am proud to have been a part of it. I look forward to helping where I can.” Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

Congress seeks to ban Chinese drones that are widely used in US

A NUMBER of savvy Brits have already secured their 2025 Christmas decorations for a fraction of the original retail price. That includes one woman who saved herself an eye-watering £135 on ornaments, tree baubles, nutcrackers and even gift bags. Sofia Spencer Rachel Stevens didn’t nab the bargains in her local supermarket, though. Instead, she found them at a local garden centre - retailers which are often overlooked when it comes to bargain hunting. Sofia took to Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK to boast about her finds and alert other shoppers. She wrote: “I love shopping at garden centres. “I bought all this and it should have been £205, but got for £70. “The wooden stars, one is 60cm and one 50cm - gorgeous quality. “Nutcrackers, decorations and gift bags ready for next year.” It’s not just Sofia who has twigged onto garden centre bargains. Sarah Green commented: “Love a garden centre Christmas sale.” Garden centres often stock premium and unique Christmas decorations, including hand-crafted ornaments, wreaths and garlands, many of which are unavailable in mainstream stores. They’re also a good place to pick up a faux Christmas tree at a good price. What’s more, countless garden centres in the UK have loyalty programs that offer members exclusive discounts or vouchers. These can often be redeemed against sale items, making your year-early savings even better. And it’s no secret that garden centre bosses and staff last Christmas. HERE'S what you need to know if you're buying a real Christmas tree: First thing's first: buy a pot (if it doesn't come in one already). You'll need to treat your tree just like a houseplant and give it water and attention. Make sure the container has good drainage - and it's a good idea to put something underneath to catch the excess water. Check the soil everyday to make sure it's not drying out. If it feels dry, give it some water. If it still feels moist, leave it alone as too much water can also kill a tree. Also check the LED bulbs on your tree lights aren't too hot as they could burn it, and keep your tree away from radiators. When Christmas is over, try planting it in the garden so you can dig it up and use it again next year. It's a good idea to take it out of its pot when you do re-plant it though, as large trees don't survive well in pots as their roots need space to grow. In August, The Sun reported that one put out Christmas trees and decorations on the hottest day of the year. Staff at Summerhill’s in Basildon, Essex, spruced up the shelves with seasonal stuff as temperatures hit 32C. Manager Charlotte Harrington said: “For many, many years now, we’ve opened our Christmas department on the August bank holiday. "The stock comes in early and we gradually start putting it out on the shop floor. This is just a small fraction of what we have. “But our Christmas displays are so spectacular it takes time to get everything set up, so we have to start early .”

Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire to end nearly 14 months of fightingNone

The next time Governor Gavin Newsom puts on his detective hat and tries to get to the bottom of the “price gouging” that is supposedly driving absurdly high gas prices in California, he should start with the most obvious culprit in the state: himself. Earlier this month, Newsom’s California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to approve changes to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), potentially adding $.65 cents a gallon to the already punitive cost of gasoline. Although consumers may be recoiling at the thought of even higher prices, political leaders must be relishing the opportunity to make it more difficult to own and operate an internal combustion vehicle. It’s obvious that California Democrats and their national counterparts are pushing the state and nation into a rapid Electric Vehicle (EV) future that is having dreadful consequences for families and workers.Preserving Black History Has Never Been More VitalIsraeli-Moldovan rabbi living in UAE goes missing; Israeli officials fear he may have been kidnapped DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates has gone missing, with Israeli authorities raising the suspicion he may have been kidnapped as tensions remain high with Iran. Zvi Kogan has been missing since noon Thursday. That's according to what the Israeli prime minister’s office said Saturday. The office said: "Since his disappearance, and against the backdrop of information that this was a terrorist incident, an extensive investigation has been opened in the country.” Emirati officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. State-run media in the UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, did not immediately report the incident. Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians CLEVELAND (AP) — Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to coach in an MLB game, is leaving the San Francisco Giants to join the Cleveland Guardians. Nakken made history in 2022 when she took over as first-base coach following an ejection. A former college softball star at Sacramento State, Nakken joined the Giants in 2014 and was promoted to a spot on manager Gabe Kapler’s staff in 2020, becoming the majors’ first full-time female coach. Nakken has been hired as an assistant director within player development for the Guardians, who won the AL Central last season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt. Nakken, 34, will work with former Giants coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa. Officer kills pet dog mistaken for a coyote in Massachusetts town. The owner says it was unnecessary An animal control officer shot and killed a pet dog in a Massachusetts town after mistaking it for a coyote in an incident local police are describing as a sad mix-up. Police in Northbridge, Massachusetts, say the shooting happened on Tuesday after police received a call of a report of a coyote in a residential backyard. Police say the animal control officer went into the woods to look for the coyote and found what they thought was the animal in a threatening position and shot it. The incident happened as communities around Massachusetts and the country have dealt with an uptick in interactions between coyotes and people. Kendrick Lamar surprises with new album 'GNX' LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present with a new album. The Grammy winner released his sixth studio album “GNX” on Friday. The 12-track project is the rapper’s first release since 2022’s “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Lamar’s new album comes just months after his rap battle with Drake. The rap megastar will headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. The 37-year-old has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize. NBA memo to players urges increased vigilance regarding home security following break-ins MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo sent to team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Ancient meets modern as a new subway in Greece showcases archaeological treasures THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, is opening a new subway system, blending ancient archaeological treasures with modern transit technology like driverless trains and platform screen doors. The project, which began in 2003, uncovered over 300,000 artifacts, including a Roman-era thoroughfare and Byzantine relics, many of which are now displayed in its 13 stations. Despite delays caused by preserving these findings, the inaugural line has been completed, with a second line set to open next year. Conor McGregor must pay $250K to woman who says he raped her, civil jury rules LONDON (AP) — A civil jury in Ireland has awarded more than $250,000 to a woman who says she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse after a night of heavy partying. The jury on Friday awarded Nikita Hand in her lawsuit that claimed McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in 2018. The lawsuit says the assault left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced her to do anything and that Hand fabricated her allegations after the two had consensual sex. McGregor says he will appeal the verdict. At least 19 people are sick in Minnesota from ground beef tied to E. coli recall U.S. health officials say at least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef. Detroit-based Wolverine Packing Co. recalled the meat sent to restaurants nationwide. Minnesota state agriculture officials reported multiple illnesses and found that a sample of the product tested positive for E. coli, which can cause life-threatening infections. No illnesses have been reported outside of Minnesota. Symptoms of E. coli poisoning include fever, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of dehydration. Actor Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend drops assault and defamation lawsuit against once-rising star NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend has dropped her assault and defamation lawsuit against the once-rising Hollywood star after reaching a settlement. Lawyers for Majors and Grace Jabbari agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice Thursday. Jabbari is a British dancer who had accused Majors of subjecting her to escalating incidents of physical and verbal abuse during their relationship. Representatives for Majors didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Friday. Jabbari’s lawyer said the suit was “favorably settled” and her client is moving on with “her head held high.” Majors was convicted of misdemeanor assault and harassment last December and sentenced to a yearlong counseling program. Hyundai, Kia recall over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix problem that can cause loss of power DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are recalling over 208,000 electric vehicles to fix a pesky problem that can cause loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. The recalls cover more than 145,000 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles including the 2022 through 2024 Ioniq 5, the 2023 through 2025 Ioniq 6, GV60 and GV70, and the 2023 and 2024 G80. Also included are nearly 63,000 Kia EV 6 vehicles from 2022 through 2024. The affiliated Korean automakers say in government documents that a transistor in a charging control unit can be damaged and stop charging the 12-volt battery. Dealers will inspect and replace the control unit and a fuse if needed. They also will update software.

Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flightsPhotos: Remembering Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president

Putin calls Azerbaijani president for second time in two days regarding plane crash

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