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Donald Trump Appoints Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes as Chairman of President's Intelligence Advisory Board
BGT 2024-25: Smith and Head Shine with Centuries, Bumrah Claims Fifer as Australia Reach 405/7 at Stumps
Tata Cliq, JioMart, Ajio, Ola, Zomato & Others Commit to 'Safety Pledge' on National Consumer Day 2024
|
https://www.thehawk.in/tag/punjab-farmers-agitation
| 2024-12-16T06:09:54Z
|
New Delhi [India], December 16 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was accorded a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday, the second day of his state visit to India.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Also Read | REET 2024 Registration Begins at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in, Know Steps To Register Online.
President Dissanayake inspected a Guard of Honour by the combined defence services.
On this occasion, President Droupadi Murmu and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake introduced each other to their respective ministers, diplomats, and officers.
Also Read | Apple Leads As India's Smartphone Export Surge 90% Crossing INR 20,000 Crore Mark in November 2024.
The Sri Lankan President is on a state visit to India from December 15 to December 17.
This is the first bilateral visit of Dissanayake to India after assuming office in September.
Earlier on Sunday, the Sri Lankan President was received by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan in Delhi.
Following his arrival, President Dissanayake also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
In a post on X, Dissanayake said, "During my official visit to India, I had the privilege of engaging in productive discussions with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval. Our conversations focused on strengthening Indo-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, enhancing investment opportunities, fostering regional security, and advancing key sectors such as tourism and energy. These engagements reaffirm the commitment to deepening the partnership between our two nations."
Jaishankar, during his meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday, highlighted the island nation's prominent role in India's Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR Outlook.
However, Jaishankar, during his meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday, highlighted the island nation's prominent role in India's Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR Outlook.
He further affirmed confidence that President Dissanayake's talks with Prime Minister Modi today will lead to greater cooperation between New Delhi and Colombo. (ANI)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
|
https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-sri-lankan-president-anura-kumara-dissanayake-accorded-ceremonial-reception-at-rashtrapati-bhavan-6494202.html
| 2024-12-16T06:09:55Z
|
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
After 11 days of political limbo in South Korea, the Parliament has voted to impeach the president. President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to invoke martial law earlier this month, sparking mass protests. And now President Yoon has been suspended from power, but his fate as South Korea's leader is still unclear.
Joining us for a look at what could happen is Victor Cha. He's the former director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. And these days, he's a professor of government at Georgetown University. Welcome to the show.
VICTOR CHA: Thank you, Scott.
DETROW: So I want to start by getting your reaction to this development.
CHA: Well, we saw it coming. I mean, the previous week, they had tried to impeach him after he had declared martial law and failed. This time, they were successful. The roots of this go all the way back to last spring where President Yoon's party lost the midterm election, and the legislature has since blocked everything that he's tried to do, including the budget. There's also investigations into his wife. The government is investigating the opposition party leader. All of this was a powder keg waiting to explode, and it happened with the martial law declaration.
DETROW: Yeah.
CHA: But now he's been impeached, and we have to see the next steps going forward.
DETROW: And we should remind listeners that impeachment works a little differently in South Korea than the U.S. Can you just broadly walk us through the next few steps here?
CHA: Sure. So the most important thing for the listeners is that he's been impeached by the National Assembly, the National Legislature. And now the Constitutional Court has basically about six months to decide whether the impeachment motion is constitutional. So their ruling will determine whether he is really impeached, whether President Yoon is really impeached. In the meantime, the prime minister becomes the acting president and governs the affairs of state.
DETROW: And that stays that way until the court rules in, even if it's months down the line.
CHA: That's right. That's right.
DETROW: I mean, let's zoom out and talk big picture. South Korea, a key U.S. ally - this has been an unstable stretch for South Korea. I guess you could argue that's the case for the U.S., as well. But what could this particular development mean, do you think, for the U.S.-Korean Alliance?
CHA: Well, a couple of things. I mean, the first is that, as we all know, President Trump will start in office on January 21, and there will be no South Korean leader. Of course, there will be the prime minister who's the acting president, but there's very little likelihood that he would be the next president of South Korea. Meanwhile, leaders from - as we've seen, leaders from Canada, from Japan, from other places, will all be trying to meet with Trump to try to get on a steady footing from the start. And so South Korea is going to be at a big disadvantage.
In addition to that, there are many things that President Yoon did on foreign policy that were greatly admired in the world. They may not have been appreciated at home, but they were admired around the world. Things like joining the United States in the Chips (ph) 4 Alliance with regard to semiconductor export controls, investing tens of billions of dollars in the United States for the development of electric vehicle batteries, being on the global stage at the G7 summit, being a - participating in the NATO summit. South Korea was a - is a big supporter of the war in defense of Ukraine, in some cases giving more humanitarian and economic support than NATO countries.
DETROW: Yeah.
CHA: So all of these things could be at jeopardy with this next election and a new president.
DETROW: I mean, this was such a shocking development, going back to that martial law declaration and then quickly backing down in what's come next. But I'm curious, this crisis - I'm wondering how you think it fits or maybe doesn't fit into these broader global trends we've seen this year, whether that comes to wildly unpopular incumbents in institutions or democratic backsliding.
CHA: Well, I think there certainly was a concern about democratic backsliding in Korea. There was a period of time when, after the first impeachment vote, the president said that - the president's party said that they were going to take control of the affair's estate with the prime minister. That was extraconstitutional. So there's certainly concerns about democratic backsliding there.
And in the broader scheme of things, this is another democracy that has a very weak or dysfunctional leadership, unfortunately. We see it in the case in Japan. We have a new prime minister but a divided legislature. You know, we see it in France. We see it in a number of other countries. And this is against a backdrop of autocracies that are all getting together - right? - China, Russia, Iran, North Korea - so it's a very disturbing picture on the global stage.
DETROW: That is Victor Cha, professor of government at Georgetown University and the former director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council. Thanks so much for talking to us.
CHA: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-14/what-does-the-impeachment-of-south-koreas-president-mean-for-the-country-and-its-allies
| 2024-12-16T06:09:57Z
|
In an unexpected twist for the quantum computing world, a new feline-inspired approach to qubits could reshape the future of technology. This cutting-edge innovation promises to enhance the development of complex quantum algorithms while improving error correction techniques.
At the core of this innovation lies a unique feline-inspired logical qubit design, which offers a novel perspective for tackling quantum computing challenges. Unlike traditional quantum systems, this new model derives inspiration from feline principles, characterizing enhanced stability and error resistance. The breakthrough carries significant implications for future quantum computer architectures.
One of the compelling features of this platform is its ability to adapt logical qubits for fault-tolerant operations. This capability allows developers to dive deeper into exploring the full potential of quantum algorithms, achieving higher efficiency and reliability. The tool provides unparalleled insights by permitting the fine-tuning of hardware parameters and error rates according to different future hardware maturity levels.
However, this leap forward is not without its hurdles. Developers are tasked with the challenge of revising algorithms to align with the requirements specific to feline-inspired qubits. This adaptation demands careful navigation of performance gains, potential trade-offs, and computational overhead.
Despite these challenges, the integration of feline-inspired technology into quantum computing presents a significant stride toward fault-tolerant systems. As the scientific community continues to explore this emerging frontier, the implications for the future of quantum computing appear boundlessly promising. This novel approach not only pushes the boundaries of current technology but also provides a glimpse into the exciting potential of future quantum innovations.
The journey into the future of quantum computing, marked by unexpected twists, has only just begun.
The Feline Revolution: How Inspired Qubits Could Transform Humanity’s Tech Landscape
In a remarkable leap for the technology sector, a recent breakthrough in quantum computing introduces feline-inspired qubits, promising to reshape technological landscapes. But what does this mean for our future?
Exploring Uncharted Territories in Quantum Algorithms
This quantum revolution isn’t just about speedy calculations. By stabilizing qubits with feline-inspired logic, researchers hope to minimize errors—a crucial aspect in developing robust quantum systems. This could mean faster drug discovery, complex climate modeling, and safer cryptography, marking a new era in scientific and technological advancements.
A Controversial Approach in Quantum Design
While the innovation sounds exciting, it doesn’t come without controversies. Is it ethical to base our technological advancements on methods that may inadvertently replicate nature without understanding the full consequences? Furthermore, as these feline-inspired qubits demand a rewrite of algorithms, questions arise about resource allocation and the readiness of existing infrastructures.
Advantages: Harnessing the Power of the Feline
Adopting this new model could lead to unprecedented computational capabilities, opening doors to solving problems previously deemed insurmountable. Imagine machine learning systems that can predict and adapt in real-time, contributing to sectors like healthcare and finance more efficiently.
Disadvantages: Navigating the ‘Cat-astrophes’
Despite its potential, adapting existing algorithms for these qubits is costly and complex. It’s a technological leap that demands significant investments in research and development, presenting a challenge for smaller companies and institutions.
As we delve deeper into this new philosophical era in quantum computing, humanity stands on the brink of a technological revolution. Will we embrace these innovations and chart a course to a new technological epoch, or will we be hindered by uncertainties?
For more insights into similar breakthroughs, visit Quanta Magazine or explore quantum computing further on Wired.
|
https://www.yanoticias.es/hu/uncategorized-en/kvantumugrasok-elore-fedezd-fel-a-macskas-csavart/12590/
| 2024-12-16T06:09:58Z
|
Bitcoin surged to a record high of $106,533 on Monday, buoyed by President-elect Donald Trump's hints of establishing a US cryptocurrency strategic reserve, akin to the nation's oil reserves.
The world's leading cryptocurrency climbed 3.2% to $104,462, while ether, the second-largest crypto, rose 1.5% to $3,965.
Market optimism was fueled by Trump’s recent comments suggesting a favorable regulatory stance on crypto. "We want to lead the world in crypto, not let others like China take the lead," Trump told CNBC. When asked about creating a crypto reserve, he affirmed the possibility, sparking enthusiasm among investors.
This development comes as the total cryptocurrency market value hits a record $3.8 trillion, with bitcoin up 192% this year. Trump's campaign embraced digital assets, promising to make the US the global crypto hub. He also appointed crypto-friendly figures to key positions, including David Sacks as AI and crypto czar, and Paul Atkins to head the SEC.
Adding to the momentum, MicroStrategy, the largest corporate bitcoin holder, was included in the Nasdaq-100 index, driving expectations of more inflows into the crypto market. Shares of the software-turned-crypto firm have surged six-fold this year, and analysts predict CEO Michael Saylor might use gains to acquire more bitcoin.
Despite the bullish sentiment, analysts urge caution, highlighting that creating a bitcoin reserve would be a complex and time-consuming process. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell likened bitcoin to gold, signaling a need for careful consideration of such a move’s implications.
|
https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/bitcoin-hits-record-dollar-106-000-amid-trump-s-crypto-reserve-plans
| 2024-12-16T06:09:58Z
|
(SOUNDBITE OF CYMBAL CLANGING)
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Wow. That's a Zildjian cymbal. Drummers across the globe know that name. It's emblazoned on them all. What's less known is that the Zildjian family has been making their famous cymbals with a secret process for more than 400 years. That's almost as long as BJ Leiderman has done our theme music. Member station WBUR's Andrea Shea got inside their factory in Norwell, Massachusetts to find out more about the world's oldest cymbal company.
(SOUNDBITE OF FACTORY MACHINES RUNNING)
ANDREA SHEA, BYLINE: Even here in Massachusetts, a lot of people have no idea an industrial factory outside of Boston casts, blasts, rolls, hammers, buffs and tests at least a million Zildjian cymbals each year.
JOE MITCHELL: There's a lot of mystique and a lot of history at this facility.
SHEA: Director of Operations, Joe Mitchell, is one of the few privy to a Zildjian process that's been shrouded in mystery since the height of the Ottoman Empire.
(SOUNDBITE OF MACHINES RUNNING)
MITCHELL: So behind this door is where we have our foundry. This is where we melt our metals and where we pour our castings. I'll show you what the castings look like but obviously, we can't go beyond this point.
SHEA: The castings look like rough-hewn metal pancakes, but they possess the secret to the Zildjian sound.
(SOUNDBITE OF METAL DING)
SHEA: The company's proprietary alloy was alchemized 13 generations ago in Constantinople - now Istanbul - by Debbie Zildjian's ancestor, Avedis I.
DEBBIE ZILDJIAN: He was actually trying to make gold. And what he ended up making was a combination of copper and tin. The mixing of those metals produced a very loud, resonant, beautiful sound.
(SOUNDBITE OF MARCHING BAND MUSIC)
SHEA: The Ottoman Sultan summoned the metalsmith to his palace in 1618 to make cymbals for military bands. They were also used in churches and by belly dancers. Jump to the 1700s, and Debbie Zildjian says European composers, including Mozart and Haydn, added cymbals to their symphonies.
(SOUNDBITE OF HAYDN'S "MILITARY SYMPHONY IN G, H.I NO. 100")
ZILDJIAN: So that's how the reputation grew.
SHEA: But Debbie says Zildjian became synonymous with cymbals after her grandfather, Avedis III, an ethnic Armenian emigrated to the U.S. in 1909. Two decades later, he relocated the business to Massachusetts with his uncle. At the time, jazz was exploding. So Avedis III went to New York City to develop new sounds with drumming pioneers. Then things really took off for Zildjian with a little help from the Beatles' 1964 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND")
THE BEATLES: (Singing) When I say that somethin' I want to hold your hand. I want to hold your hand.
ZILDJIAN: Everybody wanted to become a musician. Everyone wanted to play. And it was in a matter of months that we were totally backordered because Ringo was a huge celebrity. So that catapulted our business into the modern era.
SHEA: Now Debbie and her sister, Craigie, who's president and executive chair, are carrying on the family business' legacy. Drummers across all genres have embraced Zildjian cymbals, from Lars Ulrich of Metallica to Grammy award-winning jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington.
(SOUNDBITE OF DRUMMING)
TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON: I normally play about six cymbals plus hi-hats. They're the sound that I've been playing my whole life because most jazz drummers play Zildjian cymbals.
SHEA: Carrington is a Zildjian artist, which means she exclusively endorses and plays the company's symbols. She says they helped her forge her musical identity.
CARRINGTON: Your cymbals are your signature. So whenever you play, you're generally recognized by your cymbal sound and your touch and your cymbal patterns, at least in jazz.
(SOUNDBITE OF TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON, ET AL.'S "WIND FLOWER")
SHEA: Carrington's drum kit is like a painter's palette. Each symbol's color guides her to the next stroke. She visited the Zildjian factory not too long ago.
CARRINGTON: I mean, I don't know the secret sauce, but to make a piece of metal sound so pretty and become this beautiful instrument that's a part of every kind of music that you hear is pretty remarkable.
(SOUNDBITE OF FACTORY MACHINES RUNNING)
SHEA: The Zildjian factory has evolved to keep up with demand for its 600 models of cymbals sold in more than 100 countries. Today, machines hammer the alloy instruments, but their forms are still finessed by skilled craftsmen. And every cymbal has to pass a human ear test. That's Eric Duncan's job.
(SOUNDBITE OF CYMBALS)
ERIC DUNCAN: We test anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 cymbals a day, depending on how busy we are.
SHEA: Each approved cymbal gets stamped with the family name. They call it the Zildjian kiss.
(SOUNDBITE OF MACHINE STAMPING)
SHEA: Debbie Zildjian loves sharing her family's storied history. But as a keeper of their closely guarded 400-year-old alloy, she confirms...
ZILDJIAN: The secret part will remain a secret.
SHEA: For NPR News, I'm Andrea Shea.
(SOUNDBITE OF TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON, ET AL.'S "UPLIFTED HEART") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-14/zildjian-brand-cymbals-are-everywhere-but-how-theyre-made-is-a-400-year-secret
| 2024-12-16T06:09:59Z
|
EUROCONTROL: Top 10 states post 0.8% week-on-week flight increase in early Dec-2024
CAPA News Briefs
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Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
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It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/eurocontrol-top-10-states-post-08-week-on-week-flight-increase-in-early-dec-2024-1296035
| 2024-12-16T06:09:59Z
|
Donald Trump Appoints Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes as Chairman of President's Intelligence Advisory Board
BGT 2024-25: Smith and Head Shine with Centuries, Bumrah Claims Fifer as Australia Reach 405/7 at Stumps
Tata Cliq, JioMart, Ajio, Ola, Zomato & Others Commit to 'Safety Pledge' on National Consumer Day 2024
|
https://www.thehawk.in/tag/riyadh-to-delhi-passenger
| 2024-12-16T06:10:01Z
|
Cuttack, Dec 16 (PTI) A tailor's tag on a blood-stained shirt found near the crime scene helped the Odisha Police to crack a mysterious murder case and arrest three people, an officer said.
The police on December 13 recovered the body of a 35-year-old woman on the banks of Kathjodi river in Cuttack under Kandarpur police station.
The deceased remained unidentified and nobody lodged any complaint at any police station in the state. The police had no clue other than getting a weapon of offence a chopper. It was a big challenge for the police to crack the case, said Cuttack DCP Jagmohan Meena.
Meena said though tattoos were found on both the hands of the deceased woman, they could not help her identification. One blood-stained shirt and pant were found on the water body near the spot. It was found that both the wearing apparel had a tag of 'New Star Tailors' stitched, he said.
Also Read | China Retail Growth Slows, Agency Calls for 2025 Support.
"This clue was focused upon. Around 10 tailors with this name or similar name in Odisha were verified and their tag design was compared with the tag of the shirt and pant found at the spot. However, there was no match found. A tailor in Ganjam district informed that such kind of tags are being used in Gujarat," Meena said.
The DCP said the Gujarat police was contacted and they found such a tailor in Surat. The tailor's tag had a number '3833' which was matched and upon search, it was seen that the shirt was stitched for one person named 'Babu'.
"There was no other detail available. However, the tailor gave one important clue that he had to return Rs 100 to the customer 'babu' but he did not have the change. So, he transferred Rs 100 on the e-wallet of one mobile number. That number was contacted and it was found that he is a friend of 'babu'.
"Details of 'Babu' were received. He was found to be Jaganath Duhuri (27) @ Babu @ Bapi of Kendrapada. It was found that he (Babu) was going back to Surat by train. The train was passing through Rayagada when he was nabbed," Meena said.
On further verification and interrogation, it was found that he was the brother-in-law of the deceased. He also revealed that he committed crime with the help of his brother Balaram Duhuri and cousin Hapi Duhuri. All three have been apprehended, police said.
"Balaram Duhuri was the husband of the deceased woman. The motive of the crime is chronic marital dispute between the deceased and her husband. Balaram was doubting that the deceased was having an extra-marital affair with someone," the DCP said.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
|
https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-tailors-tag-on-shirt-helps-police-to-crack-a-mysterious-murder-case-in-cuttack-6494229.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:02Z
|
LAHORE - The Lahore city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 194, falling into the “unhealthy” category. The PM2.5 concentrations were measured at 23.4 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s annual PM2.5 guideline value. The most polluted areas in the city included Hiking & Mountaineering Club GCU (AQI 264), MM Alam Road (259), Bedian Road (231), Shahdara (226), University of Management and Technology (224), Valencia Town (222), Askari 10 (212), and Polo Ground Cantt (208).
|
https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/city-s-average-aqi-recorded-at-194
| 2024-12-16T06:10:05Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Fay and Bob Wenrich have lived many lives together. They grew up neighbors in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They got married, had four kids and stayed together more than two decades until their divorce in 1975. This past Sunday, though, Fay and Bob, after 49 years apart, retied the knot.
(SOUNDBITE OF ETTA JAMES SONG, "AT LAST")
FAY WENRICH: He said he didn't want to lose me the first time, and he was - he didn't think he'd ever get me back and now he's going to keep me.
(LAUGHTER)
BOB WENRICH: Yeah.
F WENRICH: He's 94, and I'm 89. But we're having a good time. We're having a lot of fun. And for two old people, I think we're pretty lucky.
RASCOE: It was a love story neither partner saw coming.
F WENRICH: I was married for 42 years to someone else. He was married for 24 years to someone. They both passed, and we've just been bumping into each other at all the functions for the children and grandchildren.
RASCOE: When they both found themselves widowed in the last few years, Fay and Bob found in each other a support system.
B WENRICH: She got very sick, and I was helping to get her back to her health again. So I would take her to places and make sure she was feeling OK.
F WENRICH: He pays a lot of attention to me. That's for sure.
RASCOE: They started playing cards, spending more time together. And in June, Fay and Bob started taking trips to the nearby casino.
F WENRICH: We started going away more with each other. And I told him, I said, we're just friends, and that's the way we're going to keep it. And then we were down at the casino, and he put his hand on my knee. And I said, Robert, I told you, we're going to just be friends. And he said, but you have such a nice knee (laughter). So then we just started doing more stuff together.
B WENRICH: Well, I just thought it was about time, and things were going pretty fast here, so we did decide to get married.
RASCOE: Fay and Bob's youngest daughter, Carol Smith, heard the news from her mom.
CAROL SMITH: She called me at lunch, and she said, I'm not sure I'm going to change my last name, and that was November 11. I said, what are you talking about? Are you getting married? And she said, yeah, I think we are (laughter). And that was that. The wedding got planned in three weeks (laughter).
F WENRICH: We wanted to keep it low-key, but that was out of the question.
RASCOE: So at a local venue last Sunday, the happy couple walked down the aisle, said I do and shared their second first dance.
B WENRICH: Floyd Cramer - the "Last Date" was of the name of the song.
(SOUNDBITE OF FLOYD CRAMER'S "LAST DATE")
B WENRICH: It was very nice and we were doing well, I thought. And then people started to dance along with us.
SMITH: There were 82 people there. We had a photographer. We had a DJ. We had it catered. There were 14 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. So five generations at the wedding, which is just totally awesome.
(SOUNDBITE OF FLOYD CRAMER'S "LAST DATE")
SMITH: I was 15 when they divorced. I never thought I'd be planning their wedding at 64, you know? It's just amazing.
RASCOE: Fay and Bob Wenrich, hoping to prove the second time's the charm.
F WENRICH: I think we need each other now, and I hope we have some good years ahead of us.
(SOUNDBITE OF FLOYD CRAMER'S "LAST DATE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/after-nearly-50-years-apart-a-divorced-couple-comes-back-together-to-try-marriage-again
| 2024-12-16T06:10:05Z
|
FedEx Express took delivery of one 767-300F
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/fedex-express-took-delivery-of-one-767-300f-1296046
| 2024-12-16T06:10:05Z
|
Codeword: December 16, 2024
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Codeword: December 12, 2024
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https://theweek.com/puzzles/codeword-december-16-2024
| 2024-12-16T06:10:07Z
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'Colossal' explosions have lit up the skies over Syria as Israeli attacks reportedly struck military installations. Described as the most intense strikes in the region in over ten years, the blasts were so powerful that they were registered on earthquake sensors. A war monitor group said that Israeli airstrikes hit military installations in Syria's coastal Tartus region.
Dramatic video footage captured a giant mushroom-shaped fireball lighting up the night sky of Syria, alongside thunderous booms. The massive strikes were allegedly aimed at a weapons depot in the area, according to the war monitoring group. The powerful explosion caused tremors that registered as a 3.0 magnitude earthquake on nearby seismic detectors.
Biggest Blast Rocks Syria
"Israeli warplanes launched strikes" targeting a series of sites including air defense units and "surface-to-surface missile depots," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The group described these as "the heaviest strikes in Syria's coastal region since the start of strikes in 2012."
Tartus, home to one of Russia's two military bases in Syria, has served as both a naval hub and an ammunition depot.
The massive blast, along with subsequent explosions, suggests a massive stockpile of weapons may have been present at the site.
Dramatic videos shared on social media captured a huge bright flash lighting up the sky, followed by multiple detonations that formed a towering mushroom cloud of smoke.
Earlier today, Russia's foreign ministry announced the evacuation of some diplomatic staff from Syria, just a week after the overthrow of the country's dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
Researcher Richard Cordaro said that the explosion was detected by a magnetometer station located 820 kilometers away in Iznik, western Turkey. He also said that the signal traveled almost twice as fast as those produced by typical earthquakes.
The Soviet Union first established a naval military base in Tartus in 1971. Until 2017, this facility was classified as a "Material-Technical Support Point" rather than a full-fledged base and remains Russia's sole access point to the Mediterranean.
The base played a crucial role in delivering arms and supplies during Russia's intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2015. In 2017, President Vladimir Putin ordered its expansion after Bashar al-Assad granted Russia a 49-year lease on the facility at no cost, in return for aiding his regime's survival.
Russia, the Original Target
In addition to Tartus, Russia repurposed a civilian airport near Latakia into the Hmeimim airbase in 2015. This facility is considered highly secure, equipped with defensive perimeters and air defense systems capable of covering a range of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles), according to Russian state media.
While Russia does not disclose troop deployment numbers, analysts believe the number of personnel at these bases has dropped significantly since the start of Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, a Kremlin spokesperson said that Moscow was in communication with Syria's new authorities about the future of its bases. However, the recent airstrikes have raised further uncertainty about the fate of Russian assets in the region, including the Hmeimim airfield.
After an 11-day offensive, a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia with his family. Throughout the Syrian civil war, Russia had been one of Assad's key allies, providing ground forces and critical air support starting in 2015 to counter rebel advances and reinforce his regime.
Russian intelligence reportedly had to convince the former president to leave the country, warning him that he would lose the battle as opposition forces advanced toward Damascus.
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https://www.ibtimes.sg/chilling-video-captures-moment-israel-drops-colossal-earthquake-bomb-syria-explosion-gets-77448
| 2024-12-16T06:10:08Z
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Finnair transfers 43,798 own shares
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/finnair-transfers-43798-own-shares-1295984
| 2024-12-16T06:10:07Z
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Donald Trump Appoints Truth Social CEO Devin Nunes as Chairman of President's Intelligence Advisory Board
BGT 2024-25: Smith and Head Shine with Centuries, Bumrah Claims Fifer as Australia Reach 405/7 at Stumps
Tata Cliq, JioMart, Ajio, Ola, Zomato & Others Commit to 'Safety Pledge' on National Consumer Day 2024
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https://www.thehawk.in/tag/uae-net-zero-emissions
| 2024-12-16T06:10:09Z
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Thane, Dec 16 (PTI) A 15-year-old girl, who left her house earlier this month after her mother reprimanded her for spending too much time on mobile phone, was found dead in a creek after nine days in Thane district of Maharashtra, police said on Monday
The girl resided with her family in Dombivli area here.
Also Read | REET 2024 Registration Begins at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in, Know Steps To Register Online.
On December 5, her mother asked her not to spend too much time on her mobile phone and rather pay attention to her studies.
The girl, in a fit of anger, later left the house, the official from Vishnu Nagar police station said.
Also Read | Apple Leads As India's Smartphone Export Surge 90% Crossing INR 20,000 Crore Mark in November 2024.
After failing to find her, her family members filed a missing complaint with the local police the next day.
The police subsequently registered an FIR on charges of kidnapping.
According to the official, the police had also got a message that on December 5, a girl jumped into a creek from Motagaon bridge in Dombivli.
On Saturday afternoon, a body was in the creek and was identified as that of the teenager by her family members, he said.
The body was later sent for postmortem to a government hospital and a case of accidental death was registered, the police said, adding a probe was on into the girl's death.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-teen-who-left-home-after-being-scolded-by-mother-found-dead-in-creek-6494186.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:10Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Being a young adult when you're just coming into your own - it's full of excitement and worry.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALONE")
CAT BURNS: (Singing) Coffee trips alone, dinner booked for one. I've never even been on a date. I find it hard to open up.
RASCOE: British singer-songwriter Cat Burns has captured so much of what that time of life is like with her debut album "early twenties."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALONE")
BURNS: (Singing) I don't want to be alone forever...
RASCOE: Relationships, uncertainty about the future, and the challenge of really getting to know yourself, how your brain works - it's all there, and it goes deep. And we wanted to get to know Cat Burns by going deep on one song in particular. She joins us now from London. Welcome to the show.
BURNS: Hello. Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: Let's just jump right into the song, "this is what happens."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) It takes a lot for me to leave my house these days. It seems that I would rather be alone than socialize - oh, my. I haven't left my room in, like, six months. It's my cocoon...
RASCOE: It's about anxiety, which a lot of people suffer from, including myself. How did you come to write the song?
BURNS: I was actually in LA when I wrote it. With a lot of songs, I really like juxtaposition. I like kind of having maybe sad lyrics over quite happy chords.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) So I - I get it in my head...
I think in that moment, I was struggling with being in a different country because I'm such a homebody, and I was feeling super anxious. So then the song kind of just wrote itself. There are definitely loads of periods of time in my life where I can kind of become a little bit of a ghost where I just stay inside and just feel too scared to leave my house. So I kind of wanted to make a song about that, but do it in a fun and lighthearted way because if you don't laugh, you'll cry.
RASCOE: You have to laugh to keep from crying. Sometimes you got laugh to keep from crying.
BURNS: Yeah (laughter).
RASCOE: I mean, the thing about it - like, that juxtaposition of this very upbeat, catchy tune. Is it also that you want people to be able to listen to it without feeling down, like, to bring more people into it?
BURNS: I always encourage people to feel their feelings because I think it's always important to do that, but I also want to encourage people to know that things are only as deep as we make it. The song feels lighthearted because I'm trying to kind of be like, yeah, I feel all these things and I feel anxious a lot/most of the time. But it doesn't have to be any deeper than that. There's only power in what we give things power to.
RASCOE: Let's move on and hear this upbeat chorus about anxiety.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) This is what happens when you're anxious, so damn anxious. I'm so anxious all the time.
RASCOE: Does music help with your anxiety?
BURNS: Absolutely. It's definitely a course of therapy for me.
RASCOE: Do you get anxious about performing?
BURNS: I get slightly nervous right before I'm to go onstage. When I'm onstage, I'm fine. I get more anxious about the socializing after. Yeah, I'm thinking about, oh, gosh, who's going to be in my dressing room when I get back? Who am I going to have to say awkward hellos to? Who am I going to have to, like, smile at that I don't know? I'm overthinking all the interactions after the performance, but when I'm onstage, I'm good.
RASCOE: And I could definitely relate to this last verse as well. It gets really personal.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) My intrusive thoughts consume my mind. I know my brain can be unkind, but...
RASCOE: I know my brain can be unkind. Like, that's such a powerful lyric. And I think a lot of people can relate to - your thoughts can be so mean (laughter), like, not helpful at times, right?
BURNS: Absolutely. And I think I definitely struggled with that a lot growing up and, up until recently, to be honest. Sometimes I feel detached from myself, like a bird's-eye view of myself, and that my thoughts are like a separate entity inside of me being really mean. And you're like, kind of butting heads with it. For the longest time, I just found my brain and my thoughts just being super unkind to me. And I get intrusive thoughts all the time. That's kind of why that lyric came to be.
RASCOE: So you've learned a lot about yourself. In April of last year when you were 23, you tweeted, I've just been diagnosed with ASD, autism spectrum disorder, and my whole life just makes sense. Like, what was it like to get that clarity?
BURNS: It meant everything. Being neurodivergent and only finding out later on, not as a child, you can very much invalidate your experience. And I think with something as specific as autism, until I got the diagnosis, I would just invalidate myself and was at a constant battle with myself, and then getting the actual diagnosis, allowed me to just breathe and go, oh, OK, this makes so much sense. My brain is just wired differently, and now I can put things in place to help myself, but I can give myself grace.
RASCOE: Like a lot of 20-somethings, you're on TikTok, and you use it to promote your music.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK)
BURNS: I am Black (imitates gunshot). I am a woman (imitates gunshot). I am gay (imitates gunshot). I'm neurodivergent (imitates gunshot). That's a quadruple homicide. Imagine seeing a quadruple homicider in the charts, Top Ten, this week.
RASCOE: Quadruple. And for those that don't know, one of your songs went viral on the app, which is a huge deal. Can you tell us about that moment?
BURNS: So I joined TikTok back in 2020, and I teased one of my songs called "Go."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO")
BURNS: (Vocalizing).
And it got received really well. I released it in July or August of 2020. And it did OK at the time. Like, it got a few million streams. I was happy with that being the start of my career. And then the start of 2022, end of 2021, it just had a resurgence. Then it took on a life of its own and really sped up my career in terms of being a new artist and being seen as an artist.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO")
BURNS: (Singing) Pack up your [expletive] and go.
RASCOE: You use your platform, both on TikTok and in your music, to kind of share your experiences as a Black, queer, neurodivergent woman. What has the reception been like to being so open about your identity?
BURNS: Response has been really great, and people have been really accepting. And I think because I hit quite a few boxes, people from different groups see a bit of themselves in me and they see kind of hope and inspiration in what it is I'm trying to do. I feel lucky that I've been received so well and definitely don't take it for granted. In the U.K., it's just not common.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEOPLE PLEASER")
BURNS: (Singing) But listen, when I see you cry, I can't stand what I feel inside...
RASCOE: You have a song on the album - it's called "people pleaser."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEOPLE PLEASER")
BURNS: (Singing) Guess I'm what they call a people, people, people pleaser.
RASCOE: You're a recovering people pleaser. So what does that mean?
BURNS: I'm a recovering people pleaser is someone who can now put boundaries in place, learning how to stay firm in my no's. I understand being a people pleaser. I'm now, like, no, that's not a behavior that I want to carry on.
RASCOE: It feels like you've learned a lot for your early 20s. How do you expect your mid 20s to treat you?
BURNS: I'm excited. Through sort of therapy and reading and just doing the work on myself, I feel much more centered, and I'm excited to see musically what I have to say about those experiences that I'll have in my life. And I feel safe within myself to know that I can get through everything.
RASCOE: That's Cat Burns. Her debut album, "early twenties," is out now. Thank you for being with us.
BURNS: Thank you so much for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEOPLE PLEASER")
BURNS: (Singing) Guess I'm what they call a people, people, people pleaser. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/cat-burns-on-coming-of-age-and-her-debut-album-early-twenties
| 2024-12-16T06:10:11Z
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LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed a deep sense of grief over the sad demise of PML-N leader Siddiq-ul-Farooq, and paid rich tribute to his valuable political services for the party. Madam chief minister offered sincere condolences and expressed her heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved family. Wheares, Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare, Khawaja Imran Nazir, expressed deep sorrow over the passing away of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Siddique-ul-Farooq. In his condolence message on Sunday, he extended sympathies to the bereaved family of the late Siddique-ul-Farooq. He also paid tribute to the deceased leader’s remarkable political and journalistic contributions. “Siddique-ul-Farooq’s political services will always be remembered,” said Khawaja Imran, acknowledging his dedication and efforts throughout his career. The minister prayed for the departed soul and strength for the family to bear this irreparable loss.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/cm-maryam-grieved-over-death-of-pml-n-leader-siddiq-ul-farooq
| 2024-12-16T06:10:11Z
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Crossword: December 16, 2024
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https://theweek.com/puzzles/crossword-december-16-2024
| 2024-12-16T06:10:13Z
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A Fiji court has convicted a Memphis man for the murder of his wife during their honeymoon in the island country more than two years ago, the victim's family confirmed Thursday.
As previously reported, Christe Chen Dawson was found dead on July 9, 2022, in her hotel room at the $3,500-a-night Turtle Island Resort in Yasawa. Bradley Robert Dawson was arrested at Matacawalevu Village a day later with several items in his possession, including his passport and some personal belongings.
Bradley Claimed Christe's Death was by Accident
Delivering the judgment, Justice Riyaz Hamza said the fact that Dawson had his passport and personal belongings with him upon his arrest indicated he intended to flee after committing the offense, the paper wrote.
Bradley maintained that Christe's death was an accident. However, Justice Hamza was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Bradley Dawson and no one else had committed the offense, according to the Fiji Times.
"For the aforesaid reasons, I am of the opinion that the defense's version cannot be believed, and the same version is rejected," he said. "Having analyzed all the evidence in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution witnesses were all truthful, credible, and reliable in their testimony. From the totality of the evidence, I am satisfied that the prosecution has disapproved of the defense of provocation. Having considered all the evidence in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution has proved the charge of murder against the accused beyond reasonable doubt."
Christe and Bradley Reportedly Argued Over His Flirtatious Behavior with Another Woman
The couple, who met in November 2021, married three months later after a whirlwind romance. At the time of the incident, the Daily Mail reported that on the night of her death, Bradley and Christe attended a party, dubbed "family fun night," with island staff and other guests on the beach where both were "very drunk."
Witnesses told the tabloid that tensions arose between the couple when Bradley started acting inappropriately with someone else at the party. "They were enjoying themselves and drinking quite a lot but towards the end they looked troubled," the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
It's understood the couple then left the party and their argument continued on the beach before they headed back to their private bungalow about midnight, where the fight continued. "Not long after that, guests in the bungalow next door said they heard arguing, a loud scream, and then silence," a source told the publication.
Bradley Caught Fleeing, Claimed He was Kayaking
The next morning, Christe was found bloodied on the bathroom floor by a personal butler. She had suffered multiple traumatic injuries to her body and shoulders, lacerations to her face and blunt force trauma to the head.
On the night Chen was killed, Bradley was seen walking the length of Turtle Island in the early hours of the morning by the night watchman, before he went back toward the private bungalow.
He left his GPS watch and mobile phone in the bungalow, but took his wallet and passport before fleeing across the water in a kayak, 1.2 miles away to a secluded beach on Matacawa Levu Island. He is believed to have been heading towards the mainland - which is about a two or three hour boat ride away - in the hopes of fleeing Fiji.
However, But Bradley never made it that far, and he was discovered - bleeding with cuts and bruises - about 3pm on July 10, by a local man as he walked toward the island's village.
A team of three police officers soon arrived on Matacawa Levu Island to take Dawson back to Turtle Island and then to Lautoka on Fiji's main island Viti Levu, where he was charged with murder. Once he engaged a lawyer, Dawson refused to provide DNA samples to officers.
Bradley is scheduled to be sentenced in Fiji on January 27.
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https://www.ibtimes.sg/michigan-man-convicted-killing-wife-their-fiji-honeymoon-after-argument-over-him-flirting-77449
| 2024-12-16T06:10:14Z
|
flyadeal and American Express Saudi Arabia sign payment method agreement
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/flyadeal-and-american-express-saudi-arabia-sign-payment-method-agreement-1295976
| 2024-12-16T06:10:14Z
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Thane, Dec 16 (PTI) Police have registered a case against a man for allegedly raping his six-year-old daughter in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Monday.
The 42-year-old accused, resident of Dombivli area, committed the offence on multiple occasions since June this year whenever the child was alone at home, the official from Vishnu Nagar police station said without giving more details.
Also Read | Apple Leads As India's Smartphone Export Surge 90% Crossing INR 20,000 Crore Mark in November 2024.
Based on a complaint by the man's wife, a case was registered against him on Saturday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-thane-man-booked-for-raping-6-yr-old-daughter-6494114.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:16Z
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
We want to turn back now to the conversation of holiday movies. It is a thing here on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and a lot of our staff have strong feelings and opinions about them. But one of our producers, Elena Burnett, might top them all. She has some pretty serious rules about what to watch and when.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
ELENA BURNETT, BYLINE: So the most sacred - on the 24th, Christmas Eve, we watch "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" - the Chuck Jones version, not the Jim Carrey version.
..."Charlie Brown Christmas" - you know, earlier in the season, it's more laid back. We go through "Elf," "Nativity"...
...Claymation Christmas - "Scrooge," "It's A Wonderful Life."
...Some of the more special ones, "A Christmas Story"...
DETROW: So it was very clear we had to continue this conversation in studio. Elena, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
BURNETT: Thank you. Bring it on.
DETROW: So we are here to argue about "The Polar Express," which we will do. But before we get to "The Polar Express," walk me through why it is so important to you and your family to watch specific movies on specific dates in a specific order.
BURNETT: I think it's something that kind of just evolved because for me and our - and my family, Christmas movies are so atmospheric. And so for the really - the ones that feel really Christmasy (ph), we got to wait. We got to wait 'cause otherwise it feels like you're starting the season too early.
DETROW: And before we continue, I do have to point out you're wearing reindeer antlers we talk.
BURNETT: Yeah.
DETROW: Yeah.
BURNETT: Yeah. This is my season. This is - I take this seriously.
DETROW: So "The Polar Express," why do you like it? - because I think it is very likely I am watching "The Polar Express" tonight with my family, but I have a lot of problems with it.
BURNETT: You're definitely in the majority. I've definitely, I think, spent more hours of my life defending "The Polar Express" than I have watching it. I feel sad for y'all. For me, it's a beautiful story about growing up.
DETROW: This really puts me on the offensive to dispute that. OK, so here's what I would say. I would say the book by Chris Van Allsburg, it's a beautiful book, one of my favorite books.
BURNETT: Same.
DETROW: The pictures come to life in this dark and mysterious way, and you could feel the three dimensions. You could feel the backstories of the characters, right? So that's that. And then you watch this movie, and it's early Pixaresque (ph) CGI that just doesn't quite click.
BURNETT: So I would say it's motion capture. It came out in 2004, when I think a bunch of studios were trying to do different things. And I will say, I'm not saying the animation's perfect, but I also think they had a hard task in front of them because you have this gorgeous book that I love very much, and they wanted to capture the themes of that. And it's very flat illustrations, and so what happens when you bring flat illustrations to life? It's going to feel a little uncanny valley.
DETROW: Yeah.
BURNETT: I know that's the phrase a lot of people use.
DETROW: In that it's not quite realistic and you know it.
BURNETT: Exactly. Exactly. But I genuinely think the colors and the snow that falls and the way that the steam goes into the cold air and the warmth of the lights from the North Pole, it's so cozy. And that's what settles me into that Christmas feeling.
DETROW: I do think the best part of the movie is when they're at the North Pole, and there's that early 20th century industrial feeling of it all. Like, I do really love that. Are there other favorite parts in the movie for you?
BURNETT: So I - my favorite scene happens at the North Pole, and here's where we're going to go into the weeds. The main character, who's literally in the credits as Hero Boy - that's canon. Hero Boy really wants to believe. You know, he's looking in encyclopedias, trying to figure out if life can exist at the North Pole. He's being skeptical of everything, but he gets on the train. He's hesitant, but he's curious.
And so my favorite scene is everybody is in the - you know, all the elves, all the kids are in the center of the North Pole. The tree's there. And the whole thing with the movie, if you haven't seen it, is Hero Boy cannot hear the bells of Santa's sleigh, and that represents his doubt. And there's - and they bring out these reins with the bells on them. They put them on the reindeer. He can't hear them. Santa shows up. He can't see Santa. And the scene goes all slow motion, and a bell flies off of the reins. And it thunks (ph) on the frozen ground in front of Hero Boy, and he picks it up in his hands. And he says three times...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE POLAR EXPRESS")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As Hero Boy) I believe. I believe?
BURNETT: And the second time's a question, and that's important. And then he whispers, I believe. And he rings the bell, and he can hear it.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL RINGING)
BURNETT: And for me, that's what he asked Santa for as the first gift of Christmas. And it's not something material. It's a guide post that he's taking with him to be able to hold that belief as he goes on throughout his life. He loses in on the seat of the sleigh, but it doesn't matter. He still has found within himself whatever he needs to be moving on into this scary adult world. And that's why the bell comes back to him at the end. Even though he doesn't need it, it's always going to be there for those who truly believe.
(SOUNDBITE OF GEEK MUSIC'S "THE POLAR EXPRESS (MAIN THEME)")
DETROW: I will let that be the last word.
(LAUGHTER)
DETROW: That is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED producer Elena Burnett, Christmas season zealot, I feel like...
BURNETT: Sure. Sure.
DETROW: ...And defender of "The Polar Express." Thank you.
BURNETT: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF GEEK MUSIC'S "THE POLAR EXPRESS (MAIN THEME)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/christmas-movies-the-case-for-the-polar-express
| 2024-12-16T06:10:17Z
|
LAHORE - A cold wave continued to grip the city as temperatures dropped to 4.5°C on Sunday. The Meteorological Department forecast similar weather conditions over the next 24 hours. According to officials, continental air was dominating most parts of the country, while a shallow westerly wave was affecting the western and upper regions. They anticipated mainly cold and dry weather across most areas, with very cold conditions in the hilly regions. Patches of shallow to moderate fog were expected during the morning hours in parts of Northeast and South Punjab as well as Upper Sindh. The lowest temperature on Sunday was recorded in Leh, Skardu, and Astore, where it plunged to -11°C. In Lahore, the minimum temperature was 4.5°C, while the maximum reached 23°C.
|
https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/cold-wave-continues-to-grip-city
| 2024-12-16T06:10:18Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
We don't want to alarm you coffee drinkers on this fine morning, but the price of coffee on the futures market broke a nearly 50-year record last week. Of course, there's a lot of concern for what this means for the prices we'll see at coffee shops and supermarkets. So we invited NPR's Alina Selyukh here to explain what's going on. Welcome.
ALINA SELYUKH, BYLINE: Hello, hello. Can you guess what I brought?
RASCOE: Did you bring some coffee to keep you going?
(SOUNDBITE OF COFFEE POURING)
SELYUKH: Brought my latte.
RASCOE: (Laughter) OK. You brought your latte. What is happening with coffee prices?
SELYUKH: Coffee prices have soared, and it all started with problems with harvests, first in Vietnam and then in Brazil. These are the two top growers of the most common types of coffee beans. And the culprit was abnormal weather, which many in the industry attribute to climate change. I talked to some longtime importers of green coffee. That's raw beans. One of them is John Cossette from Royal Coffee in California.
And he says, first, you had Vietnam with a serious drought followed by heavier rains than usual, and that drove up prices for the bean that grows there and already had people scrambling to switch to the bean that grows in Brazil. And then Brazil had one of the worst droughts on record. Here's Cossette.
JOHN COSSETTE: Once they started harvesting the coffee - it's kind of nice to have dry weather when you're harvesting, but as soon as it's done, you want it to start raining, you know, because soil will moisture up and initiate flowering. And it just didn't happen. It really freaked people out.
SELYUKH: Eventually, it did rain, but farmers later said a lot of the damage was irreversible. And so the price of the most common coffee - that's called arabica - jumped 70% this year. The price of the other type of coffee, called robusta, at one point doubled in price. Both cost more than they ever did.
RASCOE: Arabica and robusta - how different are these?
SELYUKH: Yeah. So they have different flavor based on where they grow. What I have here in my cup is arabica. It is the most common. Brazil is the biggest grower, and this coffee grows at higher altitudes. It has a softer, sweeter taste, and that's what you find often in your roast coffee, your ground coffee. Robusta grows at lower elevation. Vietnam is the biggest grower, and this bean has a harsher, more bitter taste. It's used a lot for instant coffee.
RASCOE: OK. I think my mom drinks something like that. But back to the prices.
SELYUKH: OK.
RASCOE: Was it just the irreversible damage to harvests that drove up the cost?
SELYUKH: You know, coffee markets are complicated, like all commodities. Many of the traders actually need the physical coffee, the bags of beans, but many traders are just financial speculators. They're trying to game the price change, you know, buy cheaper, sell higher. And everyone bets on how much they think beans will cost in the future. And so when people think those beans won't grow or there won't be enough, those who need those beans scramble, speculators go nuts and it all only spirals the price further, which is what's happened. And it doesn't help that this week, one of the world's biggest coffee traders made a forecast that arabica, coffee like I have here, could see supply decline by nearly a quarter in the next cycle.
RASCOE: We've been talking about record prices on the futures market, but I don't buy coffee at the futures market, right? You buy it at the grocery store or at Starbucks. So how is this going to translate?
SELYUKH: So I'm sorry to say those prices have already been rising. If you shop at the supermarket - brands like Nescafe, Maxwell House, Folgers, Dunkin' - they've all had waves of price increases. They've cited higher cost of the green raw coffee. At your local coffee shop, it really depends, depends on how they source their products, but yes, likely they're feeling the pressure to raise prices, and they're just trying to assess how to do that without scaring away shoppers.
But fact of the matter is, as a world, we are drinking more and more and more coffee. So demand has not waned so far. People so far have been willing to pay those higher prices for their coffee habit. The markets will probably eventually calm down. Importers I talked to pointed out, historically, adjusted for inflation, we've actually been paying pretty low prices for a pound of coffee. So maybe it's the days of cheap coffee that are over.
RASCOE: That's probably bad news (laughter) for coffee drinkers, but we got to give it to you straight. No cream and sugar here. That's NPR's Alina Selyukh. Thank you so much.
SELYUKH: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/coffee-prices-havent-been-this-high-in-47-years
| 2024-12-16T06:10:19Z
|
Sudoku hard: December 16, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
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Sudoku medium: December 16, 2024
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https://theweek.com/puzzles/sudoku-hard-december-16-2024
| 2024-12-16T06:10:19Z
|
FlySafair introduces mobile app baggage tracker
CAPA News Briefs
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It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/flysafair-introduces-mobile-app-baggage-tracker-1296056
| 2024-12-16T06:10:20Z
|
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 16 (ANI): On Vijay Diwas, officers of the Indian Armed Forces, along with their counterparts from the Bangladesh Army, laid a wreath at Vijay Smarak, Army Headquarters Eastern Command, in West Bengal's Kolkata on Monday.
Officers from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force participated in the Vijay Diwas celebrations, paying their respects at the Army Headquarters Eastern Command.
Also Read | Apple Leads As India's Smartphone Export Surge 90% Crossing INR 20,000 Crore Mark in November 2024.
As part of the commemoration, flowers were also showered from helicopters at the Vijay Smarak, Fort William.
Vijay Diwas is observed every year across the country on December 16 to commemorate the victory of the Indian Armed Forces in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971.
Also Read | Kerala: Policeman Takes Own Life by Shooting Himself Dead With Service Gun in Malappuram District.
India and Bangladesh are jointly marking the 53rd anniversary of Vijay Diwas, commemorating the 1971 India-Pakistan war today, with the annual exchange of war veterans and serving officers.
Eight Indian war veterans and two serving officers of the Indian Armed Forces have arrived in Dhaka to participate in Bangladesh's Victory Day celebrations.
Similarly, eight distinguished Muktijoddhas (freedom fighters) and two serving officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces have also reached India to participate in the Vijay Diwas celebrations in Kolkata.
On this occasion, officers of the Indian Army laid a wreath at Shaheed Smarak, Colaba Military Station, in Mumbai and a similar wreath-laying ceremony was held in Chennai
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the soldiers who contributed to India's victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan on Vijay Diwas.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Modi praised the selfless dedication and unwavering resolve of the soldiers, saying they safeguarded our nation and brought glory to India in the war.
"Today, on Vijay Diwas, we honour the courage and sacrifices of the brave soldiers who contributed to India's historic victory in 1971. Their selfless dedication and unwavering resolve safeguarded our nation and brought glory to us. This day is a tribute to their extraordinary valour and their unshakeable spirit. Their sacrifices will forever inspire generations and remain deeply embedded in our nation's history," PM Modi's post reads. (ANI)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
|
https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-vijay-diwas-indian-armed-forces-bangladesh-army-pays-tribute-to-soldiers-in-kolkata-6494110.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:23Z
|
Peshawar - The demand for Gajar Halwa, Chappli Kabab, and other traditional winter foods has surged in Peshawar as temperatures drop, especially during the nights. Families are flocking to food stalls and shops across the city and cantonment areas, enjoying seasonal delicacies to stay warm.
Stalls selling chicken corn soup, Kashmiri tea, Sri Paye, and boiled eggs are witnessing large crowds at popular spots like Namak Mandi, Fawara Chowk, and Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Shopkeepers have decorated their stalls with buntings to attract customers, though some food lovers have complained about overcharging.
Vendors report a high demand for chicken corn soup. “Last night, I prepared two drums of soup, and it sold out quickly,” said Fayaz Khan, a vendor at Fawara Chowk. He attributed the increasing number of customers to improved security in Peshawar, which has encouraged families to venture out and enjoy food late into the night.
Some visitors, like Faraz Khan from Nowshera, travel from other cities to savor Peshawar’s signature dishes. While enjoying a bowl of chicken soup at Qissa Khwani, he highlighted the need for hygienic standards at food stalls to ensure customer safety.
Prices of soups and Gajar Halwa are reportedly higher this year, prompting calls for stricter price control by the district administration. Despite this, the vibrant food culture continues to thrive, reflecting a renewed sense of peace and bustling activity in the city.
|
https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/demand-far-gajar-halwa-increases-as-cold-wave-grips-peshawar
| 2024-12-16T06:10:24Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Congressional Republicans want to cut the number of federal workers and have legislation to do just that.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARSHA BLACKBURN: What this does is require these agencies in our discretionary spending to right-size themselves every year.
RASCOE: That's Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn on Fox News. On Wednesday, she and New York Representative Claudia Tenney introduced the bills, which would also freeze pay, relocate some agencies away from Washington, create a performance-based pay structure and cut back on telework.
Howard Gleckman researches tax and budgets as a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, and he joins us now. Welcome to the program.
HOWARD GLECKMAN: Thank you, Ayesha. Good to be with you.
RASCOE: So let's start with the basics. How big is the federal workforce? And when we hear the term discretionary spending, what does that mean?
GLECKMAN: So there are about two million civilian federal workers, excluding the military and also excluding postal workers who sort of live in their own world. And discretionary spending is the spending that's not guaranteed every year, so Medicare and Social Security. That's called entitlement spending. About 75% of the federal budget is entitlement. It's those programs that the Congress doesn't have any say in changing spending amounts. The other kinds of programs that are appropriated is what you think of, is the TSA, and it's the IRS, and it's the EPA, the National Parks, and all of those programs that Congress has to appropriate money for every year.
RASCOE: As we heard the senator in the clip, the agencies themselves would have to cut a percentage of workers every year, and the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and the VA are exempted. If all of the other federal agencies cut 1 or 2 or 5% every year, how big a dent would that make in federal spending?
GLECKMAN: So to give you an idea, the federal government spends about $270 billion a year on labor costs. That's for everybody. That's for all of the civilian workers. And it includes the veterans department and the others that they want to exempt. That's about 3% of the total federal budget. So if you wiped out every single federal worker - including those in Social Security, the VA, ain the programs that they don't want to include - you would reduce the federal budget by about 3%. Hardly even notice - loose change in the sofa cushions.
RASCOE: Well, in your view, are there substantive reforms that you think would improve the federal workforce without causing a major disruption to the services that people depend on and expect?
GLECKMAN: Of course. There are federal regulations that are obsolete, that are not up to date with new technology or the way the economy works or the way people live their lives. There certainly are people who work in the federal government who probably don't do very much, but, you know, it wouldn't hurt the government one bit if we downsized a little bit. But you have to do it in a careful way. You can't just say, we're going to cut all the agencies by 5% or 2% or whatever number you pick because you're going to end up hurting services that the government provides.
RASCOE: Well, government bureaucrats, as a population, you know, have been a favorite punching bag for a while. But how far back does criticism of the size and authority of the federal workforce go?
GLECKMAN: I suspect it probably goes back to George Washington. But government has been doing external commissions to try to find ways to make the government run more efficiently since 1905. Over 140 different commissions have been authorized over those years, and most of them don't accomplish much of anything at all. They write a report, and the report goes to Congress, and Congress ignores it. Maybe it'll be different this time. We'll see.
RASCOE: That's Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Thank you so much for speaking with us.
GLECKMAN: Good to talk to you, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/congressional-republicans-want-to-reduce-the-federal-workforce
| 2024-12-16T06:10:25Z
|
Sudoku medium: December 16, 2024
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Sudoku hard: December 16, 2024
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https://theweek.com/puzzles/sudoku-medium-december-16-2024
| 2024-12-16T06:10:26Z
|
NHL
Avalanche vs Canucks Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for December 16
The NHL's Monday schedule includes the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Vancouver Canucks.
Before you place your bet on this game at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NHL moneyline insights you need to know.
Avalanche vs Canucks Game Info
- Colorado Avalanche (18-14) vs. Vancouver Canucks (15-9-5)
- Date: Monday, December 16, 2024
- Time: 10:30 PM ET
- Venue: Rogers Arena -- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Coverage: ESPN+
Avalanche vs Canucks Odds
All NHL odds, betting lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Avalanche vs Canucks Prediction & Pick
All NHL win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Canucks win (51.2%)
Avalanche vs Canucks Puck Line
- The Avalanche are favored by 1.5 goals (+186 to cover). Vancouver, the underdog, is -235.
Avalanche vs Canucks Over/Under
- The Avalanche-Canucks game on December 16 has been given an over/under of 5.5 goals. The over is -140 and the under is +114.
Avalanche vs Canucks Moneyline
- Looking at the moneyline for Avalanche-Canucks, Colorado is the favorite at -134, and Vancouver is +112 playing at home.
|
https://www.fanduel.com/research/avalanche-vs-canucks-prediction-nhl-odds-12-16-2024
| 2024-12-16T06:10:27Z
|
Frankfurt Airport handles 4.6m pax in Nov-2024
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CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/frankfurt-airport-handles-46m-pax-in-nov-2024-1295891
| 2024-12-16T06:10:27Z
|
Fraport reports pax increases at Lima, Fortaleza and Ljubljana airports in Nov-2024
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/fraport-reports-pax-increases-at-lima-fortaleza-and-ljubljana-airports-in-nov-2024-1295740
| 2024-12-16T06:10:28Z
|
Meticulously built by hand, the Australian Nativity Scene returns for its 21st Christmas in Dandenong North.
Its creator Wilson Fernandez has single-handedly toiled for up to 250 hours a year on the Biblical figurines and landscapes, which change every week over the festive season.
He strives for perfect detail in the display, which is regarded as the largest of its type in Australia.
Fernandez started the tradition to vividly depict the birth of Jesus Christ and encapsulate the spirit of Christmas.
“My philosophy is that the blessings and talents one possesses should be shared generously to bring joy and smiles to others.”
Each year, the display has grown to more than 1000 figurines. Opening in early December, the display changes each week to tell the story of Christmas.
The most popular is the Three Wise Men’s visit of the newborn Jesus, which coincides with the lead-up to Christmas Day.
The Australian Nativity Scene is open until Friday 10 January, 10.30am-8pm (strictly by appointments only, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day) at St. Elizabeth Parish Church, 107 Bakers Road, Dandenong North. Free event.
Details: Wilson, 0428 927 110 or the Parish Office, 9795 6217.
|
https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/entertainment/2024-12-16/coming-of-age-for-renowned-christmas-scene/
| 2024-12-16T06:10:28Z
|
Malappuram, December 16: A 36-year-old policeman allegedly took his own life by shooting himself dead in Kerala's Malappuram district, police said on Monday. Vineeth, who had been serving as a Thunderbolt commando in the district and is now a part of the Special Operation Group (SOG), was found dead in the bathroom of the quarters on Sunday. Soldier Shoots Himself Dead in J-K's Rajouri.
Thunderbolt force is engaged in anti-Maoist combing operations. A native of Wayanad district, he was reportedly upset about not getting leave despite repeated requests, but police are yet to confirm this. "He was found dead, shooting at himself. The reason for the extreme step is yet to be ascertained," a police officer said. Police also said that the body was shifted to the nearby government hospital for post-mortem, and inquest procedures were completed.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
|
https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/kerala-policeman-takes-own-life-by-shooting-himself-dead-with-service-gun-in-malappuram-district-6494054.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:29Z
|
Renovated Metra Electric station on 79th Street in Chatham to open on Monday
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new and improved 79th Street station on the Metra Electric line is set to open on Monday.
The station in the Chatham neighborhood has been closed for more than a yar for renovations.
Some of the upgrades include new wheelchair accessible entrances, new lighting, and new signage.
While the 79th Street station will reopen on Monday, the 87th Street station will close so it can get its own makeover. That project is expected to be completed late next year.
The 103rd Street station on the Metra Electric line also has been closed for renovations since last fall, and is expected to reopen next spring.
Work on all three projects was being done as part of a $33.9 million contract.
|
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/renovated-metra-electric-79th-street-chatham-station/
| 2024-12-16T06:10:31Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Fay and Bob Wenrich have lived many lives together. They grew up neighbors in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They got married, had four kids and stayed together more than two decades until their divorce in 1975. This past Sunday, though, Fay and Bob, after 49 years apart, retied the knot.
(SOUNDBITE OF ETTA JAMES SONG, "AT LAST")
FAY WENRICH: He said he didn't want to lose me the first time, and he was - he didn't think he'd ever get me back and now he's going to keep me.
(LAUGHTER)
BOB WENRICH: Yeah.
F WENRICH: He's 94, and I'm 89. But we're having a good time. We're having a lot of fun. And for two old people, I think we're pretty lucky.
RASCOE: It was a love story neither partner saw coming.
F WENRICH: I was married for 42 years to someone else. He was married for 24 years to someone. They both passed, and we've just been bumping into each other at all the functions for the children and grandchildren.
RASCOE: When they both found themselves widowed in the last few years, Fay and Bob found in each other a support system.
B WENRICH: She got very sick, and I was helping to get her back to her health again. So I would take her to places and make sure she was feeling OK.
F WENRICH: He pays a lot of attention to me. That's for sure.
RASCOE: They started playing cards, spending more time together. And in June, Fay and Bob started taking trips to the nearby casino.
F WENRICH: We started going away more with each other. And I told him, I said, we're just friends, and that's the way we're going to keep it. And then we were down at the casino, and he put his hand on my knee. And I said, Robert, I told you, we're going to just be friends. And he said, but you have such a nice knee (laughter). So then we just started doing more stuff together.
B WENRICH: Well, I just thought it was about time, and things were going pretty fast here, so we did decide to get married.
RASCOE: Fay and Bob's youngest daughter, Carol Smith, heard the news from her mom.
CAROL SMITH: She called me at lunch, and she said, I'm not sure I'm going to change my last name, and that was November 11. I said, what are you talking about? Are you getting married? And she said, yeah, I think we are (laughter). And that was that. The wedding got planned in three weeks (laughter).
F WENRICH: We wanted to keep it low-key, but that was out of the question.
RASCOE: So at a local venue last Sunday, the happy couple walked down the aisle, said I do and shared their second first dance.
B WENRICH: Floyd Cramer - the "Last Date" was of the name of the song.
(SOUNDBITE OF FLOYD CRAMER'S "LAST DATE")
B WENRICH: It was very nice and we were doing well, I thought. And then people started to dance along with us.
SMITH: There were 82 people there. We had a photographer. We had a DJ. We had it catered. There were 14 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. So five generations at the wedding, which is just totally awesome.
(SOUNDBITE OF FLOYD CRAMER'S "LAST DATE")
SMITH: I was 15 when they divorced. I never thought I'd be planning their wedding at 64, you know? It's just amazing.
RASCOE: Fay and Bob Wenrich, hoping to prove the second time's the charm.
F WENRICH: I think we need each other now, and I hope we have some good years ahead of us.
(SOUNDBITE OF FLOYD CRAMER'S "LAST DATE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/after-nearly-50-years-apart-a-divorced-couple-comes-back-together-to-try-marriage-again
| 2024-12-16T06:10:31Z
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LAHORE - A wanted man in a financial fraud case was arrested upon his return to the country from Saudi Arabia. The fugitive, Muhammad Asad, had been evading arrest for two years in a dishonored cheque and financial transaction case registered by Faisalabad Police. The police had placed the proclaimed offender’s details on the Passport Control List, contacted Interpol for a Red Notice, and successfully apprehended him at Sialkot Airport upon his return from Saudi Arabia. A police spokesperson confirmed that the total number of fugitives arrested from abroad this year had reached 98.
Rs1m released for medical expenses of police employees
The IG Punjab on Sunday released another Rs1 million to police employees for medical expenses. The police spokesperson said that Constable Syed Muhammad Wahab Arif was given Rs2.5 million for major surgery, while head Constable Naeem Raza Bhatti was given Rs.200,000 for open heart surgery. Similarly, DSP Ijaz Hussain Bukhari was given Rs.100,000 for gallbladder surgery and Ghazi Head Constable Amir Mahmood was given Rs.100,000 for hernia surgery.
Likewise, sanitary worker Asif Nadeem Khan was given Rs.100,000 for leg surgery, while Constable Maqbool Ahmed was given Rs.100,000 for eye surgery, and the widow of Constable Alamdar Hussain (deceased) was given Rs.70,000 for treatment. In addition, Rs.50,000 was released to Sub-Inspector Arham Azan for medical expenses. IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar released the funds after scrutiny by the Welfare Branch.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/fleeing-accused-held-upon-return-from-saudi-arabia
| 2024-12-16T06:10:31Z
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
For weeks now, residents in New Jersey and across the Northeast have looked up to the night sky and seen drones, dozens of car-sized drones flying above critical infrastructure like reservoirs and military bases.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: ...One low looks pretty close, right?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: So I - this one's going to fly over us right now.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You think so?
DETROW: That is footage captured by one New Jersey resident, U.S. Senator Andy Kim, who spent his Thursday night drone hunting with local police in a rural part of the state and posting about it on social media. Naturally, these mysterious drones have raised some questions. Where are they coming from? Who's flying them? Why? Federal officials say they don't have answers to those questions but say they see no evidence so far of a national security threat. Here's Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaking on ABC earlier today.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: There's no question that people are seeing drones, and I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey state police in addressing the drone sightings.
DETROW: So in the era of see-something-say-something, the Feds seem to be assuring the public that there is nothing to see here. Local firefighters do say do not approach any drones that have crashed into the ground.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/drones-in-new-jersey-skies-something-or-nothing
| 2024-12-16T06:10:31Z
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Global Look Press; Pavel Bednyakov/Sputnik
Many of them were severely destroyed after the Nazi occupation. This is what they look like now.
Veliky Novgorod
Alexander Galperin/Sputnik
Rzhev
Tver Region Governor press-center
Oryol
Velikiye Luki
Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik
Pskov
Alexander Smirnov/Sputnik
Novorossiysk
Vyazma
Nikolay Viktorovich (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Smolensk
If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.
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https://www.rbth.com/history/338071-russian-cities-during-world-war-1
| 2024-12-16T06:10:31Z
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Fantasy Football Week 15 Injuries, Breakouts, Snap Rates, and Takeaways
With the fantasy playoffs beginning this week, you're always crossing your fingers, hoping for health so that the best team wins.
Nope.
Instead, we got key injuries at each position, likely impacting plentiful matchups. It's the unfortunate nature of the beast.
What's the fallout of those injuries, and what else should we note from Week 15's action thus far?
Let's dig into all of it, starting with the injuries before delving into role changes, snap rates, usages, and more.
All snap-rate and average depth of target (aDOT) data is via Next-Gen Stats unless noted otherwise. A "deep" target here is more than 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Key Injuries to Track Entering Week 16
Patrick Mahomes
It certainly seemed like Patrick Mahomes could have returned from an ankle injury Sunday had the Kansas City Chiefs not held a two-score lead. But we still need to figure out how we'd view them if Carson Wentz were forced to take the reins.
We haven't seen significant action out of Wentz in a while. His only start since 2022 was with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 last year. In that one, Wentz averaged 0.34 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP, numberFire's EPA metric) per drop back. That's a great mark for his passing efficiency.
But Wentz also decided to go full psychopath, running 17 times for 56 yards and a touchdown. He seemingly figured he had nothing to lose, and it was effective. The Rams won, 21 to 20.
As a result, if you were desperate in a superflex league, Wentz would be a viable option, both due to his environment and the potential for rushing.
We would have to downgrade the pass-catchers significantly, though. They were struggling to put up big numbers with Mahomes, and Wentz is -- obviously -- a sizable downgrade. You'd still start Travis Kelce in all leagues, but everybody else would be a fringe starter at best.
Geno Smith
It looks like we avoided the worst-case scenario for Geno Smith. Head coach Mike Macdonald said after the game that Smith's knee looked structurally okay even though he was unable to return. An absence for Smith would likely torpedo this offense, though.
Smith has been performing a high-wire act all year long, trying to keep the Seattle Seahawks on track despite a struggling offensive line. And Smith was truly battling before the injury, as well. But Sam Howell was much worse in relief, averaging -0.76 Passing NEP per drop back.
For the season, Smith is at 0.07 Passing NEP per drop back. With the Washington Commanders last year, Howell was at -0.07, in large part due to his propensity for taking sacks. This would be a big downgrade to an offense that was already sputtering, making even D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba merely acceptable season-long options.
The one piece you could still trust at least a bit would be Zach Charbonnet if Kenneth Walker III were to sit again. Charbonnet didn't have a huge night but did play 78.6% of the snaps and churn out a long touchdown. They'd likely try to keep things conservative in order to save Howell from himself, and that kind of workload would be enough to make Charbonnet a firm starter at worst.
Alvin Kamara
If you've got Alvin Kamara entering a season-long semifinal, you can breathe a half sign of relief. Kamara is considered day-to-day with a groin injury, according to Nick Underhill of New Orleans Football. There's a good chance he can go in Week 16.
If not, Kendre Miller would likely have a meaty role. The team showed last week they wanted to get Miller some work, and Miller out-snapped Jamaal Williams, 47.1% to 7.8%, on Sunday.
Miller had 9 carries and 1 target, turning them into 46 yards from scrimmage. It's not a good offense, but he's talented and getting a solid workload. That'd be enough to give him a sniff in most formats.
If Kamara does go, though, we'll want to lower expectations, assuming Derek Carr misses another game. Before the injury, Kamara had just 12 rushing yards on 5 carries, and he need a trick-play touchdown to get to 70 yards from scrimmage.
Kamara's production has generally been poor without Carr, so this wasn't a surprise. When you combine it with the desire to get Miller a look, we do need to give alternatives to Kamara increased consideration, even if we don't ultimately bench him.
Nick Chubb
It was great to see Nick Chubb get back on the field after last year's gruesome knee injury. That, though, almost makes it an even bigger bummer that he's now done for the season after breaking his foot.
Jerome Ford stepped up and busted off a huge touchdown, part of a 104-yard-from-scrimmage showing. Ford easily out-snapped Pierre Strong Jr., 58.3% to 10.0%, and Strong didn't log a single carry or target.
Given Ford was splitting work down the middle with Chubb, we should expect him to be the lead back. We'll just have to be a bit cautious here. The Cleveland Browns gave Dorian Thompson-Robinson reps at the end of the game, and if they decide to see what he's got, the entire offense could take a step back.
Ford's role projects well enough for him to be a season-long starter, but we'll want to give him a downgrade if DTR gets an audition.
Jaylen Waddle
Jaylen Waddle remained in uniform the entire game Sunday despite suffering a knee injury. After the game, head coach Mike McDaniel said the Miami Dolphins would learn more about the injury on Monday.
As a result, Jonnu Smith (11), Tyreek Hill (7), De'Von Achane (7), and Malik Washington (6) all had 6-plus targets, though nobody had more than 52 yards. It was Washington who led the way there across five catches.
The team has been trying to get Hill going for a while, so I don't think a Waddle injury would impact Hill's outlook a ton. He'd have a path to a ceiling due to his speed and Tua Tagovailoa's efficiency, but the median expectation would still be lower than what it was for Hill before his wrist injury.
Smith would remain a high-quality tight-end target with both a respectable median and ceiling outcome relative to the position. Both categories would get a boost without Waddle.
As for Washington, he'd primarily be viable for deeper leagues or for DFS if you were stacking the game. He hasn't gotten many deep targets this year, but he did play 61.3% of the snaps in Week 15. That's enough for him to at least be on the radar if they try to see what he can do.
Trey Benson
The Arizona Cardinals have done a good job of managing James Conner's reps this year, resting him when they could. Their ability to do that, though, took a hit Sunday with Trey Benson leaving due to an ankle injury.
With Benson forced out, Conner played 71.9% of the snaps. He had 16 carries and 5 targets with 8 of those opportunities coming in the red zone (out of 12 team chances). Conner was hyper-effective on those looks as he racked up 138 yards from scrimmage, his second best mark this year.
The Cardinals are still alive for the postseason, but they need to keep stacking wins. We should expect Conner's role to remain meaty until that changes or until his backfield mates get healthier.
Zach Ertz
The Washington Commanders were already without Noah Brown entering Sunday. Then they lost Zach Ertz with a concussion, making the pass-catching corps ultra thin.
It led to even more looks for Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin had 10 targets, the only player with more than four. He turned them into 73 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The coaching staff did seem to be scheming up more looks for McLaurin, as well. He ran 20.6% of his routes from the slot and 35.3% of his routes on the right side of the formation, up from marks of 18.1% and 15.1%, respectively, for the season. If Ertz misses time, we should feel even more secure about the floor and the ceiling for McLaurin.
Dyami Brown and Ben Sinnott are the other two deserving of bumps up, even if they're moderate. Brown ran 33 routes on 39 drop backs, turning 4 targets into 30 yards. He'd be purely a desperation dart throw.
Sinnott would be similar. Although he ran 19 routes, he finished with just 1 target for 7 yards. He now has 5 targets across 87 routes for the season. He comes with draft capital, so he's worth monitoring, but that's about as far as I can go right now.
Jaleel McLaughlin
Jaleel McLaughlin was playing well before the Denver Broncos' bye, but a quad injury cut his day short in Week 15.
With McLaughlin sidelined, Javonte Williams out-snapped Audric Estime, 54.1% to 19.7%. This would make Williams the top option in the backfield if McLaughlin misses time.
Still, it'll be tough to trust anybody. The coaching staff has ridden the hot hand all year, and they're giving Marvin Mims some rush attempts, too. You can take swipes when desperate -- you'd rather have a two-player committee than one with three players -- but it's nothing beyond that.
Alec Pierce
In what was already a rough day for the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, they lost Alec Pierce to a concussion, as well.
If Pierce sits, it would open up more looks for Adonai Mitchell. I just don't think it'd make me super itchy to use Mitchell, or Josh Downs or Michael Pittman Jr., for that matter.
Anthony Richardson completed 17 passes on 38 attempts Sunday. That actually tied his second-highest mark of the year and was just the third time he has topped 12. There just aren't many receptions to go around here, and given Pierce was simply a deep-ball merchant, his absence wouldn't change that much.
Tommy DeVito
After getting the starting job back due to a Drew Lock injury, Tommy DeVito went down with a concussion in Week 15. It led to Tim Boyle stepping in his place.
We've seen Boyle-led offenses crumble consistently in the past. If neither Lock nor DeVito can go next week, we'd have to downgrade Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. even more than we already have.
Nabers can still be startable. He had 10 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown with Boyle getting most of the reps Sunday. He's just not anywhere near what his usage says he should be due to a lack of efficiency out of the quarterbacks. And Tracy -- despite a solid role -- is a fringe starter at best, as well.
Fantasy Football Role Changes
Brian Thomas Jr. and Brenton Strange
With Evan Engram done for the season, you could have expected huge usage for Brian Thomas Jr. He got that.
But Brenton Strange got fed, too, potentially giving us two viable Jacksonville Jaguars down the stretch.
Thomas was the story. He turned his 14 targets into 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. In Mac Jones' starts, Thomas has yardage totals of 12, 82, 86, and 105, so his floor is still low. That ceiling helps make up for it, though, making Thomas a starter in all formats.
Strange was in double digits, too, with 11 targets, and he turned his into 73 yards. In games without Engram, Strange's target share is 16.7%, and most of those were played alongside Christian Kirk and Gabriel Davis, who have since gone down to injury. With how deep tight end has been, there's a good chance you've got a better option, but he's at least in play if you're desperate.
Moneyline
Spread
Total Match Points
Breece Hall
It was a bit of a surprise when New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich announced Friday that Breece Hall would play through a knee injury in Week 15.
Clearly, though, he wasn't 100%, and it's hard to expect that to change with the Jets' postseason hopes dust.
Hall played just 48.1% of the snaps on Sunday. That's despite the fact that Braelon Allen missed a chunk of time in the first half due to injury.
Instead, Isaiah Davis stepped into a 38.9% snap rate. Davis has played well when given chances -- and so has Allen, when healthy -- so with Hall banged up, there's really no reason to over-extend him.
It's possible Hall's role goes back up a bit next week. I do, though, think that we should be more receptive to alternatives given Hall's injury and the way the Jets' season has gone.
Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears
Whether it was due to a negative game script or the ankle injury Tony Pollard dealt with during the week and in the game, Tyjae Spears played a bigger role than usual Sunday.
Spears out-snapped Pollard, 55.4% to 44.6%, Spears' highest snap rate of the season. Pollard still had 17 carries, but he finished with no targets while Spears had seven. Spears took advantage, too, with 87 yards receiving and 2 total touchdowns.
Pollard is on a multi-year contract, and they've put a ton on his shoulders this season. They should try to scale him back the final few games. Spears' playing well gives them an excuse to do so, boosting his stock while putting a dent in Pollard's.
Noteworthy Fantasy Football Usage
Davante Adams
As noted above, the Jets' postseason hopes are over. Thus, there was some risk they'd scale back usage of their stars, as they did with Hall.
That very much did not happen with Davante Adams.
Instead, Adams turned 12 targets into 198 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was his second straight time topping 100 yards and the second most yards in a game of his entire career.
Adams now has double-digit targets in each game since the bye, leading the team in each game. You can start him with confidence in season-long, and he's obviously in play for season-long, too.
Garrett Wilson deserves similar treatment. Although he had just 56 yards Sunday, we know he can command a bunch of work, and the Jets are keeping their foot on the gas. Until that's no longer the case, both Adams and Wilson are high-usage players in an offense that's good enough to trust.
Moneyline
Spread
Total Match Points
AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith
Whether it was due to public bickering or some dings and dents to Saquon Barkley, the Philadelphia Eagles finally let it rip on Sunday. And it went exactly how you'd expect.
Both DeVonta Smith (12) and A.J. Brown (11) had double-digit targets. It was the first time all year either of them had exceeded 10 and the first time either hit double digits since Week 3. The rest of the team combined for just six looks.
This is why we discussed still targeting the Eagles in DFS in last week's stock up/stock down piece: if they do throw, you know where it's going. We shouldn't expect them to suddenly become an air raid attack, but they can be on the map for tournaments regardless due to this upside.
Moneyline
Spread
Total Match Points
The Lions' Skill Players
We finally got to see the Detroit Lions in a negative game script Sunday, and it led to huge usage for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs.
St. Brown handled 18 of 54 targets, converting it into 193 yards and a touchdown. Six of those targets were in the red zone with three deep, so they were high-leverage looks, as well.
Whenever we expect pass attempts to increase here, we should boost our view of St. Brown. The same is true for Sam LaPorta, who had a season-high 10 targets. I'd be more inclined to target Jameson Williams in spots where you expect increased efficiency or big-play chances rather than volume.
As for Gibbs, he played a season-high 74.0% of the snaps, his first time playing more than two-thirds. He had 7 targets, which he turned into 83 yards and a touchdown (while adding a touchdown on the ground). The more neutral to negative the script, the more we should expect Gibbs to be the featured back.
The Bills' Pass-Catchers
For the first time since Week 9, the Buffalo Bills had their full complement of pass-catchers on the field with Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid back. It completely jumbled their usage.
Here are the key usage numbers for the main cogs within the passing game.
I got jazzed about Amari Cooper after his 14 total targets last week. His route number was lower than that this week. He's untrustworthy in any format.
To me, Kincaid is the top target within the passing game. Even on limited snaps, he still had multiple deep targets for the fourth time in his past seven games. When you get that at tight end tied to the MVP favorite quarterback, it's a lot to like.
Finally, I'd keep close tabs on Coleman. Even with just two targets Sunday, he still had more receiving yards than anybody but Ty Johnson. Coleman had seven targets in his final two full games before his injury, and Cooper played in both of those. He's the guy with the best odds to eventually supplant Kincaid as my preferred pass-catcher as things stand.
CeeDee Lamb
The Dallas Cowboys scored 27-plus points for the third time in four games Sunday, meaning Cooper Rush is at least moving the ball. He's doing so by force-feeding CeeDee Lamb targets.
Lamb had 13 targets Sunday, his third time with 12-plus across Rush's 6 starts. He turned it into 116 yards, putting him into triple digits for the first time in that span.
We do need to keep that in mind: Lamb hasn't had the efficiency necessary for a huge ceiling. You can get a big game via volume alone, though, and Lamb has that, making his situation as good as it could be with a backup quarterback.
Moneyline
Spread
Total Match Points
The Panthers' Pass-Catchers
Jalen Coker returned from a three-game absence and threw a wrench into the Carolina Panthers' receiver usage.
Coker's six targets were second on the team behind Adam Thielen with seven. But Coker housed a long touchdown, getting him to 110 yards on the day, more than double Thielen. Nobody else had more than 19.
It's hard to tell how much of this was due to a groin injury for Xavier Legette, who ran a route on just 11 of 34 drop backs. Given that both Coker and Thielen ran 29-plus routes, they should be steady even if Legette is more full next time out.
If you decide to target the Panthers' passing game in DFS, Coker would be my top choice as he seems to have a bit more upside than Thielen. Theilen would be the clear No. 2 for me, and nobody else should be in your player pool.
Additional Notes
- Chase Brown had 10 red-zone opportunities Sunday out of 17 total team chances. He got that on a 92.2% snap rate. He continues to have one of the best roles of any running back in the league.
- Isiah Pacheco's snap rate went back down to 37.3% Sunday, but I'm curious if the weather played a role in that. He was in the 60% range prior to the two-minute warning in the first half. The field was messy due to rain, and the score was somewhat in hand. Thus, I don't want to over-react and assume Pacheco's role will remain poor in the coming weeks.
- Last week, it looked like Tank Bigsby had overtaken Travis Etienne as the Jags' lead back. Then Sunday, Etienne played 70.1% of the snaps and turned 14 carries and 5 targets into 85 yards from scrimmage. This is likely to remain a split, and it could be hard to predict who will be the lead guy, making both tough to trust.
- Stone Smartt -- as expected -- had a solid role without Will Dissly on Sunday. Smartt ran 22 routes on 37 drop backs, earning 6 total targets with 2 deep and 1 in the red zone. If Dissly misses another game, Smartt will be on the streaming radar once again.
- Kimani Vidal didn't get much work, but he did play a ton of snaps in a negative game script. Vidal led the Los Angeles Chargers with a 66.7% snap rate in Week 15. We can give him a bump up in spots where the Chargers may have to throw more, and given how much they're struggling to run, that could be most situations in the near future.
- It looks like Jalen McMillan has surpassed Cade Otton as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' No. 2 pass-catcher. McMillan had six targets Sunday, his second straight game finishing ahead of Otton, and he was productive on his looks with 75 yards and a touchdown. McMillan showed flashes earlier in the year, but if his rapport with Baker Mayfield can continue to build, he'll be on the DFS radar when the Bucs are in potential shootouts.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.
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https://www.fanduel.com/research/fantasy-football-week-15-injuries-breakouts-snap-rates-and-takeaways
| 2024-12-16T06:10:33Z
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Frontier Airlines launches two Palm Springs services
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/frontier-airlines-launches-two-palm-springs-services-1295972
| 2024-12-16T06:10:34Z
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New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) JSW Energy on Monday said it has secured multiple renewable energy projects in the commercial and industrial power market, achieving a total locked-in generation capacity of 20 GW.
The company's locked-in renewable energy commercial and industrial (C&I) capacity stood at 3.1 GW, which includes 2,654 MW of JSW group captive capacity and 445 MW of third-party C&I capacity, a JSW Energy statement said.
Currently, the operational C&I capacity of the company stood at 488 MW, it informed.
The company's step-down subsidiaries have executed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with DCM Shriram Ltd and Indus Towers Ltd for the supply of renewable energy.
These strategic partnerships underscore the company's commitment towards sustainable energy solutions.
Subsequent to this, the company's total locked-in generation capacity has increased to 20 GW.
"I am pleased to share that JSW Energy has reached the milestone of being a 20 GW generation platform," Sharad Mahendra, Joint Managing Director and CEO of JSW Energy said.
JSW Energy aims to achieve 10 GW operational capacity by FY 2025 and currently has 7.7 GW of operational capacity spread across thermal, hydro and renewable energy.
The company also has 16.2 GWh of locked-in energy storage capacity through battery energy storage system and hydro pumped storage project.
The company aims to reach 20 GW generation capacity and 40 GWh of energy storage capacity before 2030. JSW Energy has set an ambitious target of achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/latest-news-jsw-energy-achieves-total-locked-in-generation-capacity-of-20-gw-6494187.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:36Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Being a young adult when you're just coming into your own - it's full of excitement and worry.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALONE")
CAT BURNS: (Singing) Coffee trips alone, dinner booked for one. I've never even been on a date. I find it hard to open up.
RASCOE: British singer-songwriter Cat Burns has captured so much of what that time of life is like with her debut album "early twenties."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALONE")
BURNS: (Singing) I don't want to be alone forever...
RASCOE: Relationships, uncertainty about the future, and the challenge of really getting to know yourself, how your brain works - it's all there, and it goes deep. And we wanted to get to know Cat Burns by going deep on one song in particular. She joins us now from London. Welcome to the show.
BURNS: Hello. Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: Let's just jump right into the song, "this is what happens."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) It takes a lot for me to leave my house these days. It seems that I would rather be alone than socialize - oh, my. I haven't left my room in, like, six months. It's my cocoon...
RASCOE: It's about anxiety, which a lot of people suffer from, including myself. How did you come to write the song?
BURNS: I was actually in LA when I wrote it. With a lot of songs, I really like juxtaposition. I like kind of having maybe sad lyrics over quite happy chords.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) So I - I get it in my head...
I think in that moment, I was struggling with being in a different country because I'm such a homebody, and I was feeling super anxious. So then the song kind of just wrote itself. There are definitely loads of periods of time in my life where I can kind of become a little bit of a ghost where I just stay inside and just feel too scared to leave my house. So I kind of wanted to make a song about that, but do it in a fun and lighthearted way because if you don't laugh, you'll cry.
RASCOE: You have to laugh to keep from crying. Sometimes you got laugh to keep from crying.
BURNS: Yeah (laughter).
RASCOE: I mean, the thing about it - like, that juxtaposition of this very upbeat, catchy tune. Is it also that you want people to be able to listen to it without feeling down, like, to bring more people into it?
BURNS: I always encourage people to feel their feelings because I think it's always important to do that, but I also want to encourage people to know that things are only as deep as we make it. The song feels lighthearted because I'm trying to kind of be like, yeah, I feel all these things and I feel anxious a lot/most of the time. But it doesn't have to be any deeper than that. There's only power in what we give things power to.
RASCOE: Let's move on and hear this upbeat chorus about anxiety.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) This is what happens when you're anxious, so damn anxious. I'm so anxious all the time.
RASCOE: Does music help with your anxiety?
BURNS: Absolutely. It's definitely a course of therapy for me.
RASCOE: Do you get anxious about performing?
BURNS: I get slightly nervous right before I'm to go onstage. When I'm onstage, I'm fine. I get more anxious about the socializing after. Yeah, I'm thinking about, oh, gosh, who's going to be in my dressing room when I get back? Who am I going to have to say awkward hellos to? Who am I going to have to, like, smile at that I don't know? I'm overthinking all the interactions after the performance, but when I'm onstage, I'm good.
RASCOE: And I could definitely relate to this last verse as well. It gets really personal.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS")
BURNS: (Singing) My intrusive thoughts consume my mind. I know my brain can be unkind, but...
RASCOE: I know my brain can be unkind. Like, that's such a powerful lyric. And I think a lot of people can relate to - your thoughts can be so mean (laughter), like, not helpful at times, right?
BURNS: Absolutely. And I think I definitely struggled with that a lot growing up and, up until recently, to be honest. Sometimes I feel detached from myself, like a bird's-eye view of myself, and that my thoughts are like a separate entity inside of me being really mean. And you're like, kind of butting heads with it. For the longest time, I just found my brain and my thoughts just being super unkind to me. And I get intrusive thoughts all the time. That's kind of why that lyric came to be.
RASCOE: So you've learned a lot about yourself. In April of last year when you were 23, you tweeted, I've just been diagnosed with ASD, autism spectrum disorder, and my whole life just makes sense. Like, what was it like to get that clarity?
BURNS: It meant everything. Being neurodivergent and only finding out later on, not as a child, you can very much invalidate your experience. And I think with something as specific as autism, until I got the diagnosis, I would just invalidate myself and was at a constant battle with myself, and then getting the actual diagnosis, allowed me to just breathe and go, oh, OK, this makes so much sense. My brain is just wired differently, and now I can put things in place to help myself, but I can give myself grace.
RASCOE: Like a lot of 20-somethings, you're on TikTok, and you use it to promote your music.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIKTOK)
BURNS: I am Black (imitates gunshot). I am a woman (imitates gunshot). I am gay (imitates gunshot). I'm neurodivergent (imitates gunshot). That's a quadruple homicide. Imagine seeing a quadruple homicider in the charts, Top Ten, this week.
RASCOE: Quadruple. And for those that don't know, one of your songs went viral on the app, which is a huge deal. Can you tell us about that moment?
BURNS: So I joined TikTok back in 2020, and I teased one of my songs called "Go."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO")
BURNS: (Vocalizing).
And it got received really well. I released it in July or August of 2020. And it did OK at the time. Like, it got a few million streams. I was happy with that being the start of my career. And then the start of 2022, end of 2021, it just had a resurgence. Then it took on a life of its own and really sped up my career in terms of being a new artist and being seen as an artist.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO")
BURNS: (Singing) Pack up your [expletive] and go.
RASCOE: You use your platform, both on TikTok and in your music, to kind of share your experiences as a Black, queer, neurodivergent woman. What has the reception been like to being so open about your identity?
BURNS: Response has been really great, and people have been really accepting. And I think because I hit quite a few boxes, people from different groups see a bit of themselves in me and they see kind of hope and inspiration in what it is I'm trying to do. I feel lucky that I've been received so well and definitely don't take it for granted. In the U.K., it's just not common.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEOPLE PLEASER")
BURNS: (Singing) But listen, when I see you cry, I can't stand what I feel inside...
RASCOE: You have a song on the album - it's called "people pleaser."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEOPLE PLEASER")
BURNS: (Singing) Guess I'm what they call a people, people, people pleaser.
RASCOE: You're a recovering people pleaser. So what does that mean?
BURNS: I'm a recovering people pleaser is someone who can now put boundaries in place, learning how to stay firm in my no's. I understand being a people pleaser. I'm now, like, no, that's not a behavior that I want to carry on.
RASCOE: It feels like you've learned a lot for your early 20s. How do you expect your mid 20s to treat you?
BURNS: I'm excited. Through sort of therapy and reading and just doing the work on myself, I feel much more centered, and I'm excited to see musically what I have to say about those experiences that I'll have in my life. And I feel safe within myself to know that I can get through everything.
RASCOE: That's Cat Burns. Her debut album, "early twenties," is out now. Thank you for being with us.
BURNS: Thank you so much for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEOPLE PLEASER")
BURNS: (Singing) Guess I'm what they call a people, people, people pleaser. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/cat-burns-on-coming-of-age-and-her-debut-album-early-twenties
| 2024-12-16T06:10:37Z
|
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Seeing a total solar eclipse along its path of totality is a rare, often once-in-a-lifetime event. It only lasts a few minutes, which is enough time to wow and awe observers but not nearly enough time for scientists who study the sun and its outer atmosphere called the corona. A new mission from the European Space Agency wants to solve this problem. Last week, a pair of satellites rocketed into orbit with a simple goal - to create more solar eclipses, ones that last hours instead of minutes. Here to tell us more about this and how it works is Damien Galano. He's the project manager for this mission, called Proba-3. Welcome.
DAMIEN GALANO: Thank you for having me.
DETROW: Let's just start with a question that I think anybody hearing that introduction is asking - how exactly does this work? How do two satellites create solar eclipses?
GALANO: So there are two satellite, and basically, we want to recreate the condition of a total solar eclipse. So the first spacecraft - we call it the Occulter spacecraft and - plays the role of the moon and to block out the light from the sun. And the other spacecraft - that we call the Coronagraph - will have to be positioned precisely in the shadow cast by the Occulter spacecraft at a distance of about 500 feet.
DETROW: So this is creating an eclipse for the second satellite. How much beyond that will this eclipse last and reach? I mean, somebody might be thinking, can I see this from Earth? I assume the answer is no, but I want to ask.
GALANO: No, no. This will be done when the spacecraft are at their maximum altitude at about 40,000 miles. And when they are far from the gravity of the Earth, that is a perturbation for us to be able to control precisely the spacecraft. And they will maintain this formation for about six hours.
DETROW: Six hours - and will this be a one-time experiment or will this be able to be recreated over and over with these two satellites?
GALANO: We expect to be able to recreate it every orbit. So the period of the orbit is 20 hours.
DETROW: Oh, wow.
GALANO: So every orbit, every 20 hours, we expect to be able to have a consecutive six hours of eclipse condition.
DETROW: I love this image of two satellites almost dancing with each other in this aligned orbit. Can you tell us why you want to do this, though? What are you looking for? What does a solar eclipse allow scientists to study?
GALANO: So the solar corona matters because it's intimately linked to the sun, the way the sun - our star - works and all the physics. We know that it's in the corona that originates the solar wind, so the constant flow of charged particles expanding from the sun. So observing the corona help the solar physicist to better model how the sun works and to better understand the activities inside this corona and how it can affect the Earth. That's through what we call the space weather.
DETROW: So the satellites launch, they're in orbit now. When are you expecting the first attempt at creating an eclipse?
GALANO: So we are performing at the moment the commissioning of the spacecraft. So little by little, we are activating the different equipment, the different functions on board. We expect if everything goes well that in March, we should be able to have the two spacecraft aligned to observe for the first time and take the first images of the corona with our system.
DETROW: That's Damien Galano, the project manager for the Proba-3 mission at the European Space Agency. Thanks so much, and good luck.
GALANO: Thank you, Scott. Bye-bye.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/how-satellites-are-helping-scientists-study-the-sun
| 2024-12-16T06:10:37Z
|
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a list of 47 Pakistanis rescued following a tragic boat capsizing near Greece. The incident occurred off the coast of Crete Island, highlighting the perilous journeys undertaken by migrants in search of better opportunities.
The list was compiled based on interviews conducted by the Embassy of Pakistan in Athens and details provided by Greek authorities. The names of those rescued include Umer Farooq, Muhammad Ahmad Shahzad, Mohsan Riaz, Talha, Raja Sajid, Raja Omar Nasir, Mehtab Rafaqat, Amir Habib, Muhammad Safdar, and others.
According to the Foreign Office Spokesperson, initial reports confirm that one Pakistani national is among the deceased.
However, the total number of deceased or missing Pakistani nationals remains unconfirmed. The spokesperson added that the Embassy of Pakistan in Athens is in constant communication with the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Coast Guard of Chania, which are overseeing the search and rescue operation.
Embassy officials have reached Crete to assist the rescued individuals and provide necessary support. Families of those missing can contact the Embassy of Pakistan at +30-6943850188 for further information.
The tragic incident was reported on December 14, when a wooden boat carrying migrants capsized off Gavdos Island in southern Greece, resulting in at least five deaths. This highlights the risks faced by migrants attempting dangerous sea crossings in pursuit of safer lives.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/fo-releases-names-47-pakistanis-rescued-after-tragic-boat-incident-near-greece
| 2024-12-16T06:10:38Z
|
An orange mob of Greater Dandenong SES volunteers was out in force at Dandenong Market.
Usually on call for floods, storms and other disasters, the members were out on Saturday 7 December to meet residents in more serene circumstances.
Deputy controller Monica Ghirxi says the stall was about spreading awareness on SES and what to do in emergencies, particularly among new arrivals.
“The aim was to connect with our community and have a chat,” Ghirxi says.
“We may have also got a couple of recruits. It was so worthwhile.”
Among the vital tips were to secure outdoors items such as toys, garden tools ahead of storms, or to regularly trim trees so they’re not overhanging homes.
Or not to drive into floodwaters – a depth of just 15 centimetres can lead to cars being dangerously stranded.
The unit’s members speak a combined 33 languages – which has helped to connect with Greater Dandenong’s diverse residents.
But many still don’t know the SES exists, Ghirxi says.
Recently receiving a state Multicultural Excellence Award for Emergency Services, the unit has a stated aim of being the most trusted emergency resource in Greater Dandenong.
It has led moves to welcome culturally diverse recruits.
These include installing change rooms for members to change into Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and providing culturally appropriate food at all unit events.
“Close to 40 per cent of our members are female, which is really helpful in Dandenong,” Ghirxi says.
“In certain cultures, females prefer to talk with other females.”
Its volunteers also spread the word, with flood safety brochures translated into 12 different languages, as well as visits to faith centres and schools.
During the 2022 Victorian floods disaster, the unit translated vital emergency response information regarding sandbag collection points into seven languages.
This year, the 45-member unit has been called out to more than 740 requests for help. Nearly half occurred in a 24-hour period – during a major storm in February.
For help during a storm, flood or earthquake emergency, call VICSES on 132 500. In a life-threatening situation, call triple-0.
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https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/entertainment/2024-12-16/market-special-on-oranges/
| 2024-12-16T06:10:36Z
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We're nearing the end of 2024, but one of the biggest video game titles of the year just became available December 9th.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has everything that made the Indiana Jones movies so memorable – whips, slapstick punches and even that cinema stalwart, the Wilhelm scream.
But instead of an 82-year-old Harrison Ford reprising his role yet again, if in just voice and motion capture, Bethesda Studios and MachineGames enlisted another kind of A-lister: legendary video game actor Troy Baker.
And believe it or not, the new game is as classic an Indy adventure as Raiders of the Lost Ark – due in no small part to Baker's uncanny ability to channel the whip-cracking and wise-cracking hero.
"It's not about whether or not I can convince you that I was Indiana Jones," Baker says. "My job is to convince you that you're Indiana Jones."
A cinematic experience
The Great Circle's development team seemed to take a page straight from Indy's journal. Like the adventurer himself, they weren't afraid to take some risks.
Fans were divided after developers revealed the game would forgo the standard adventure-gaming perspective of third-person for first-person. Something that really hadn't been done with an Indy adventure before. And instead of all-out action, they leaned into stealth, puzzles and story.
That's not to say you won't use your fists, or the occasional gun to to fight for your life against Italian fascists, Nazis and other-worldly baddies. All as Baker delivers uncanny Jones one-liners that sound straight from the mouth of Harrison Ford.
But the developers clearly prioritized that narrative tissue that really holds the action set pieces of Spielberg's classic movies together.
There's a reason why it genuinely feels like a lost movie from the original 1980s franchise and not an exercise in cynically recasting a cinematic icon.
"When you think about Raiders or you think about Temple or Last Crusade… it's shot so beautifully and it's so cinematic. It's epic on every level. So, we brought in Kyle Klutz. He was our DP (director of Photography)."
Klutz has worked on high-profile games including the Last of Us with Baker.
"We needed to make this look like Doug Slocombe shot this in 1981," Baker continues. "So we had [cameras] with anamorphic lenses on dollies and jibs. We used a steadicam or an easy rig to give us that kind of camera work. And just as those cameras were capturing my movement in the suit, they were also capturing the movement and the lens data from the camera. I remember asking Axel Torvenius (creative director), 'hey just curious… how much of those cameras did you actually use?' And he said 'all of them.'"
Baker says what you see in the cutscenes and the gameplay are just as real of a cinematic experience as anything you would watch on the big screen.
A fan of Jones and games for life
Don't confuse Baker for some casual Indy fan either. He remembers being mesmerized after leaving the theater as a five-year-old in 1981.
"My takeaway was not that somebody's face could melt if they're in the presence of god, but that there was this guy onscreen that — I've said this a lot and it sounds cheesy, but it's true — who was a superhero who didn't wear a cape," Baker says.
And despite defeating armies of Nazis multiple times, escaping a death cult and finding the Holy Grail, Baker says Indiana Jones just seemed attainable.
"The first time we see him, after cracking the whip, and knocking the pistol out of the guy's hand… the next thing he does after that is he looks at a map. You realize this is someone so obsessed with an adventure, he will not let anyone deter him. So it's someone who I was like 'hey maybe I can be that,'" Baker says.
Even though he's had other big-name gaming roles, like Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite and Joel Miller in the Last of Us series, Baker turned down Indiana Jones when first approached by performance director Tom Keegan. What right did he have to try to fill that fedora?
But the five-year-old kid still in Baker's heart couldn't refuse that call to adventure forever.
"What Harrison did for me in 1981, in that five-year-old kid, is he convinced me that I could be Indiana Jones," Baker says.
So, that's what Baker wanted to do with the game.
He says his voice-acting in the Great Circle isn't cloning Harrison Ford's voice or cadence from Raiders or Temple of Doom, though he says he watched those films almost every morning to prepare and keep him in the headspace during development.
No, this is an entirely new adventure, with Indy saying things in this game that he may not have ever said before. He's seeing new things. Meeting new people. It had to be Indiana Jones, not Harrison Ford.
There are qualities innate to Jones, Baker says, that are found across his roles and across all of adventure gaming.
"All of us are looking for adventure and I think that is because we're all looking for purpose," Baker says. "We're trying to figure out 'what is it that I'm doing here?' And within that is the very foundation of this life — [a] desire to the point of obsession to not only seek out the wonders of the world, but also secure them and preserve them and make sure that they are available to other people like him."
Still, no matter how many iconic roles Baker plays – and it's no stretch to call him one of the most prolific in the business – he doesn't lose sight of why games like the Great Circle can be so important to people.
"Growing up as a kid, we had no money, I had no athleticism. But to me it was like I could disappear for a few hours into a world where the impossible was possible and if I could press B and A fast enough, I could get through anything," Baker says.
The Indiana Jones inheritance
Baker became a father in 2018 and he says he's never looked at games or stories the same since. That sense of escapism, that joy of wonder and lust for adventure – they're all things Baker really wants to pass along to his audience. And to his most important audience member?
"I think about the inheritance that I'm offering my son on a daily basis, and that extends beyond just [the] financial," Baker says. "What patterns [might I] be bequeathing him? As far as the kind of person that he should be in this world, I do want him to be an adventurous person. I do want him to love mystery and wonder and see the amazing things [in] this world… I mean his name is Traveller."
But Baker says there's more to Indiana Jones than just adventure. You have to doggedly go after the treasures of this world without ever losing what makes you, you.
"The thing I'm imparting onto him hopefully is to hear the call of adventure and to answer it and to find the mystery and the wonder, but in the pursuit of all those things, never, ever, ever lose your heart," Baker says.
Baker jokes that maybe he saw Indiana Jones for the first time at too young an age. And, well, there is the whole face-melting thing.
But his son is right around the same age now and Baker promises he'll let Traveller lead the way on his own discovery of this iconic franchise. Whenever it happens.
A franchise that Baker himself has now given voice to.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now for Xbox and PC. A PS5 edition is expected next year.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/indiana-jones-and-the-voice-of-troy-baker
| 2024-12-16T06:10:39Z
|
GE Aerospace forecasts 'low double digits' growth for Commercial Engines & Services in 2025
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|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/ge-aerospace-forecasts-low-double-digits-growth-for-commercial-engines--services-in-2025-1296032
| 2024-12-16T06:10:40Z
|
New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) Sterlite Power on Monday said it has raised Rs 725 crore in a primary fundraising round from GEF Capital Partners and ENAM Holdings.
As part of Sterlite Power's demerger exercise, the Global Products and Solutions (GPS) business was hived out as an independent company in October 2024, a company statement said.
This is the first fundraise for the products and solutions business since its inception, it stated.
The funds will be used for the ongoing capex expansion and drive strategic growth initiatives by enhancing production capabilities, accelerating new product development, and expanding presence across key international markets, it informed.
The GPS business has sustained its growth trajectory, securing orders worth Rs 2,715 crores in H1 FY25.
As of November end, the open order book of the GPS business stood at Rs 6,700 crore.
This underscores Sterlite Power's robust market position in both domestic and international market segments.
Pratik Agarwal, Managing Director, Sterlite Power Transmission, said, "Securing this funding marks a significant milestone for Sterlite Power's GPS business..."
On the investment in Sterlite Power, Alipt Sharma, Partner at GEF Capital Partners LLC, said in the statement, "We are excited to partner with Sterlite Power and support their portfolio of efficient and reliable products that will catalyse efficiency in power transmission.”
Sterlite Power Transmission (SPTL) has formally demerged into two companies.
The demerged company viz., SPTL will now house the power capital goods business comprising cables, conductors, and specialised services.
The resulting entity Sterlite Grid 5 Ltd (SGL5) will house the transmission concessions business.
Each shareholder of SPTL has received shares of SGL5 in the ratio of 1:1.
This pivotal decision marks a significant milestone for our organisation as we position ourselves for focused growth across two distinct business verticals.
Sterlite Power over the last three decades, has been delivering modern and dependable power transmission solutions globally.
The company offers a wide range of solutions in the conductors and cables segment.
The product portfolio has a comprehensive range of products and services such as High-Performance Conductors, Optical Ground Wire and HV/EHV Power Cables.
These products are designed to meet the evolving demands of the power sector, facilitating the integration of renewable energy ecosystems, enhancing grid resilience, and reducing overall transmission losses.
Additionally, Sterlite Power provides specialised Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services that focus on expanding existing transmission capacity through uprate and upgrade by leveraging its expertise in complex product execution to deliver efficient, high quality infrastructure solutions.
Sterlite Power offers specialised Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services aimed at expanding transmission capacity through uprating and upgrading existing infrastructure. Leveraging its expertise in complex project execution, the company delivers efficient, high-quality infrastructure solutions. Axis Capital was the exclusive financial advisor for this transaction and Khaitan & Co. acted as the legal counsel.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/latest-news-sterlite-power-raises-rs-725-cr-from-gef-capital-enam-holdings-6494231.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:42Z
|
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
We want to turn back now to the conversation of holiday movies. It is a thing here on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and a lot of our staff have strong feelings and opinions about them. But one of our producers, Elena Burnett, might top them all. She has some pretty serious rules about what to watch and when.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
ELENA BURNETT, BYLINE: So the most sacred - on the 24th, Christmas Eve, we watch "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" - the Chuck Jones version, not the Jim Carrey version.
..."Charlie Brown Christmas" - you know, earlier in the season, it's more laid back. We go through "Elf," "Nativity"...
...Claymation Christmas - "Scrooge," "It's A Wonderful Life."
...Some of the more special ones, "A Christmas Story"...
DETROW: So it was very clear we had to continue this conversation in studio. Elena, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
BURNETT: Thank you. Bring it on.
DETROW: So we are here to argue about "The Polar Express," which we will do. But before we get to "The Polar Express," walk me through why it is so important to you and your family to watch specific movies on specific dates in a specific order.
BURNETT: I think it's something that kind of just evolved because for me and our - and my family, Christmas movies are so atmospheric. And so for the really - the ones that feel really Christmasy (ph), we got to wait. We got to wait 'cause otherwise it feels like you're starting the season too early.
DETROW: And before we continue, I do have to point out you're wearing reindeer antlers we talk.
BURNETT: Yeah.
DETROW: Yeah.
BURNETT: Yeah. This is my season. This is - I take this seriously.
DETROW: So "The Polar Express," why do you like it? - because I think it is very likely I am watching "The Polar Express" tonight with my family, but I have a lot of problems with it.
BURNETT: You're definitely in the majority. I've definitely, I think, spent more hours of my life defending "The Polar Express" than I have watching it. I feel sad for y'all. For me, it's a beautiful story about growing up.
DETROW: This really puts me on the offensive to dispute that. OK, so here's what I would say. I would say the book by Chris Van Allsburg, it's a beautiful book, one of my favorite books.
BURNETT: Same.
DETROW: The pictures come to life in this dark and mysterious way, and you could feel the three dimensions. You could feel the backstories of the characters, right? So that's that. And then you watch this movie, and it's early Pixaresque (ph) CGI that just doesn't quite click.
BURNETT: So I would say it's motion capture. It came out in 2004, when I think a bunch of studios were trying to do different things. And I will say, I'm not saying the animation's perfect, but I also think they had a hard task in front of them because you have this gorgeous book that I love very much, and they wanted to capture the themes of that. And it's very flat illustrations, and so what happens when you bring flat illustrations to life? It's going to feel a little uncanny valley.
DETROW: Yeah.
BURNETT: I know that's the phrase a lot of people use.
DETROW: In that it's not quite realistic and you know it.
BURNETT: Exactly. Exactly. But I genuinely think the colors and the snow that falls and the way that the steam goes into the cold air and the warmth of the lights from the North Pole, it's so cozy. And that's what settles me into that Christmas feeling.
DETROW: I do think the best part of the movie is when they're at the North Pole, and there's that early 20th century industrial feeling of it all. Like, I do really love that. Are there other favorite parts in the movie for you?
BURNETT: So I - my favorite scene happens at the North Pole, and here's where we're going to go into the weeds. The main character, who's literally in the credits as Hero Boy - that's canon. Hero Boy really wants to believe. You know, he's looking in encyclopedias, trying to figure out if life can exist at the North Pole. He's being skeptical of everything, but he gets on the train. He's hesitant, but he's curious.
And so my favorite scene is everybody is in the - you know, all the elves, all the kids are in the center of the North Pole. The tree's there. And the whole thing with the movie, if you haven't seen it, is Hero Boy cannot hear the bells of Santa's sleigh, and that represents his doubt. And there's - and they bring out these reins with the bells on them. They put them on the reindeer. He can't hear them. Santa shows up. He can't see Santa. And the scene goes all slow motion, and a bell flies off of the reins. And it thunks (ph) on the frozen ground in front of Hero Boy, and he picks it up in his hands. And he says three times...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE POLAR EXPRESS")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As Hero Boy) I believe. I believe?
BURNETT: And the second time's a question, and that's important. And then he whispers, I believe. And he rings the bell, and he can hear it.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL RINGING)
BURNETT: And for me, that's what he asked Santa for as the first gift of Christmas. And it's not something material. It's a guide post that he's taking with him to be able to hold that belief as he goes on throughout his life. He loses in on the seat of the sleigh, but it doesn't matter. He still has found within himself whatever he needs to be moving on into this scary adult world. And that's why the bell comes back to him at the end. Even though he doesn't need it, it's always going to be there for those who truly believe.
(SOUNDBITE OF GEEK MUSIC'S "THE POLAR EXPRESS (MAIN THEME)")
DETROW: I will let that be the last word.
(LAUGHTER)
DETROW: That is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED producer Elena Burnett, Christmas season zealot, I feel like...
BURNETT: Sure. Sure.
DETROW: ...And defender of "The Polar Express." Thank you.
BURNETT: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF GEEK MUSIC'S "THE POLAR EXPRESS (MAIN THEME)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/christmas-movies-the-case-for-the-polar-express
| 2024-12-16T06:10:43Z
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LAHORE - Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) has released a schedule for the supply of gas to domestic consumers for the winter season on Sunday. According to the schedule issued by SNGPL, domestic consumers will be supplied with gas at three different times in 24 hours. According to the schedule, domestic consumers will be supplied with gas from 6 am to 9 am, 12 pm to 2 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm. Officials say that the aim of this move is to facilitate domestic consumers in their daily work, especially cooking.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/gas-supply-schedule-for-domestic-consumers
| 2024-12-16T06:10:44Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
With the second Trump administration set to begin in a few weeks, international college students are facing a difficult decision. Should they return home for winter break? And if they do, should they fly back to the United States before the inauguration? New England Public Media's Jill Kaufman explains.
JILL KAUFMAN: College students are wrapping up their finals, and many are getting ready to leave campus for winter vacation. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, that's a nearly six-week break.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I'm going back home.
KAUFMAN: Home is China for this second-year PhD student. She asked us not to use her name. She feared it could jeopardize her student visa. She's not dismissing the advice from UMass, which, like other colleges, is recommending international students return to the U.S. by January 20. But she's not following the advice, either, just hoping for the best, she says, and she's returning after the inauguration.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I want to stay in China as long as I can.
KAUFMAN: It's a 17-hour flight, and it's expensive, she says, to change her ticket. But a lot of her friends rescheduled to return to campus early. Just the possibility of travel restriction is creating a deja vu moment for Musbah Shaheen, who is now a professor at UMass Amherst.
MUSBAH SHAHEEN: The feelings of don't leave, don't move, don't do anything, just stay put.
KAUFMAN: Sixteen-hundred international undergraduate students and almost 4,000 graduate students are at UMass Amherst. Like at other colleges in the U.S., many are in the STEM fields of study. Shaheen is from Syria. He was a senior at Vanderbilt University in the year Trump was first elected. In 2017, when President Trump took office, he signed an executive order restricting travel to the U.S. from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Syria.
SHAHEEN: It made it essentially impossible for me to leave after my degree because I knew I couldn't come back for the master's.
KAUFMAN: Shaheen got that master's and a doctorate. Now he says he's watching international students struggle with their decision to stay in the U.S. over break.
SHAHEEN: You're not just away. You're oceans away from what you know, and you're homesick, and you were looking forward to going back for a break time, and that is not going to happen.
KAUFMAN: More than a million international students and scholars are studying and doing research in the U.S. More than half are from China or India. Immigration attorney Dan Berger, who has been working with American universities for decades, says school administrators and students just don't know what's going to happen.
DAN BERGER: We recommend buying travel insurance, not making nonrefundable deposits for travel, because there is uncertainty about what will happen next year and what the details will be.
KAUFMAN: And, Berger says, he's trying to help universities understand that students need more flexibility from campus housing to the timing of their enrollment.
BERGER: If I'm an international student, I would like the school to be as flexible as possible with understanding that I may not be able to go at the last minute if the immigration situation is not good.
KAUFMAN: Under the Biden administration, Berger says some students are already facing delays coming into the U.S. He's seen this for people coming from Russia, China and Iran. In an email, U.S. Customs and Border Protection didn't confirm or refute Berger's observations. A spokesperson said, all international travelers attempting to enter the United States are subject to examination.
In the first Trump administration, Berger says no one saw the travel restrictions coming. International students and scholars with visas just had to wait it out. This time around, he says, they have to be ready for anything. If another ban happens, UMass Amherst Professor Musbah Shaheen says students will have to think hard about whether to leave for summer break. Will they be able to return for their next year? For NPR News, I'm Jill Kaufman in Amherst, Massachusetts.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/international-students-stay-in-the-u-s-for-the-holidays-fearing-their-visa-status-under-trump
| 2024-12-16T06:10:45Z
|
GMF AeroAsia selected as MRO partner for Pelita Air Service A320
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Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/gmf-aeroasia-selected-as-mro-partner-for-pelita-air-service-a320-1296069
| 2024-12-16T06:10:47Z
|
A Total Fire Ban (TFB) has been declared for the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, South West, Central and West and South Gippsland districts today, Monday 16 December.
A Total Fire Ban means no fires can be lit, or be allowed to remain alight, in the open air from 12:01am until 11:59pm.
Hot, dry and windy conditions across the state has also triggered an Extreme Fire Danger Rating for the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, South West, and Central districts today.
“Total Fire Bans are declared to reduce the risk of fires starting and spreading in dangerous weather conditions,” Country Fire Authority Chief Officer, Jason Heffernan said.
“With strong winds and the potential for fire spotting up to 2-3km ahead of the main fire front, any fire that starts could spread rapidly and threaten homes, communities and lives.
“If you live in a fire-prone area, now is the time to review your fire plan and make sure you are prepared to leave early if needed. Don’t wait until it’s too late to act.”
Maximum temperatures are expected to reach between 42 to 47 degrees in the north of the state, and 33 to 42 degrees in the south.
On an Extreme Fire Danger day, fires will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous. Understand your local risks and know what to do if a fire starts. Don’t wait for an official warning before you leave – emergencies can start quickly and threaten lives and homes within minutes.
Anyone who has lit a campfire in a park or forest in recent days should make sure it is completely extinguished. Use water, not soil, to put out your fire. If it is cool to touch, it’s safe to leave.
Victorians are reminded that machinery can start grassfires. Where harvesting can be put on hold, it is encouraged to restrict harvesting activities during increased fire danger weather.
To keep you and your family safe during hot weather, be sure to drink plenty of water, keep cool using a fan, air conditioner or cold shower, wear light and loose clothing and cancel or reschedule activities for a cooler time of the day. It’s also important to check in with family, friends and neighbours.
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https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/news/2024-12-16/extreme-fire-danger-and-total-fire-bans-declared-for-most-of-victoria/
| 2024-12-16T06:10:45Z
|
GO STP Caribe to provide airport ground transportation services at Tulum Airport
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/go-stp-caribe-to-provide-airport-ground-transportation-services-at-tulum-airport-1295949
| 2024-12-16T06:10:49Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
We don't want to alarm you coffee drinkers on this fine morning, but the price of coffee on the futures market broke a nearly 50-year record last week. Of course, there's a lot of concern for what this means for the prices we'll see at coffee shops and supermarkets. So we invited NPR's Alina Selyukh here to explain what's going on. Welcome.
ALINA SELYUKH, BYLINE: Hello, hello. Can you guess what I brought?
RASCOE: Did you bring some coffee to keep you going?
(SOUNDBITE OF COFFEE POURING)
SELYUKH: Brought my latte.
RASCOE: (Laughter) OK. You brought your latte. What is happening with coffee prices?
SELYUKH: Coffee prices have soared, and it all started with problems with harvests, first in Vietnam and then in Brazil. These are the two top growers of the most common types of coffee beans. And the culprit was abnormal weather, which many in the industry attribute to climate change. I talked to some longtime importers of green coffee. That's raw beans. One of them is John Cossette from Royal Coffee in California.
And he says, first, you had Vietnam with a serious drought followed by heavier rains than usual, and that drove up prices for the bean that grows there and already had people scrambling to switch to the bean that grows in Brazil. And then Brazil had one of the worst droughts on record. Here's Cossette.
JOHN COSSETTE: Once they started harvesting the coffee - it's kind of nice to have dry weather when you're harvesting, but as soon as it's done, you want it to start raining, you know, because soil will moisture up and initiate flowering. And it just didn't happen. It really freaked people out.
SELYUKH: Eventually, it did rain, but farmers later said a lot of the damage was irreversible. And so the price of the most common coffee - that's called arabica - jumped 70% this year. The price of the other type of coffee, called robusta, at one point doubled in price. Both cost more than they ever did.
RASCOE: Arabica and robusta - how different are these?
SELYUKH: Yeah. So they have different flavor based on where they grow. What I have here in my cup is arabica. It is the most common. Brazil is the biggest grower, and this coffee grows at higher altitudes. It has a softer, sweeter taste, and that's what you find often in your roast coffee, your ground coffee. Robusta grows at lower elevation. Vietnam is the biggest grower, and this bean has a harsher, more bitter taste. It's used a lot for instant coffee.
RASCOE: OK. I think my mom drinks something like that. But back to the prices.
SELYUKH: OK.
RASCOE: Was it just the irreversible damage to harvests that drove up the cost?
SELYUKH: You know, coffee markets are complicated, like all commodities. Many of the traders actually need the physical coffee, the bags of beans, but many traders are just financial speculators. They're trying to game the price change, you know, buy cheaper, sell higher. And everyone bets on how much they think beans will cost in the future. And so when people think those beans won't grow or there won't be enough, those who need those beans scramble, speculators go nuts and it all only spirals the price further, which is what's happened. And it doesn't help that this week, one of the world's biggest coffee traders made a forecast that arabica, coffee like I have here, could see supply decline by nearly a quarter in the next cycle.
RASCOE: We've been talking about record prices on the futures market, but I don't buy coffee at the futures market, right? You buy it at the grocery store or at Starbucks. So how is this going to translate?
SELYUKH: So I'm sorry to say those prices have already been rising. If you shop at the supermarket - brands like Nescafe, Maxwell House, Folgers, Dunkin' - they've all had waves of price increases. They've cited higher cost of the green raw coffee. At your local coffee shop, it really depends, depends on how they source their products, but yes, likely they're feeling the pressure to raise prices, and they're just trying to assess how to do that without scaring away shoppers.
But fact of the matter is, as a world, we are drinking more and more and more coffee. So demand has not waned so far. People so far have been willing to pay those higher prices for their coffee habit. The markets will probably eventually calm down. Importers I talked to pointed out, historically, adjusted for inflation, we've actually been paying pretty low prices for a pound of coffee. So maybe it's the days of cheap coffee that are over.
RASCOE: That's probably bad news (laughter) for coffee drinkers, but we got to give it to you straight. No cream and sugar here. That's NPR's Alina Selyukh. Thank you so much.
SELYUKH: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/coffee-prices-havent-been-this-high-in-47-years
| 2024-12-16T06:10:49Z
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Mumbai, December 16: Shiv Sena MLA Narendra Bhondekar has resigned from all party posts while expressing disappointment at not being included in the Maharashtra cabinet. Speaking to reporters in Bhandara on Sunday, Bhondekar, who was the Shiv Sena's deputy leader and co-ordinator for eastern Vidarbha districts, claimed his party head and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had promised him a cabinet berth.
Bhondekar said he aspired to secure a cabinet berth to become the guardian minister of Bhandara district and work for its development. He won from the Bhandara constituency by defeating his Congress rival by more than 38,000 votes in the November 20 state polls. A total of 39 legislators from Mahayuti allies were sworn in on Sunday in the first cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led ministry including 16 new faces, while 10 former ministers were excluded. Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: 12 Ministers From Former Eknath Shinde-Led Cabinet Dropped; 25 New Faces Get Ministerial Berths.
While the BJP secured 19 ministerial berths by virtue of being the largest party among allies, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were allotted 11 and 9 berths, respectively. Bhondekar said, "I joined the Shiv Sena on the condition that I would be given a cabinet berth. Shinde had even promised me the same. When Shinde became chief minister in the previous government, I was an independent MLA and extended support to him."
The Sena leader claimed his name was also considered for a ministerial position during the last cabinet expansion (of the previous Mahayuti government). "When I reviewed the cabinet list and realised I was omitted, I decided to step down from all positions in the party," he said. Bhondekar said he intended to secure a cabinet post to become the guardian minister of Bhandara district, but he will now serve as an ordinary party worker. Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: 39 Leaders Take Oath As Ministers in Devendra Fadnavis-Led MahaYuti Government.
Bhandara district consistently had an outsider as the guardian minister for several years. Such a practice has hindered the resolution of issues affecting the district, he claimed. "I no longer have the mindset to hold any official position. I have submitted my resignation to my party leaders and await their response," Bhondekar said.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/narendra-bhondeka-resign-overlooked-for-cabinet-berth-shiv-sena-mla-quits-eknath-shinde-led-party-posts-6493993.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:49Z
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LAHORE - The Punjab government has introduced an innovative program, the Ed-Tech School Initiative, which aims to provide quality education to underprivileged children in urban and rural areas of Punjab. More than 300 Ed-Tech schools will be established under this revolutionary model. The program is designed to create opportunities for students and improve the overall education system.
This step is part of the Punjab government’s effort to ensure that every child has access to education and modern teaching methods, fostering a brighter future for the next generation. Educational institutions interested in participating in this program are eligible to apply. Schools that meet the following criteria are encouraged to submit their applications. Sources in the Punjab Education Department told APP that the Ed-Tech program by the Punjab government is a groundbreaking project aimed at improving education standards by introducing digital learning tools to over 300 schools. Educational institutions with relevant experience can apply online by 30th December 2024, while the selected institutions will be notified by 7th January 2025. This initiative will ensure that children from underserved communities have access to quality education.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/govt-to-establish-300-ed-tech-model-schools-in-katchi-abadis
| 2024-12-16T06:10:51Z
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Some things are easier to learn when you're a kid, like an instrument or a sport. NPR's Avery Keatley visited a gymnastics class outside of Washington, D.C., to find out why it's important to keep learning new things, no matter your age.
AVERY KEATLEY, BYLINE: On a dark, rainy Tuesday night, the Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center in Arlington, Virginia, is brightly lit and absolutely buzzing. The gymnastics floor is mobbed with kids wearing bright leotards, taking turns on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor. It is loud as the kids tumble across the floor and parents wait in the bleachers overlooking the gymnasium. But as the kids' classes begin winding down, a different group files in.
GAELEN WOOD: (Inaudible) forward rolls, so arms up.
ERIN WEISENBERGER: This is the worst one because it really hurts your head. When I was a kid, this didn't hurt, but it really gives me a headache doing it. I don't know why.
KEATLEY: That's 32-year-old Erin Weisenberger. She's warming up doing somersaults across the gymnastics floor along with the rest of her class. It's a group of nearly all women ranging in age from their late 20s to their early 40s, and they're all here trying something a little different.
WOOD: So we're going to learn something new today.
KEATLEY: They're part of an adult beginner gymnastics class. It's a bit of a rarity in the gymnastics world, where most classes are geared towards kids and teens.
WOOD: And if you're lefty, you're going to jump, land on your right foot, extend your left foot into your lunge.
KEATLEY: That's Coach Gaelen Wood. Tonight, they're learning how to power hurdle. It's a move that helps generate momentum for tumbling, and the footwork is a little complicated.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: So think about jumping off of two feet and just land on your right foot.
WEISENBERGER: Just land on my right foot. Just land on my right foot.
(LAUGHTER)
KEATLEY: While Erin tries to master the power hurdle, classmate Shateela Winters has a simpler goal in mind.
SHATEELA WINTERS: So my goal is to not injure myself. I have a bad back amongst other things. But if I could pick the dream thing that I had learned to do, if I could just do one back handspring, I'd be incredibly happy.
WOOD: Awesome.
KEATLEY: After warming up on the floor, the class files over to a trampoline that stretches almost halfway across the gym.
WOOD: All right, we're going to straddle jumps. So remember, either straddle jumps can go out to the side or straddle jumps can come up in front of you, OK?
KEATLEY: Gymnastics program supervisor Alex Asante-Dean says that for adult beginners, breaking out of their normal patterns of movement, like jumping really high in the air on a trampoline, can be uncomfortable.
ALEX ASANTE-DEAN: When we start, some of the things are really jarring 'cause you're moving your body in ways that hasn't been done before.
KEATLEY: And it's not just physical movements.
ASANTE-DEAN: When we get older and we have, you know, routines that we're used to, gets hard to break those habits.
KEATLEY: That's an observation backed up by research.
RACHEL WU: Adults might have a more fixed mindset in terms of thinking, if I'm not good at something now, I'm never going to be good at it.
KEATLEY: Rachel Wu is an associate professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside. She studies the way children learn and how those patterns might help adults learn too. She says that in some ways, learning is easier as an adult. Adults generally grasp concepts more quickly. They're less distracted, and they have better motor control than kids. But learning as an adult requires time, money and quality teachers, which can all be harder to find. She also says adults are often convinced they simply lack a talent for something.
WU: I've never been good at languages, or I've never been good at art, or I don't have a musical ear or something like that - that kind of, like, very fixed mindset. So you're either born with some talent or you're not.
KEATLEY: But continuing to learn as an adult has serious brain benefits.
WU: You will increase a lot of different types of cognitive abilities - your attention, memory. You have existing neurons that can be strengthened and existing pathways between neurons that can be strengthened as well.
KEATLEY: She says physical activities can be especially helpful in growing new neurons, which help the brain remain healthy and flexible later in life. Community can also play a big role in supporting adult learning.
WU: Learning new stuff is really hard, and if you're doing it with other people, it may be less depressing (laughter) in some ways because those people can help hold you accountable. You can see through how other people are struggling that you're not the only one struggling.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: There you go. Yes. Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull. Good.
KEATLEY: Back in the gym, the class is practicing on the uneven bars.
WEISENBERGER: The Olympians make it look so smooth and so easy and just like a walk in the park. But it is not (laughter).
KEATLEY: Erin Weisenberger says that even though class is challenging, she gets a lot out of it.
WEISENBERGER: Just proud of myself for trying something that I thought I would be really bad at.
KEATLEY: Coach Gaelen Wood says that for him, seeing adult students achieve something new is one of the best parts of the class.
WOOD: I love when people are nervous of something, and they finally take that step forward, and they're like, I can do this.
KEATLEY: As class winds down, one of those moments unfolds as Erin successfully pulls herself all the way over the uneven bar for the first time.
WEISENBERGER: I did it.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: There you go. Yay.
KEATLEY: Avery Keatley, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/learning-as-an-adult-can-be-hard-its-even-harder-on-a-balance-beam
| 2024-12-16T06:10:52Z
|
Gold Coast Airport opens new saver car park facility
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/gold-coast-airport-opens-new-saver-car-park-facility-1296000
| 2024-12-16T06:10:55Z
|
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Congressional Republicans want to cut the number of federal workers and have legislation to do just that.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARSHA BLACKBURN: What this does is require these agencies in our discretionary spending to right-size themselves every year.
RASCOE: That's Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn on Fox News. On Wednesday, she and New York Representative Claudia Tenney introduced the bills, which would also freeze pay, relocate some agencies away from Washington, create a performance-based pay structure and cut back on telework.
Howard Gleckman researches tax and budgets as a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, and he joins us now. Welcome to the program.
HOWARD GLECKMAN: Thank you, Ayesha. Good to be with you.
RASCOE: So let's start with the basics. How big is the federal workforce? And when we hear the term discretionary spending, what does that mean?
GLECKMAN: So there are about two million civilian federal workers, excluding the military and also excluding postal workers who sort of live in their own world. And discretionary spending is the spending that's not guaranteed every year, so Medicare and Social Security. That's called entitlement spending. About 75% of the federal budget is entitlement. It's those programs that the Congress doesn't have any say in changing spending amounts. The other kinds of programs that are appropriated is what you think of, is the TSA, and it's the IRS, and it's the EPA, the National Parks, and all of those programs that Congress has to appropriate money for every year.
RASCOE: As we heard the senator in the clip, the agencies themselves would have to cut a percentage of workers every year, and the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and the VA are exempted. If all of the other federal agencies cut 1 or 2 or 5% every year, how big a dent would that make in federal spending?
GLECKMAN: So to give you an idea, the federal government spends about $270 billion a year on labor costs. That's for everybody. That's for all of the civilian workers. And it includes the veterans department and the others that they want to exempt. That's about 3% of the total federal budget. So if you wiped out every single federal worker - including those in Social Security, the VA, ain the programs that they don't want to include - you would reduce the federal budget by about 3%. Hardly even notice - loose change in the sofa cushions.
RASCOE: Well, in your view, are there substantive reforms that you think would improve the federal workforce without causing a major disruption to the services that people depend on and expect?
GLECKMAN: Of course. There are federal regulations that are obsolete, that are not up to date with new technology or the way the economy works or the way people live their lives. There certainly are people who work in the federal government who probably don't do very much, but, you know, it wouldn't hurt the government one bit if we downsized a little bit. But you have to do it in a careful way. You can't just say, we're going to cut all the agencies by 5% or 2% or whatever number you pick because you're going to end up hurting services that the government provides.
RASCOE: Well, government bureaucrats, as a population, you know, have been a favorite punching bag for a while. But how far back does criticism of the size and authority of the federal workforce go?
GLECKMAN: I suspect it probably goes back to George Washington. But government has been doing external commissions to try to find ways to make the government run more efficiently since 1905. Over 140 different commissions have been authorized over those years, and most of them don't accomplish much of anything at all. They write a report, and the report goes to Congress, and Congress ignores it. Maybe it'll be different this time. We'll see.
RASCOE: That's Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. Thank you so much for speaking with us.
GLECKMAN: Good to talk to you, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/congressional-republicans-want-to-reduce-the-federal-workforce
| 2024-12-16T06:10:55Z
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by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Thirty years ago, despite plenty of opposition, City of Greater Dandenong was “tumultuously” forced into being.
The former Dandenong and Springvale municipalities merged on 15 December 1994, as part of sweeping council amalgamations under the Kennett State Government.
One of the controversies was the new city’s name, initially said to be City of Heatherton.
A group of Dandenong councillors including Frank Holohan and mayor David Kelly resisted the State Government’s preference, and successfully lobbied for Greater Dandenong as the moniker.
“They twisted their arm, saying that Dandenong is where everything including Springvale and Berwick sprang from,” former Dandenong and Greater Dandenong councillor John Kelly says.
“(The Premier Jeff) Kennett was quick to change it to Greater Dandenong – it was a win for Dave and Frank.”
The outcome didn’t please the larger Springvale Council. With 94,000 residents, it was symbolically made the ‘second fiddle’ to the 60,000-strong Dandenong Council.
“Our city became a suburb overnight,” says the then Springvale councillor Roz Blades.
“It was tumultuous. The name changed and we had no input into that.
“There was a lot of angst, a lot of people upset over it. If we had to be together as an amalgamation, we thought a neutral name would be fair.”
Contrary to rumours, Springvale didn’t push for Heatherton, Blades said. They didn’t support the city being named after an existing township and a road.
They hadn’t settled on a name but preferred ‘City of Sandown’, she says.
Perhaps even more profoundly, Springvale didn’t want to join Dandenong in the first place.
Springvale had lobbied to merge west, retaining Dingley Village and adding Braeside Park and the bayside suburbs Mordialloc and Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Dandenong councillors submitted for a 180,000-resident ‘super city’ that would absorb the bulk of City of Springvale and 40 per cent of City of Berwick.
At the time, Springvale mayor Phil Reed slammed the proposal as “greedy” – as well as severing Dingley Village from the existing Springvale council area.
Meanwhile, the then-CEO of Berwick Neil Lucas said Dandenong had “no plan” for the remaining 60 per cent of Berwick residents.
It would commit the “residents of the growth corridor to a lower standard of living in the future”, he told Dandenong Journal at the time.
As history shows, Chelsea wasn’t keen in joining Springvale, Blades says. And so with “no discussion”, the State Government opted for a Springvale and Dandenong alliance, without Dingley Village.
“We were aghast,” Blades said.
“We didn’t know how we would make it work. But naturally, we would strive to make the very best of it.”
For its first three years, the new Greater Dandenong didn’t have councillors. It was overseen by three commissioners Ian Cathie, John Nixon and Margaret Nicholls.
Blades and Kelly were among the re-elected councillors who formed the first council. They recall the commissioners doing a great job.
Kelly recalls there were also frictions between the “Labor-leaning” Springvale councillors and the more business-oriented Dandenong councillors at the first meetings.
“It was as tough for them as it was for us. The two councils were a bit divided when we came together on where money should be spent and how it was spent.
“Some of the ideas from Springvale were different from Dandenong.
“It took at least a term to get used to it.”
Just prior to merging, Dandenong brought forward spending on fixing issues at its market, town hall and sportsgrounds, Kelly said.
“We were thinking what are they going to do with our money when we merged.
“There was also a feeling that knowledge would be lost (due to staff cuts) but people picked it up as time went on.”
Blades says the areas were undeniably different. Dandenong had the stock yards, industries and market, Springvale had the Enterprise hostel for new migrants.
“Every time money was spent in Dandenong, people in Springvale didn’t like it.
“We didn’t know each other well. I remember it being quite frantic at the time but I had a determination that it was going to work. We didn’t have a choice.
“When I was mayor of Greater Dandenong, I went to great pains when in Dandenong to wear the Springvale (mayoral) chains and in Springvale to wear the Dandenong chains.”
For years, the council meetings and administration offices were shared between Springvale and Dandenong.
Meetings and officers all moved to the new Dandenong Civic Centre in 2014. That was when Greater Dandenong truly welded together, says Blades.
Kelly agrees, saying they’d hung onto the dual administration hubs for too long.
“I thought it was a bit irrational. But it was always going to take time to take the band-aid off it all.”
Kelly and Blades agreed that council mergers needed to happen in some cases.
Especially for small inner-Melbourne municipalities such as Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond, each with their own town hall, executives, staff and garbage trucks.
However outer suburban councils such as Knox and Frankston didn’t merge. And they kept their name.
“Whether or not Springvale with 94,000 people needed to amalgamate, I don’t know,” Blades said.
For Kelly, it’s a hard question about whether the merger was worth it.
“Most in the public were accepting of the merger. It was mainly those in council or who worked for the council who were opposed. But after all those years we all move on – we have to accept it.
“I don’t think it’s done us any bad.”
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https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/news/2024-12-16/time-heals-greater-dandenong-divisions/
| 2024-12-16T06:10:54Z
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New Delhi, December 16: A constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously is likely to be introduced in Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. A top government functionary said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election", was expected to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations. The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties. As the largest party, the BJP will get chairmanship of the committee, besides several members, the functionary said. One Nation, One Election Bill Not To Be Introduced by Government in Lok Sabha on December 16.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was a member of the high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind that recommended holding Lok Sabha, state assembly and local body elections simultaneously in a phased manner, is likely to be present in the Lower House at the time of Bill's introduction, the functionary said. The Union Cabinet last week decided to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but opted to leave "as of now" how local body polls are held.
Meghwal may tell the Lower House that since the Bill will need wider consultations with lawmakers and the public, it should be sent to a joint committee. The speaker will seek the names of members for the proposed panel from the parties on the same day. If the parties do not inform the speaker about the members they wish to send on the panel, according to rules, they may lose membership.
The speaker will announce the committee's composition by the evening on the day the Bill is introduced, the functionary said. Initially, the tenure of the proposed committee will be for 90 days but it may be extended later. The Union Cabinet has approved two bills to hold the parliamentary and assembly polls concurrently. Kovind had said during the consultation process on "one nation, one election" that 32 parties supported the idea while 15 did not. One Nation, One Election Soon? Union Cabinet Clears Proposal for Bill on Simultaneous Lok Sabha, State Assembly Elections.
Simultaneous polls were held in the country between 1951 and 1967. The concept of simultaneous elections has featured in many reports and studies since 1983, essentially implying a return to the previous practice of conducting polls concurrently.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/one-nation-one-election-bill-on-simultaneous-polls-likely-to-be-introduced-in-lok-sabha-on-december-17-might-go-to-joint-committee-of-parliament-6494135.html
| 2024-12-16T06:10:56Z
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LAHORE - International Tea Day was marked here and across the globe on Sunday. International Tea Day emphasizes the vital role of tea production and consumption in combating poverty while honoring the rich tapestry of art, culture, and lifestyles intricately woven around the beloved beverage. The theme this year is “women and their role in the tea sector”. The day provides an opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage, health benefits and economic importance of tea. Noted journalist Tariq Kamran told APP in connection with this day that around the globe, the custom of tea and Qehwa houses is incredibly hoary. Located in downtown and cultural areas or every market, these tea houses entertain the common people of different races, castes, colors, and creeds
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/international-tea-day-marked
| 2024-12-16T06:10:57Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Now, y'all know we love a good book roundup. But we're going to switch gears right now and do an audiobook roundup with none other than Kendra Winchester. She's a contributing editor for Book Riot and a connoisseur of audio books. Welcome back to the program, Kendra.
KENDRA WINCHESTER: Oh, happy to be back. Thanks for having me.
RASCOE: So, you know, you could have the best written book on the planet, but it can be a real snoozeville if it's not read out loud well. Tell us about your first pick. What makes it a great audiobook?
WINCHESTER: Well, one of the picks today is one of the buzziest books of the year, and that is "James" by Percival Everett, and that's performed by Dominic Hoffman. "James" is a reimagining of the character Jim from Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn." And Percival Everett's James, as a character - he gets a much bigger backstory. And one of the reasons why I think this makes for a great audiobook is because James and the other enslaved Black people around him use dialect as a form of protection. And you can hear the code switching that James does throughout the book. And with Dominic Hoffman performing it, it's just a phenomenal listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DOMINIC HOFFMAN: (Reading) You're walking down the street, and you see that Mrs. Holiday's kitchen is on fire. She's standing in her yard, her back to her house, unaware. How do you tell her? Fire. Fire, January said. Direct, and that's almost correct, I said. The youngest of them, lean and tall 5-year-old Rachel said, lordy, missum. Looky there. Perfect, I said. Why is that correct? Lizzie raised her hand. Because we must let the whites be the ones who named the trouble. And why is that, I asked. February said, because they need to know everything before us, because they need to name everything. Good.
RASCOE: I understand that learning how to say the right thing to survive is a theme in another one of your picks. Tell us about "Gay The Pray Away."
WINCHESTER: So "Gay The Pray Away" is written and read by Natalie Naudus. She is an audiobook narrator. And when I heard she had her debut young-adult novel coming out, I knew I had to listen because she's such a great performer. And this story is about Valerie Danners, who's in a cult.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NATALIE NAUDUS: (Reading) I am always lying. I'm lying right now with my face during this prayer meeting. Mom prays long and loud, and I keep my face still, calm, blank through years of practice. Make the right shape, I tell myself. Look devout, draw your brows down, look like you are concentrating. You can do this, Valerie.
WINCHESTER: She's a teenager. She's homeschooled. Every piece of clothing has to be approved by her dad. She can only listen to certain kinds of music, and she really has no other community other than her church and her family. But one day, she's in the library, and she finds a novel where two girls fall in love, and there is just something she recognizes in herself in that story. And then a new girl shows up at church, and sparks fly, and we have this romance bloom between them.
RASCOE: You have an audiobook suggestion for people who like historical fiction, family dramas and a little mystery all in one. This book is "The Warm Hands Of Ghosts" by Katherine Arden. Why is this such a good listen?
WINCHESTER: Well, one, I love the performers, like, Michael Crouch and January LaVoy. But also, I love historical fiction with, like, a dose of horror in it. And this story is set during World War I. And we have Laura, who is a nurse, who has just returned from the front. She was wounded. And she receives a box of her brother's effects, and at first, she thinks he's died on the front over in Europe. But there's a note in there, and he may still be alive. And we get chapters from Freddie's perspective, her brother, and he ends up in a battle in the trenches. He ends up in a pillbox, and he's trapped in there with an enemy soldier.
MICHAEL CROUCH: (Reading) He remembered running like an animal - dead bodies, gray uniforms, the roar of the explosion. Dickinson, a bloody froth at his lips. No. Was that earlier? And now, himself in darkness, buried. Dead and buried, wasn't that the phrase? The shell must have collapsed the pillbox somehow or flipped it or killed him outright. He was trapped.
WINCHESTER: And we are sitting on the edge of our seats wondering what on earth happened to him.
RASCOE: Yeah, that sounds like a good mystery and some horror in there, so I like that a lot. That's Kendra Winchester, contributing editor of Book Riot. Thank you so much for bringing us this audiobook roundup. This is getting me excited about these books.
WINCHESTER: Of course, anytime. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/listen-up-here-are-some-of-the-best-audiobooks-of-the-year
| 2024-12-16T06:10:58Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
In the final weeks of Congress, lawmakers in Washington are hoping to curb the power of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. These are essentially the middlemen between pharmacies and health care companies, steering the choices of drugs for consumers and influencing how much insurers and patients will pay for medicines. Lawmakers proposed bills in the House and Senate that would outlaw companies from owning both a pharmacy and a PBM. Bruce Japsen is a senior health care contributor for Forbes and is here to tell us more. Thanks for being with us.
BRUCE JAPSEN: Thanks for having me.
RASCOE: Can you first explain, like, what is the role these PBMs play in the health care industry?
JAPSEN: Yeah, it's interesting. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, as they're called - they kind of came on the scene in the 1990s, and - believe it or not - many of them were created by drug companies, and they were designed to buy drugs in bulk - kind of a middleman - and negotiate a better price and then manage the prescription cost by buying these drugs in bulk for an employer or for the government. And they did a lot of good things when they started, including, you know, they pushed not just mail order, but they went from 30-day prescriptions to 90-day prescriptions, but then they evolved. And that is where some of the problems are happening because now a lot of the big ones are owned by health insurance companies.
RASCOE: So let's take an example like CVS Health. It's a health care company. It also owns a PBM called CVS Caremark. I use that. And it also owns more than 9,000 retail pharmacies, which I use. How would a company like this be affected?
JAPSEN: Basically, CVS says, hey, if we have more leverage and we own the health insurance company and we own the PBM and we also can maybe give you steeper discounts if you use our pharmacies, we're going to get a better deal on the drug prices. Well, when people don't see their drug costs going down, then they say, wait a minute, what's going on here? Some people would say that by these companies getting bigger and controlling kind of the entire supply chain, the incentives are a little misaligned if CVS is also getting in the business of developing their own generic drugs and pushing people to this product or that product. I think that's what's going on, and I think what some of the bills in Congress would do is say, hey, wait a minute, this needs to be broken up a little bit, and the PBM should be its own thing, rather than being a part of this big company.
RASCOE: I mean, and I know it would depend on the specifics of the law, but essentially, like, CVS Health wouldn't be able to own the PBM CVS Caremark.
JAPSEN: Correct. Yes.
RASCOE: But in a practical sense, if this bill were passed, what would it mean for consumers?
JAPSEN: I mean, I think what Congress would say is you break this up, you make the PBM separate, and then you have more PBMs out there that aren't just three PBMs controlling 80% of the prescriptions, but they're going to compete against one another, and they're going to negotiate to get better deals and all this other stuff. But we had a CEO of a PBM at our Forbes Healthcare Summit last week who says, well, you know, if you make things more transparent and so forth, that's generally a good thing, but what any business always fears is that when you start adding layers of regulations, this executive is already saying, that's going to add to cost. So I think whatever Congress does here, they have to be very careful because it could add to cost.
RASCOE: This bill was introduced the week after the murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. There's been a lot of ire surrounding the health care industry. What do you make of the timing of these bills?
JAPSEN: I mean, it's very unfortunate here. We have a gentleman who has two kids, who was killed. And what's come out of this with this whole idea that people are extracting their rage on the health care system - Congress is responding to that, and they're making no bones about it. I would say that it would not surprise me if they're under more pressure to pass something.
RASCOE: Well, what do you think about, you know, this pressure that maybe Congress is facing right now because there is this uproar about health care? Obviously, there are just a few weeks left in this congressional session. Do you think that we could see real movement on these bills in the next few weeks or, you know, next year in the new congressional session?
JAPSEN: I would tend to say that something probably won't happen right away. And even though everybody wants to reform the system, when you start - the lobbies involved here are very powerful, the health insurance companies. I would tend to say that the odds of something to be passed on something so complicated before the end of the year and before the Biden administration leaves are highly unlikely. So I would say a lot of it is political optics, and the people that are in power are going to be the Republicans, and they would tend to be more friendly with the insurance industry and the pharmacy benefit managers and the drug industry. So I would not bet the farm that anything major is going to happen.
RASCOE: That's Bruce Japsen, senior health care contributor for Forbes. Thank you so much for joining us.
JAPSEN: Thanks for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/new-bills-in-congress-aim-to-curb-prescription-drug-prices
| 2024-12-16T06:10:59Z
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Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport handles 6.5m pax in Nov-2024
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/guangzhou-baiyun-international-airport-handles-65m-pax-in-nov-2024-1295895
| 2024-12-16T06:11:01Z
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
For weeks now, residents in New Jersey and across the Northeast have looked up to the night sky and seen drones, dozens of car-sized drones flying above critical infrastructure like reservoirs and military bases.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: ...One low looks pretty close, right?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: So I - this one's going to fly over us right now.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: You think so?
DETROW: That is footage captured by one New Jersey resident, U.S. Senator Andy Kim, who spent his Thursday night drone hunting with local police in a rural part of the state and posting about it on social media. Naturally, these mysterious drones have raised some questions. Where are they coming from? Who's flying them? Why? Federal officials say they don't have answers to those questions but say they see no evidence so far of a national security threat. Here's Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaking on ABC earlier today.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: There's no question that people are seeing drones, and I want to assure the American public that we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey state police in addressing the drone sightings.
DETROW: So in the era of see-something-say-something, the Feds seem to be assuring the public that there is nothing to see here. Local firefighters do say do not approach any drones that have crashed into the ground.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/drones-in-new-jersey-skies-something-or-nothing
| 2024-12-16T06:11:02Z
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Karachio - Federal Minister for EducationDr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, on Sunday visited the ongoing Karachi International Book Fair at the Expo Centre on the fourth day of the event.
During his visit, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui inspected the book stalls set up at the Book Fair and stated that the holding of such an event and the large public participation negate the impression that this is not an age of book reading.
The 19th “Karachi International Book Fair” is underway at the Expo Centre and will continue until Monday night. At the Book Fair, several publishers from various countries have set up stalls showcasing their published books, with numerous book lovers visiting the event daily.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/khalid-maqbool-visits-karachi-int-l-book-fair
| 2024-12-16T06:11:04Z
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Mumbai, December 16: After three consecutive ODI defeats, Bangladesh finally returned to winning ways with a narrow 7-run victory over the West Indies in the 1st T20I at Arnos Vale Ground. The West Indies managed to make it out a nail-biting affair, courtesy of skipper Rovman Powell's blitzkrieg, But in reality, the hosts never really recovered from the damage caused by Mahedi Hasan in the powerplay. While chasing a modest 148-run total, the Caribbean side faced problems as Mahedi made early inroads through their batting lineup. Rovman Powell Takes Suryakumar Yadav T20 World Cup Final-Inspired Catch To Dismiss Jaker Ali During WI vs BAN 1st T20I 2024 (Watch Video).
The West Indies had already lost Brandon King before Mahedi was introduced to bowl in the powerplay. In his second delivery of the match, Mahedi caught the big fish, Nicholas Pooran. He invited him to step out of the crease to have a go at him. Pooran shimmered down the crease, went for a swing and missed the ball, which held a straight trajectory. The explosive batter was well short of the crease as Litton gathered the ball and dislodged the bails in a jiffy.
West Indies found reprieve in the next over with Johnson Charles going berserk against Tanzim Hasan Sakib. He tonked two sixes and followed it up with a crisp four to accumulate 25 runs from the over. But the impending end from Mahedi ended Charles' deal with the boundaries.
The opener took the aerial route, but the desired elevation was something that was missed dearly. The ball landed in Hasan Mahmud's hands at mid-off. With the West Indies tottering at run-a-ball 36 and three wickets down after the first six overs, Mahedi dealt a massive blow to make their chase a lost cause. West Indies' Amir Jangoo Slams Fastest-Ever Ton On ODI Debut During WI vs BAN 3rd ODI 2024.
He delivered a match-defining over to remove Andre Fletcher for a four-ball duck and then Roston Chase for 7(13). With the West Indies looking down and out at 39/5, Powell knew his side needed something special from him. Powell kept the hopes alive with Romario Shepherd playing the second fiddle to his skipper.
The duo paced their knocks according to the situation and brought down the equation to 20 needed in 18 balls. With victory once again in sight, Bangladesh pacers held their nerves to see off the game. Taskin Ahmed removed Shepherd (22), but Powell's threat continued to loom in the atmosphere.
In the final over, Hasan Mahmud had 10 runs to defend while facing Powell. Mahmud bowled it wide, and Powell went for a flashy drive. He only found an outside edge, which was taken by the wicketkeeper. Mahmud castled Alzarri Joseph to seal a 7-run victory for Bangladesh. Bangladesh Squad for T20I Series Against West Indies Announced: Nahid Rana Included, Litton Das Named Captain.
Earlier in the match, after being put to bat by the hosts, Bangladesh needed moments of individual brilliance to find their way to 147/6. Soumya Sarkar played a blistering knock of 43(32), while Jaker Ali (27), Mahedi (26*) and Shamim Hossain (27) made invaluable contributions towards the end, which took the visitors to a fighting total.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/sports-news-1st-t20i-powells-heroics-in-lost-cause-as-mahedi-spins-bangladesh-to-7-run-win-over-west-indies-6494049.html
| 2024-12-16T06:11:03Z
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By Marcus Uhe
Berwick is the first team to book its ticket to the knock-out rounds of the Dandenong District Cricket Association T20 competition after a thrilling final ball win over Buckley Ridges at home on Wednesday night, eliminating the Bucks and Springvale South in the process.
Bears skipper and club legend Jarrod Goodes was the hero in a final-ball cliffhanger over the reigning turf 1 champions, removing Bucks all-rounder Ishan Jayarathna and tailender Sanka Dinesh on the final two deliveries of the match, with the visitors finishing two-runs shy of victory.
After rearranging Dinesh’s timber, Goodes extended his follow through to the square boundary in front of the grandstand at Arch Brown Reserve with teammates in hot pursuit, and bowed to the captivated crowd.
It was a man-of-the-match performance from the veteran, who grabbed 4/14, including the dangerous trio of Dale Tormey, Jake Cronin and Jayarathna as his side defended 117.
Berwick chose to bat first but failed to post a strong total thanks to a spread of Buckley Ridges contributors.
Jordan Cleland opened the batting and made 23 and Michael Wallace 27 as Buckley’s bowlers, led by quick pair Jayarathna and Hussain Ali, kept the batters in-check.
Both finished with two wickets while spinners Matthew Montgomery and Dinesh bowled tight four-over spells.
The Bucks similarly found batting tough as each of the top four failed to pass 20.
Goodes removed the opening pair before the spinners, in Lachlan Brown, Elliot Matthews and Ruwantha Kellapotha, applied the clamps in the middle overs.
The final over began with Goodes attempting a ‘mankad’ on Jayarathna, before withdrawing his appeal.
The Bucks needed eight to keep its chances of progressing alive, and began the over well with a three, a wide and running two singles, leaving Jayarathna on strike with just two runs required off the final three deliveries.
Goodes bowled a dot on the third-last ball, and had Jayarathna caught at cover on the penultimate, requiring Dinesh to win the match on his first delivery.
Dinesh swung hard but made no connection with the ball, bringing his side’s tenure in the tournament to an end, as Berwick took an unassailable lead in the group after downing Springvale South last week.
Six of the Bucks batters finished with single figures outside of Jayarathna, who made 27.
The dream remains alive for 15 teams, with six joining Buckley Ridges and Springvale on the sidelines.
Parkfield, Berwick Springs, Keysborough, Doveton, Fountain Gate and Narre Warren will all be forced to lick their wounds and regroup for next year’s competition, after dropping their second games of the competition on Wednesday night.
Silverton sent Berwick Springs packing with a comfortable eight-wicket win with 29 balls to spare, chasing 113 thanks to 51 from marquee Talwinder Prince and 3/12 from Hemal Ratnayake.
Nuwan Kulasekara dug Dandenong West out of trouble with a 15-ball 37 to help the Bulls chase 120 against Parkfield, while Jackson Noske crunched 81 from 49 for Coomoora against Narre Warren in a 40-run win.
A Christo Otto-less Keysborough fell six runs short of chasing HSD’s 169, with Englishman Harry Funnell playing a key role with bat and ball for the Cobras.
Hallam Kalora Park was far too strong for Doveton, winning by 85 runs, and Beaconsfield chased Fountain Gate’s 116 for the loss of just five wickets.
Lyndale’s defeat of Hampton Park, meanwhile, means all three teams in its trio, including Parkmore, are still alive.
Should Parkmore defeat Lyndale in the final group game, all three sides will finish on one win each, but Lyndale could spoil the party if they avoid a pillaging from the Pirates.
Ciaron Connolly wound back the clock with 71 for the Dales before Ben Montgomery and Usman Ali took three wickets apiece to help defend 157.
The final round of contests is scheduled for Wednesday 18 December.
RESULTS – ROUND 2
Dandenong West 5/125 (Nuwan Kulasekara 37) def Parkfield 120 (Riley Siwes 3/15).
Beaconsfield 5/117 (Susantha Pradeep 53, Davandeep Premi 3/19) def Fountain Gate 7/116.
Berwick 7/117 (Michael Wallace 27) def Buckley Ridges 116 (Jarrod Goodes 4/14).
Silverton 2/117 (Talwinder Prince 51) def Berwick Springs 9/113 (Riley Hillman 44, Hemal Ratnayake 3/12).
HSD 8/169 (Mackenzie Gardner 39) def Keysborough 9/163 (Chanaka Kahandawala 52).
Hallam Kalora Park 4/188 (Damith Perera 50) def Doveton 6/103 (Johnny Kamali 41).
Coomoora 5/154 (Jackson Noske 81) def Narre Warren 7/114 (Malan Madusanka 2/9).
Lyndale 9/157 (Ciaron Connolly 71) def Hampton Park 147 (Usman Ali 3/21).
FIXTURE – ROUND 3
Wednesday 18 December
Parkmore v Lyndale
Cranbourne v Beaconsfield
Narre North v Coomoora
St Mary’s v Hallam Kalora Park
North Dandenong v Silverton
Narre South v Dandenong West
Lynbrook v HSD
Springvale South v Buckley Ridges (Dead Rubber)
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https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/sport/2024-12-16/goodes-sends-powerhouses-packing-in-ddca-t20s/
| 2024-12-16T06:11:03Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Yesterday in Landover, Maryland, President-elect Donald Trump attended the Army-Navy football game. Among his guests - Pete Hegseth, his pick to lead the Department of Defense, and Florida Governor Rick DeSantis. And that's where we begin with NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Hi, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hey, Ayesha.
RASCOE: In case anyone missed it, Navy beat Army 31 to 13. But I want to ask, what's the significance of Trump having both Hegseth and DeSantis at the game?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, it's a big demonstration that Trump is continuing his support for Hegseth, you know, a former Army major and Fox News host, who has been fighting really just a bunch of terrible headlines. And Hegseth has made some progress, especially on Capitol Hill and with moderate Senate Republicans. I mean, he's kind of shifted on some of his more extreme positions, such as softening his stance on women in combat. I mean, before, he said that they shouldn't be in combat roles. Now he's saying that women are some of America's greatest warriors and that his earlier comments were taken out of context.
RASCOE: And what about Governor DeSantis?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, DeSantis is a former Navy lawyer. And according to the Associated Press and others, he had been under consideration as kind of a backup pick for a defense secretary should Hegseth get derailed. But there is also something that DeSantis has that Trump really wants. DeSantis is likely to have a Senate seat to fill, provided, of course, that Florida Senator Marco Rubio wins confirmation as secretary of state. Now, Trump has made clear that he'd like his daughter-in-law, Laura Trump, to get that seat. And she announced last week that she's stepping down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
RASCOE: Franco, on Friday, Senator Mitch McConnell seemed to signal to one of Trump's other cabinet picks, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., over the polio vaccine. What can you tell us about this?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. McConnell spoke out in support of the vaccine after Kennedy's lawyer petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine. That's according to The New York Times. McConnell had polio as a young child, and to this day, it impacts his walk.
Now, Kennedy himself says he doesn't want to take away anyone's choice to take vaccines, but still McConnell, without naming Kennedy, said any efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are, quote, "not just uninformed - they're dangerous." He went on to say that anyone seeking Senate confirmation would, quote, "do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts."
Now, it is interesting timing, given Trump was recently asked about Kennedy and his vaccine skepticism during an interview with Time Magazine for the Person of the Year cover. Trump said there was going to be a big discussion about the childhood vaccination programs.
RASCOE: So finally, let's talk about those drones or the drones that people have been talking about over New Jersey and now other parts of the Northeast. Sightings have been happening for weeks. What's the White House been saying about this?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, the White House says there's no evidence right now of a national security or a public safety threat. But people are nervous. I mean, in places like Asbury Park, they're watching via surf cams. U.S. officials say a lot of what they're seeing are actually planes, but they don't have a good answer about who is operating the drones or what they're doing. And now Trump has weighed in. He's calling for them to be shot down, and he questions whether the government is holding back information. It all reminds me of kind of the Chinese surveillance balloon controversy back in 2023.
RASCOE: That's NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thank you so much, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/politics-chat-trump-attends-army-navy-game-mcconnell-backs-polio-vaccine-mystery-drones-over-new-jersey
| 2024-12-16T06:11:06Z
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Latest update December 16th, 2024 1:58 AM
Dec 16, 2024 Letters
Dear Editor
The way political parties come into existence before national elections and fade away after in Guyana would lead one to believe that their only purpose is to win government with the least possible effort.
Generally, over time, parties need to identify, win, hold and expand their constituency whose interests they aggregate, integrate and represent in a fashion that allows them to play a substantial role in policymaking. Parties also provide information short-cuts that help the populace to make complex decisions and are vital arrangements when it comes to holding all policymakers accountable for their performance.
All this is usually set upon some higher moral values having to do with race, class, religion, geographic regional, etc., which party organisers ignore or misrepresent at their peril. This is particularly relevant to genuine new entrants, who must sensibly navigate the fluctuations of the existing political culture and structures. Thus, in a democracy political parties, particularly new entrants, must be vibrant and careful about the example they set in terms of the different dimensions of their behaviour and the information they communicate. This is the general context in which a reset is suggested for A New and United Guyana (ANUG).
The first of the 17 United Nations Development Goals call upon states to ‘end poverty in all its forms everywhere’ by implementing ‘nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors (a basic set of essential social rights and transfers in cash and kind to provide a minimum income and livelihood security for all and to facilitate effective demand for and access to essential goods and services) and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.’
Perhaps reflective of this kind of thinking, at no. 17 of its promise to the Guyanese electorate during the 2020 elections, ANUG said that it intends to ‘Ensure that a basic income is available firstly to those in need but eventually to all Guyanese’.
Notwithstanding Guyana’s newly acquired oil wealth, poverty is rife and there is a substantial demand for a basic income for the poor and possibly eventually for all Guyanese. Confronted by this public demand, the PPP government was compelled to change its position and is at present taking half measures: distribution a ‘one off’ $100,000 cash grant to all those 18 and over. Arguably, ANUG is among the first parties to have made this proposal and should have been dirving this important discussion, but where has ANUG been?
Then again, ANUG’s number one promise was to ‘Through constitutional reform establish a system of shared governance that provides security, stability and equality for Guyanese of all ethnic groups.’ The party appears to have taken the position that it did not win enough votes at the last elections to indicate that the population is interested in shared governance. But any such belief constitutes a major misreading of political responses in Guyana. Outside of who holds ultimate power, one cannot determine what the electorate wants by way of national elections in this ethnically bifurcated society. Indeed, based on such an assumption, one could also conclude that the voters would not support poverty alleviation by some form of minimum income, and perhaps that is why the party has been largely silent on this matter.
In terms of political manoeuvrings, ANUG has made important missteps that have allowed a substantial number of Guyanese to place it in the PPP’s camp. Last week I stated that having noted the negative role ethnically based political divisions and parties have played in Guyanese history and that the APNU+AFC coalition government had not fulfilled its mandate to reform the system, ANUG argued that such political behaviour has us all wanting to believe that political promises mean nothing. It rejected this position and went on to promise that ‘Our party undertakes that it will never enter a coalition with any other political party or any of its members for the purpose of securing a role in government.’
ANUG was thus formed to improve the moral basis of politics in Guyana, but lo and behold, it is now locked in a controversy with Ms. Asha Kissoon because, although ‘two wrongs don’t make a right,’ it colluded with her in doing perhaps worst than it claimed it would not do: they took from the PPP what that party had no historical or moral authority to give and what is against the interest of the electorate. Historically, the deputy speakership goes to the opposition, and during the elections campaign the PNC was lambasted for usurping that position after the 2015 elections. By taking the deputy speaker’s position, ANUG also joined the side of the PPP in its quarrel with the PNC and so lost much of its multiethnic moral capacity. True, it was a member of a joinder group that took the position, but it could have firstly argued for a refusal of the position and if the other parties insisted upon this gift from the PPP, made a public objection to their doing and take no further part in the arrangement. In a sense, Asha Kissoon is merely now following in the footsteps of ANUG: taking and keeping what does not now belong to her!
A discourse is raging over arrangements for the 2020 elections and the opposition is calling for significant reform of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). It wants the dismissal of the chairperson who it claims has been consistently voting with the government side of the commission, a new list of voters and biometrics. There are other issues that need legal/administrative clarity, e.g. campaign financing, the length of time it takes for the courts to complete elections petitions, the authority GECOM has to decided upon the complaints it receives before calling the elections for any party (I will not dwell here upon the reckless position ANUG took on this issue during the 2020 elections) etc. Yet having recently met the Carter Centre during their latest fact-finding mission, reportedly ‘(Mr. Timothy) Jonas (the former ANUG chairperson) expressed the view that the electoral system was essentially sound; highlighting that it was the transparency of the process which allowed the public to be immediately alerted by the attempt to undermine the process in 2020’ (SN: 08/07/2024).
If Dr. Mark France and the new ANUG executive is to make any impact during the coming elections ‘de gat de wok cut out fu dem’. It is true that parties do change their positions, but it is important in a competitive democratic environment for them to keep their constituencies and the electorate informed in a timely manner and to persistently lobby for their interests. ANUG was formed knowing that the PPP and PNC are ethnically-based political parties that over decades have kept Guyana impoverished and divided. By sheer luck some wealth has dropped into the coffers of the current PPP regime, but instead of focusing on using it in the people’s interest, it is squandering it to bolster its autocracy. Dr. France has restated that his party intends to end the winner-takes-all system of government. This is good but in the context of the above discourse, it would be useful for him to urgently provide some details of what he intends on this and a range of other issues.
Sincerely,
Dr. Henry Jeffrey
(ANUG has its work t)
Dec 15, 2024
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https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2024/12/16/anug-has-its-work-cut-out/
| 2024-12-16T06:11:06Z
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Hawaiian Airlines opens new Premier Club lounge at Kahului Airport
CAPA News Briefs
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Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/hawaiian-airlines-opens-new-premier-club-lounge-at-kahului-airport-1295970
| 2024-12-16T06:11:07Z
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Seeing a total solar eclipse along its path of totality is a rare, often once-in-a-lifetime event. It only lasts a few minutes, which is enough time to wow and awe observers but not nearly enough time for scientists who study the sun and its outer atmosphere called the corona. A new mission from the European Space Agency wants to solve this problem. Last week, a pair of satellites rocketed into orbit with a simple goal - to create more solar eclipses, ones that last hours instead of minutes. Here to tell us more about this and how it works is Damien Galano. He's the project manager for this mission, called Proba-3. Welcome.
DAMIEN GALANO: Thank you for having me.
DETROW: Let's just start with a question that I think anybody hearing that introduction is asking - how exactly does this work? How do two satellites create solar eclipses?
GALANO: So there are two satellite, and basically, we want to recreate the condition of a total solar eclipse. So the first spacecraft - we call it the Occulter spacecraft and - plays the role of the moon and to block out the light from the sun. And the other spacecraft - that we call the Coronagraph - will have to be positioned precisely in the shadow cast by the Occulter spacecraft at a distance of about 500 feet.
DETROW: So this is creating an eclipse for the second satellite. How much beyond that will this eclipse last and reach? I mean, somebody might be thinking, can I see this from Earth? I assume the answer is no, but I want to ask.
GALANO: No, no. This will be done when the spacecraft are at their maximum altitude at about 40,000 miles. And when they are far from the gravity of the Earth, that is a perturbation for us to be able to control precisely the spacecraft. And they will maintain this formation for about six hours.
DETROW: Six hours - and will this be a one-time experiment or will this be able to be recreated over and over with these two satellites?
GALANO: We expect to be able to recreate it every orbit. So the period of the orbit is 20 hours.
DETROW: Oh, wow.
GALANO: So every orbit, every 20 hours, we expect to be able to have a consecutive six hours of eclipse condition.
DETROW: I love this image of two satellites almost dancing with each other in this aligned orbit. Can you tell us why you want to do this, though? What are you looking for? What does a solar eclipse allow scientists to study?
GALANO: So the solar corona matters because it's intimately linked to the sun, the way the sun - our star - works and all the physics. We know that it's in the corona that originates the solar wind, so the constant flow of charged particles expanding from the sun. So observing the corona help the solar physicist to better model how the sun works and to better understand the activities inside this corona and how it can affect the Earth. That's through what we call the space weather.
DETROW: So the satellites launch, they're in orbit now. When are you expecting the first attempt at creating an eclipse?
GALANO: So we are performing at the moment the commissioning of the spacecraft. So little by little, we are activating the different equipment, the different functions on board. We expect if everything goes well that in March, we should be able to have the two spacecraft aligned to observe for the first time and take the first images of the corona with our system.
DETROW: That's Damien Galano, the project manager for the Proba-3 mission at the European Space Agency. Thanks so much, and good luck.
GALANO: Thank you, Scott. Bye-bye.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/how-satellites-are-helping-scientists-study-the-sun
| 2024-12-16T06:11:08Z
|
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited publishes annual report, accounts for FY2024
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/highlands-and-islands-airports-limited-publishes-annual-report-accounts-for-fy2024-1295944
| 2024-12-16T06:11:09Z
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LAHORE - Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has so far detected a total of 168,657 connections from where the customers were pilfering electricity in all its circles of five districts (Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara) during its ongoing anti-power theft campaign. The LESCO spokesman told media here Sunday that the company has also submitted FIR applications against electricity thieves, out of which 157,312 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while 44,918 accused have been arrested by the respective police. Grand anti-power theft operations against electricity thieves are being conducted on the directives of the Federal Power Division and the LESCO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Engineer Shahid Haider is supervising these operations. The LESCO chief vowed that the operations would continue without discrimination until the complete end of electricity theft. The electricity pilferers as well as the LESCO officers and employees who facilitate them are also being brought to justice. During the anti-power theft campaign, the spokesman added, large commercial consumers were also found involved in electricity theft. Among the seized connections, 5,204 commercial, 1,653 agricultural, 348 industrial and 161,452 domestic, and all of them were also disconnected and charged with detection units.
All these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 176,198,267 units as detection bill amounting to Rs 6,674,620,870.
Lesco collects Rs07m from 256 defaulters in 24 hours
Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has recovered Rs 07 million from 256 defaulters in all the five districts- Lahore, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Kasur and Okara- during last 24 hours of its recovery campaign.
LESCO spokesman told media here Sunday that the company has recovered outstanding dues of Rs 1.056 million from 21 defaulters in Northern Circle; Rs 0.070 million from 27 defaulters in Eastern Circle; Rs02 million from 47 defaulters in Central Circle; Rs 0.069 million from 26 defaulters in Southern Circle; Rs0.027 million from 22 defaulters in Nankana Sahib Circle; Rs 0.089 million from 44 defaulters in Sheikhupura Circle; Rs0.054 million from 46 defaulters in Okara Circle; and Rs 0.035 million from 23 defaulters in Kasur Circle.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/lesco-detects-168-657-power-pilferers
| 2024-12-16T06:11:10Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
This week, the USDA will expand its testing of milk supplies for bird flu. The virus has ravaged poultry flocks and cattle herds, and there's been 60 reported human cases of it in the U.S. according to the CDC. More than half of those are in California. And although the virus doesn't appear to be spreading between people, health officials worry it could evolve. KVPR's Kerry Klein brings us the view from one California dairy county.
KERRY KLEIN, BYLINE: It's a foggy afternoon in the central California city of Tulare. In a parking lot, county employees are handing out gloves, face shields and N95 masks.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: I'll take some of the N95s too, then.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Oh, N95?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: The masks, yeah.
KLEIN: It's open to residents of two local counties.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR CLOSING)
KLEIN: They pull in and load up their truck beds with safety equipment known as PPE. Don Turner works for the Tulare County Public Health Department.
DON TURNER: You're good to go.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Thank you so much.
TURNER: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOOR CLOSING)
KLEIN: It's the agency's ninth free PPE handout. Sean Roberts is one of the organizers.
SEAN ROBERTS: Two hours in, we've given out 37,000 pieces of PPE.
KLEIN: It's one way the county and state are working together trying to contain avian influenza, along with testing dairy workers and milk. There are questions about exactly how humans are catching the virus, but health officials say it's carried in milk from infected cattle, and dairy workers can be exposed during the milking process.
ROBERTS: The idea is that people who are working in direct contact with cattle, whether they're infected or at a high risk to become infected if the cattle are, if they're wearing PPE, it really minimizes the human exposure event.
KLEIN: California has reported more bird flu in humans and dairy herds than any other U.S. state, and the bulk of the state's human cases have been here in Tulare County. It's the top dairy-producing county in the entire nation. Take it from Juan Delezma. He's a farmworker at a nearby dairy.
JUAN DELEZMA: (Non-English language spoken).
KLEIN: "If there are no cows, there's no work," he says. A water tower here was even made to look like a glass of milk. Bird flu was detected in California's cattle in late August. Delezma says he saw cows get sick.
DELEZMA: (Non-English language spoken).
KLEIN: "Some of them looked like sleepwalkers," he says. They looked damaged, and he and his co-workers wondered if they'd die. Cattle have died, but the state declined to give an estimate of how many. As for his own health, Delezma says he's not too concerned. He's gotten PPE from his employer. But farmworker advocacy groups say that hasn't been everyone's experience. Many aren't aware of the risks of the virus and don't have the PPE they need, according to Elizabeth Strater of the United farmworkers Union. Also...
ELIZABETH STRATER: We've heard from farmworkers and community members and veterinarians that symptomatic workers are clearly still working.
KLEIN: One reason, public health officials advise anyone with the virus to isolate until their symptoms improve. That may take longer than the five days of paid sick leave that the state generally requires employers to provide. The California Department of Public Health said by email that workers' comp should cover more days off, but Strater says getting it approved is involved, which is a disincentive to get tested.
Tricia Stever Blattler is with the Tulare County Farm Bureau, which represents farmers. She also said farmworkers tend to keep their heads down.
TRICIA STEVER BLATTLER: They don't want to lose pay. They don't want to lose work hours. They don't want to be in trouble with their employer. And they certainly don't want to have the government know more about their life if they are here as an undocumented worker.
KLEIN: State health officials acknowledge that cases are likely being undercounted, especially since symptoms have been relatively mild. Meanwhile, state, county and federal health officials say they're trying to get dairy workers to test more. A PSA on a Spanish-language radio station recently promoted a local testing clinic.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking Spanish).
KLEIN: It was a pilot clip organized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, their first one in the entire country. The CDC didn't share how many people showed up. Meanwhile, the virus continues to rip through California's dairies, like Joey Airoso's fourth-generation farm in Tulare County. On the worst day of his farm's outbreak, he says more than 500 cows needed treatment.
JOEY AIROSO: It's demoralizing. Yeah. From a morale standpoint, it's hard to see that many animals not feeling good.
KLEIN: He says 14 of them died. But none of his employees have been sick yet, and he attributes that to all the PPE he got for free. For NPR News, I'm Kerry Klein in Tulare.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/public-health-officials-try-to-control-bird-flu-in-u-s-dairy-capital
| 2024-12-16T06:11:12Z
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Kingstown (St. Vincent), Dec 16 (AP) Bangladesh opened its three-match Twenty20 series against West Indies with a tight seven-run win.
At 61-7 in the 12th over the West Indies looked a long-shot to get close to Bangladesh's 147-6 off 20 overs but some lusty hitting from captain Rovman Powell got the hosts within 10 runs from the final over to steal victory.
Also Read | IND vs AUS 3rd Test 2024: Isa Guha Calls Jasprit Bumrah 'Primate', Apologises for Her Remark Later.
But Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud (2-18) produced a stunning last over and dismissed Powell (60 off 35 balls) and two balls later ended the match by bowling Alzarri Joseph with the final delivery to leave the West Indies reply at 140 all out.
Mahedi Hasan took 4-13 from four overs for the tourists, including four of the West Indies' top five batters.
Earlier, opener Soumya Sarkar top-scored for Bangladesh with a breezy 43 from 32 balls, with two boundaries and three sixes.
Handy lower-order batting contributions from Jaker Ali (27 from 27 balls), Shamim Hossain (27 from 13 balls) and Mahedi Hasan (26 not out from 24 balls) lifted Bangladesh to 147-6 from its 20 overs.
Akeal Hossein (2-13) and Obed McCoy (2-30) both took two wickets each for the West Indies after it had won the coin toss and elected to field.
The second match is on Wednesday and the third match is on Friday with all three games to be played at Kingstown, St. Vincent. (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/sports-news-bangladesh-beats-west-indies-by-7-runs-in-1st-t20-6494087.html
| 2024-12-16T06:11:11Z
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By Marcus Uhe
A clean sweep of its four T20 contests in the last two weeks has seen Dandenong climb into fourth place on the Victorian Premier Cricket table with one game remaining before the Christmas interval.
Emerging stars Nathan Whitford and Shobit Singh were the heroes in Saturday’s wins over Kingston-Hawthorn and Geelong, stealing the show with a pair of impressive showings in their respective disciplines of choice.
Singh’s 78 from 57 was the backbone in a strong first innings against the Hawks in Saturday’s morning game at Shepley Oval, before Whitford took 4/18 in the defence.
Singh clattered two sixes and 10 fours in the innings, doing the bulk of the scoring in a 45-run opening stand with Matthew Wilson and an 85-run union with Dhanusha Gamage for the third wicket.
The third over of the match saw the talented youngster hit five fours from the six deliveries in an early display of aggressive intent.
Gamage joined Singh at the crease with the Panthers in a spot of trouble after successive run outs that saw Wilson and Brett Forsyth depart in the space of four balls – Forsyth for first-ball duck.
Gamage played the patient role, rotating the strike with 33 from 34 while Singh attacked at the other end, as Dandenong posted 162.
It proved 31 runs too many for Kingston Hawthorn to chase, dismissed with four balls remaining in the innings.
Whitford removed both of Kingston-Hawthorn’s opening batters in his first two overs before returning later in the piece to help finish what he started.
The visitors remained a slim hope in the contest at 5/113 in the 17th over but fell away dramatically, losing their final four wickets for 18 runs, and having one player retire hurt.
The roles were reversed for the second contest, with Whitford’s bowling putting Dandenong on top early against Geelong.
Whitford repeated his heroics from earlier in the day by removing the Geelong opening pair and cutting the visitors down to 2/7.
Two wickets in Jawid Khan’s first over made it 4/26, with the Cats eventually reaching 144 thanks to some tail-end hitting.
Whitford finished with 3/33 as his final overs received the treatment late in the innings.
Singh switched gears in the chase in direct contrast to his opening innings of the day while players around him chose to attack.
He made 45 from 44 deliveries, laying the platform for James Nanopoulos’ striking to carry the Panthers to the victory.
Nanopoulos struck 16 runs in the 15th over and 19 of the 20 runs made in the 19th over, having arrived at the wicket with 61 required from the final 33 deliveries.
He finished unbeaten on 44 from 22 balls, completing the job at the beginning of the final over.
The Panthers now have a five-point lead over fifth-placed Ringwood, ensconcing themselves in the top eight with six rounds remaining.
They will seek to stretch the winning run to five matches when they face Melbourne at the Albert Ground on Saturday afternoon.
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https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/sport/2024-12-16/panthers-cubs-power-winning-run/
| 2024-12-16T06:11:12Z
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We're nearing the end of 2024, but one of the biggest video game titles of the year just became available December 9th.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has everything that made the Indiana Jones movies so memorable – whips, slapstick punches and even that cinema stalwart, the Wilhelm scream.
But instead of an 82-year-old Harrison Ford reprising his role yet again, if in just voice and motion capture, Bethesda Studios and MachineGames enlisted another kind of A-lister: legendary video game actor Troy Baker.
And believe it or not, the new game is as classic an Indy adventure as Raiders of the Lost Ark – due in no small part to Baker's uncanny ability to channel the whip-cracking and wise-cracking hero.
"It's not about whether or not I can convince you that I was Indiana Jones," Baker says. "My job is to convince you that you're Indiana Jones."
A cinematic experience
The Great Circle's development team seemed to take a page straight from Indy's journal. Like the adventurer himself, they weren't afraid to take some risks.
Fans were divided after developers revealed the game would forgo the standard adventure-gaming perspective of third-person for first-person. Something that really hadn't been done with an Indy adventure before. And instead of all-out action, they leaned into stealth, puzzles and story.
That's not to say you won't use your fists, or the occasional gun to to fight for your life against Italian fascists, Nazis and other-worldly baddies. All as Baker delivers uncanny Jones one-liners that sound straight from the mouth of Harrison Ford.
But the developers clearly prioritized that narrative tissue that really holds the action set pieces of Spielberg's classic movies together.
There's a reason why it genuinely feels like a lost movie from the original 1980s franchise and not an exercise in cynically recasting a cinematic icon.
"When you think about Raiders or you think about Temple or Last Crusade… it's shot so beautifully and it's so cinematic. It's epic on every level. So, we brought in Kyle Klutz. He was our DP (director of Photography)."
Klutz has worked on high-profile games including the Last of Us with Baker.
"We needed to make this look like Doug Slocombe shot this in 1981," Baker continues. "So we had [cameras] with anamorphic lenses on dollies and jibs. We used a steadicam or an easy rig to give us that kind of camera work. And just as those cameras were capturing my movement in the suit, they were also capturing the movement and the lens data from the camera. I remember asking Axel Torvenius (creative director), 'hey just curious… how much of those cameras did you actually use?' And he said 'all of them.'"
Baker says what you see in the cutscenes and the gameplay are just as real of a cinematic experience as anything you would watch on the big screen.
A fan of Jones and games for life
Don't confuse Baker for some casual Indy fan either. He remembers being mesmerized after leaving the theater as a five-year-old in 1981.
"My takeaway was not that somebody's face could melt if they're in the presence of god, but that there was this guy onscreen that — I've said this a lot and it sounds cheesy, but it's true — who was a superhero who didn't wear a cape," Baker says.
And despite defeating armies of Nazis multiple times, escaping a death cult and finding the Holy Grail, Baker says Indiana Jones just seemed attainable.
"The first time we see him, after cracking the whip, and knocking the pistol out of the guy's hand… the next thing he does after that is he looks at a map. You realize this is someone so obsessed with an adventure, he will not let anyone deter him. So it's someone who I was like 'hey maybe I can be that,'" Baker says.
Even though he's had other big-name gaming roles, like Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite and Joel Miller in the Last of Us series, Baker turned down Indiana Jones when first approached by performance director Tom Keegan. What right did he have to try to fill that fedora?
But the five-year-old kid still in Baker's heart couldn't refuse that call to adventure forever.
"What Harrison did for me in 1981, in that five-year-old kid, is he convinced me that I could be Indiana Jones," Baker says.
So, that's what Baker wanted to do with the game.
He says his voice-acting in the Great Circle isn't cloning Harrison Ford's voice or cadence from Raiders or Temple of Doom, though he says he watched those films almost every morning to prepare and keep him in the headspace during development.
No, this is an entirely new adventure, with Indy saying things in this game that he may not have ever said before. He's seeing new things. Meeting new people. It had to be Indiana Jones, not Harrison Ford.
There are qualities innate to Jones, Baker says, that are found across his roles and across all of adventure gaming.
"All of us are looking for adventure and I think that is because we're all looking for purpose," Baker says. "We're trying to figure out 'what is it that I'm doing here?' And within that is the very foundation of this life — [a] desire to the point of obsession to not only seek out the wonders of the world, but also secure them and preserve them and make sure that they are available to other people like him."
Still, no matter how many iconic roles Baker plays – and it's no stretch to call him one of the most prolific in the business – he doesn't lose sight of why games like the Great Circle can be so important to people.
"Growing up as a kid, we had no money, I had no athleticism. But to me it was like I could disappear for a few hours into a world where the impossible was possible and if I could press B and A fast enough, I could get through anything," Baker says.
The Indiana Jones inheritance
Baker became a father in 2018 and he says he's never looked at games or stories the same since. That sense of escapism, that joy of wonder and lust for adventure – they're all things Baker really wants to pass along to his audience. And to his most important audience member?
"I think about the inheritance that I'm offering my son on a daily basis, and that extends beyond just [the] financial," Baker says. "What patterns [might I] be bequeathing him? As far as the kind of person that he should be in this world, I do want him to be an adventurous person. I do want him to love mystery and wonder and see the amazing things [in] this world… I mean his name is Traveller."
But Baker says there's more to Indiana Jones than just adventure. You have to doggedly go after the treasures of this world without ever losing what makes you, you.
"The thing I'm imparting onto him hopefully is to hear the call of adventure and to answer it and to find the mystery and the wonder, but in the pursuit of all those things, never, ever, ever lose your heart," Baker says.
Baker jokes that maybe he saw Indiana Jones for the first time at too young an age. And, well, there is the whole face-melting thing.
But his son is right around the same age now and Baker promises he'll let Traveller lead the way on his own discovery of this iconic franchise. Whenever it happens.
A franchise that Baker himself has now given voice to.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now for Xbox and PC. A PS5 edition is expected next year.
Copyright 2024 NPR
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https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/indiana-jones-and-the-voice-of-troy-baker
| 2024-12-16T06:11:14Z
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IATA: SAF output forecast to reach 2.1m tonnes in 2025
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/iata-saf-output-forecast-to-reach-21m-tonnes-in-2025-1296018
| 2024-12-16T06:11:15Z
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The fire broke out at a Coventry Road home on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, at 5:11 p.m., police said in a release.
Officers arrived to find the house fully engulfed in flames, according to the report. Fire crews from the Lakeview Fire Department and several neighboring departments responded, bringing the blaze under control.
Four residents were transported to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, while a firefighter was also hospitalized with a head injury sustained during the response, authorities said.
The Nassau County Fire Marshal and the Arson Bomb Squad were called to the scene to investigate, police said. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.
The investigation remains ongoing.
**Social Media Tag:**
🚨 A firefighter was injured and four residents were hospitalized after a house fire engulfed a Lakeview home, Nassau County police say. 🚒
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hempstead and receive free news updates.
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https://dailyvoice.com/ny/hempstead/firefighter-among-5-hospitalized-in-lakeview-house-fire/
| 2024-12-16T06:11:16Z
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LAHORE - LESCO on Sunday dismissed three employees for involvement in power theft. Assistant Manager Waheed Zafar, Line Superintendent Rizwan Zafar and Mohsin (meter reader) were dismissed on the charges of power theft. LESCO Chief Engineer Operations Abbas Ali in this connection said that the dismissed corrupt officers and employees were damaging the national exchequer and bringing disrepute to the institution.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/lesco-dismisses-three-employees
| 2024-12-16T06:11:17Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week sent shock waves through the world. Much of the focus has been on how quickly the rebels took over several cities before taking the capital of Damascus in less than two weeks. But that's not really what happened. In a way, this uprising was decades in the making, going back to when Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez al-Assad, ran the country. We're joined now by Mazen Gharibah, a research associate at the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit at the London School of Economics. Welcome to the program.
MAZEN GHARIBAH: Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: President Assad held office for nearly 25 years, but his father, Hafez al-Assad, ran the country for 29 years before him. Tell us a bit about his father's style of leadership.
GHARIBAH: So Hafez al-Assad took power in 1970 after a military coup. Syria was governed - was ruled by a culture of fear. I remember when I was a kid in school, you cannot say Hafez al-Assad. You have to whisper that name. Syria under Hafez al-Assad was suffocating, really.
RASCOE: You know, as you're talking about this total domination - he would crack down on uprisings. There was a notable one by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood in the town of Hama in 1982. How did the senior President Assad respond?
GHARIBAH: In 1979, a number of political parties - of course, including Muslims Brotherhood, which is kind of a right-wing party, but also with other kind of leftist groups - they tried to oppose the absolute rule of Hafez al-Assad. And of course, the Army and Hafez al-Assad kind of cracked down on that, and that led to the massacre of Hama in 1982. These special forces were led by Hafez al-Assad's brother, Rifaat al-Assad. They besieged the city. I think it was the Human Rights Watch who estimated something around 20,000 people were killed in the span of less than a month.
RASCOE: This is just horrific. When his son, Bashar, took over after his father's death in 2000, he was faced with this movement called the Damascus Spring. What happened with that?
GHARIBAH: So after Bashar al-Assad inherited the rule of Hafez, under pressure from the West, he started to change the regime's discursive politics, the discourse of the regime, saying, now, we are going towards liberalization of the economy, freedom of speech. We want independent media outlets. We want to see a multiparty system. These were the promises of Bashar al-Assad the first couple of years during his rule in order to gain some sort of legitimacy at the international scene and to create a facade of reform.
So during these couple of years, we started seeing political forums, demands for constitutional reforms, for electoral reforms. But all of a sudden, the old guards of the Syrian regime - including Bashar al-Assad, of course - started to feel that they are losing control. And then they decided to crack down on that Damascus Spring, and everyone who was involved in this in one way or anothe, was imprisoned. Some of them actually were imprisoned to this day. Some of them were released last week.
RASCOE: Even with this most recent uprising by this coalition of rebels - some with ties to ISIS or Al Qaeda - this comes at the tail end of nearly 14 years of fighting in the country. And then we talked about all these other crackdowns that have happened when people have tried to fight back against the Assad regime. Does it feel to you now like the revolution is finally over?
GHARIBAH: Well, I don't think the revolution is finally over, but let me just comment on your first remark, which is absolutely true. Now, some people are attributing the fall of the Assad regime to HTS, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which is not the case. For the past 14 years, Syrian civil society organizations, activists, political activists, civil activists, woman activists, human rights activists, have been doing a lot of remarkable actions all over the country. And we have to understand that in 2011 when the uprising happened, there were absolutely no independent organizations, no independent media, no political parties, no constitution that guarantees any sort of political rights for anyone. Syrian civil society created all of that over the past 14 years. And all of these efforts played a huge part in weakening Bashar al-Assad's regime.
RASCOE: But you said you don't feel like the revolution is over, and why do you say that?
GHARIBAH: Because, of course, there is this overwhelming sense of joy and relief amongst all of us - but underneath that absolute joy, there's also this sense of uncertainty, anxiety, about what's going to happen next. That's why many Syrians, if not most, are demanding a U.N.-facilitated nonsectarian inclusive political process in line with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254 - which is the main framework of action for the transitional period in Syria - in order to guarantee an inclusive constitution that will give rights to every Syrian men and women - regardless of their religion, ethnicity, language - to safeguard and to steer the country towards some sort of a representative democracy. I'm afraid without that, we might see internal clashes between these different groups. That's why I'm afraid that the removal of Bashar al-Assad is not the final step.
RASCOE: That's Mazen Gharibah, research associate at the London School of Economics. Thank you so much for speaking with us today.
GHARIBAH: Thank you for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/rebels-took-over-damascus-quickly-but-the-uprising-has-been-decades-in-the-making
| 2024-12-16T06:11:18Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
People who live along America's coast are all facing the threat of rising ocean water due to climate change. We're going to hear from three communities trying to fortify their defenses, starting in Virginia with Katherine Hafner of member station WHRO.
KATHERINE HAFNER, BYLINE: Jamie Miller is the guy you call when something goes wrong with the least glamorous part of your home. He gets calls like...
JAMIE MILLER: I can't flush my toilet. I have sewage, you know, backing up in my house, or their yard smells like sewage, which wouldn't be fun.
HAFNER: Miller owns a septic repair business on Virginia's Middle Peninsula. It juts into the Chesapeake Bay. Lately, he's getting more and more of these types of calls. That's because as sea levels rise, the groundwater is rising, too. And that is swamping many backyard septic systems often used when you can't connect to a sewer line. They rely on dry soil to break down sewage. This area is especially vulnerable to rising waters in the Atlantic Ocean. Some residents here are now trying to turn this poop problem into a sort of boon for the community, people like Lewie Lawrence, head of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. He says right now, residents often have to pay tens of thousands of dollars when their backyard system fails.
LEWIE LAWRENCE: We were watching millions of dollars being poured back into septic systems that are putting the same technology into the ground that is failing.
HAFNER: Lawrence helped bring in a company called Triangle Environmental. They're testing new septic technology here at a small brick house along a creek. Aaron Forbis-Stokes with Triangle shows how it all starts with a flush.
AARON FORBIS-STOKES: So we'll do the...
(SOUNDBITE OF TOILET FLUSHING)
FORBIS-STOKES: ...The lower-flush volume as if somebody just peed.
HAFNER: Just like any other backyard septic system, all the waste from this house first flows to an underground tank in the yard. But then the sewage is pumped up aboveground into something that looks kind of like a refrigerator or utility closet on a raised platform.
(SOUNDBITE OF MACHINE RUNNING)
HAFNER: Inside, a mix of filters and chemicals clean the wastewater. There's no price yet for this mini sewage plant invention, but Forbis-Stokes says it could help people fortify their homes.
FORBIS-STOKES: Our biggest goal with this system is pretty much to let people just to remain living where they live, even under the threat of changing climate conditions.
HAFNER: It sounds promising, but there's still a long way to go. Virginia has to approve the technology, and it needs to be affordable for homeowners, as they deal with sea level rise in the Atlantic driving up underground water levels.
HALLE PARKER, BYLINE: I'm WWNO's Halle Parker in Dulac, Louisiana, on the Bayou. Here, data shows the Gulf of Mexico is rising faster than almost anywhere else in the country. It's also home to several hundred residents who are members of the state-recognized tribe. They face a heartbreaking question - to stay or go. Their chief wants to do both.
DEVON PARFAIT: Our ideal would be to have a community to resettle to, some place that's further up north, but also keeping our community here and rebuilding it to be as resilient as possible, to work with the water and to be able to adapt to our changing climate.
PARKER: Devon Parfait leads the Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitamacha-Choctaw. His tribe is the result of racist policies of the 1800s like the Trail of Tears. Multiple Native groups were forced south to the swampy edge of the Gulf.
PARFAIT: Even back then, what people had considered unlivable lands.
PARKER: Now Parfait's tribe lives on the front line of sea level rise. They're vulnerable to more intense hurricanes that bring more flooding and higher storm surge. Until the tribe needs to move, eventually, he's looking for ways to adapt and fortify his community.
PARFAIT: There needs to be a place here, down the bayou, where people can go and be protected from these hurricanes.
PARKER: He wants a place that would act as a community and disaster center in the aftermath of hurricanes, one big, resilient solar-powered building for people to stay and regroup when homes are still unlivable. But he says this one idea comes with a high price tag for the tribe, $17 million. Parfait is trying to raise the funds, but his tribe is only recognized by the state of Louisiana, not federally, which makes it harder.
PARFAIT: We're basically just out on our own with no support from our federal government. We don't get any monetary support from our state government. There's no stipend.
PARKER: Instead, Parfait's tribe relies on grants or philanthropy. The chief hopes he'll be able to give his community something they've been stripped of in the past - a choice, even as the waters of the Gulf of Mexico continue to encroach.
EZRA DAVID ROMERO, BYLINE: I'm KQED's Ezra David Romero in San Francisco. This city's edge, with towering skyscrapers, metro lines and big tech companies is separated from San Francisco Bay by a sea wall that doubles as one of the city's main tourist attractions.
KRISTINA HILL: It is kind of an unusually fragile sea wall for a city of this size.
ROMERO: UC Berkeley professor Kristina Hill calls the seawall a joke because not only is it barely tall enough to keep water at bay now before major sea rise, it's also poorly built.
HILL: And there are even ships that were scuttled in it.
(SOUNDBITE OF WAVES CRASHING)
ROMERO: Hill says if no action is taken, the rising ocean could eventually overwhelm the existing seawall and flood the city's tourist center in downtown. Brad Benson knows all about this. He works for the Port of San Francisco.
BRAD BENSON: Essentially, what happens in a no-action scenario, is that all of the area that was filled gets reclaimed by the bay. And that goes as far in as Salesforce Tower.
ROMERO: Salesforce Tower is the tallest building in the city. It's about six blocks from the bay.
So the ocean really just wants to take it back...
BENSON: Yes.
ROMERO: ...Some way.
But San Francisco has a solution. The port, alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is working on a massive $13 billion plan to reinvent more than seven miles of the shoreline. It includes a higher seawall and fortifying shoreline structures, like the historic Ferry Building, with its clock tower that takes up about a city block on the waterfront.
(SOUNDBITE OF CLOCK RINGING)
ROMERO: Benson says the idea is to raise the huge building by 7 feet.
BENSON: They'd install a series of jacks underneath the whole building that are controlled by computer, where the whole building can be lifted at the same time to a new elevation.
ROMERO: But there's no guarantee San Francisco will implement this costly, elaborate plan. The city can't do it alone. Congress will have to approve it. If they get the money soon, Benson says San Francisco could be better protected from the Pacific Ocean by the 2040s. For NPR News, I'm Ezra David Romero in San Francisco.
RASCOE: This reporting comes from the environmental podcast, Sea Change, produced by member station WWNO and part of the NPR podcast network.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/residents-on-every-u-s-coast-are-looking-for-solutions-for-rising-sea-levels
| 2024-12-16T06:11:20Z
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Brisbane [Australia], December 16 (ANI): In a rain-curtailed session, Australian skipper Pat Cummins increased India's woes with Rishabh Pant's dismissal during the third day of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test on Monday.
At the stroke of Tea, India managed to crawl its way to 48/4, trailing by 397 runs, with KL Rahul and skipper Rohit Sharma unbeaten with scores of 30(52) and 0(1), respectively.
The consistent rain in Brisbane didn't help India one bit. The constant interference of the weather gods made the passage of play short, and at that moment, Rishabh Pant lost his wicket to Australian skipper Pat Cummins.
While the break allowed Australian pacers to stay fresh, the Indian batters struggled to find their rhythm due to the limited time at the crease.
Pant returned to The Gabba three years after bringing down the walls of Australia's fortress. India's situation was not good right from the beginning, and it became more difficult after Virat Kohli's bat was silenced by Josh Hazlewood.
With India in dire need of a similar act of heroism from Pant, the southpaw showed signs of promise by picking up three runs on his first deliver of the match.
Rain interrupted the session again, but Pant remained consistent in his approach of picking up runs on loose deliveries that fell in his hitting arc.
As Pant and Rahul started to gain momentum with the odds stacked against them, rain once again came in to take away all of it. The duo returned once the rain let off.
Rahul arguably played the shot of the day with a cover drive straight out of the cricket textbooks off Cummins. With the scoreboard regularly ticking and the partnership becoming a threat to the Australians, Cummins upped the ante to extend the dominance exuded by the hosts.
The Australian skipper had worked out his angles and pitched the delivery beautifully to draw Pant (9) out. He nipped the ball away from Pant enough to catch the outside edge straight through to Carey.
Rahul tried to take the fight back by reeling off a four off Mitchell Starc, which turned out to be the final action in the second session.
Earlier in the day, in a start-stop session utterly dominated by Australia, Indian players were once again asked to reflect on their flaws as the impending doom of defeat started to linger in Brisbane.
It was A-Lister Jasprit Bumrah who paved the way for India by removing Mitchell Starc in the opening hour. Starc looked deadly the moment he smoked the ball into the stand with a picture-perfect slog-sweep off Ravindra Jadeja.
Bumrah sensed the threat radiating from the Starc and forced out an edge from the southpaw in the next over. Starc's feet were stuck on the ground as he attempted to push the ball away.
A loose waft from the Australian was enough to pick up a nick as the ball travelled into the safe gloves of Rishabh Pant.
With Alex Carey on the field, Nathan Lyon resisted the temptation to go after the Indian attack, as rain made its presence felt at irregular intervals.
With the tempo of the day set, Mohammed Siraj broke the shackles and managed to breach Lyon's defence to hit the middle stump.
With just a wicket left, Carey decided to charge at Akash Deep but ended up mistiming his shot, forcing Australia to wrap up its inning on 445.
In reply, Indian batters continued to live through the nightmares inflicted in Adelaide, with Starc being the driving force of the Australian pace attack.
His first victim of the day was Yashasvi Jaiswal, a player he has developed a rivalry with since the Perth Test. The young Indian southpaw managed to avoid a golden duck by edging the ball to the boundary, but Starc retaliated by swinging the ball and using the scrambled seam delivery to its effective use.
He picked up Jaiswal's wicket on his second ball of the match after the Indian chipped it away straight into Mitchell Marsh's hands. Shubman Gill (1) was next to return cheaply after he edged it away to Marsh, who took a flight and snaffled it with both hands.
Virat Kohli (3) soon joined the duo's company after being tempted by Hazlewood to chase the outside off delivery and edge it away towards the wicketkeeper.
Brief Score: Australia 445 (Travis Head 152, Steven Smith 151; Jasprit Bumrah 6-76) vs India 48/4 (KL Rahul 30*; Mitchell Starc 2-24). (ANI)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/sports-news-bgt-3rd-test-pat-cummins-adds-to-indias-misery-with-pants-dismissal-day-3-tea-6494209.html
| 2024-12-16T06:11:18Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
With the second Trump administration set to begin in a few weeks, international college students are facing a difficult decision. Should they return home for winter break? And if they do, should they fly back to the United States before the inauguration? New England Public Media's Jill Kaufman explains.
JILL KAUFMAN: College students are wrapping up their finals, and many are getting ready to leave campus for winter vacation. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, that's a nearly six-week break.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I'm going back home.
KAUFMAN: Home is China for this second-year PhD student. She asked us not to use her name. She feared it could jeopardize her student visa. She's not dismissing the advice from UMass, which, like other colleges, is recommending international students return to the U.S. by January 20. But she's not following the advice, either, just hoping for the best, she says, and she's returning after the inauguration.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I want to stay in China as long as I can.
KAUFMAN: It's a 17-hour flight, and it's expensive, she says, to change her ticket. But a lot of her friends rescheduled to return to campus early. Just the possibility of travel restriction is creating a deja vu moment for Musbah Shaheen, who is now a professor at UMass Amherst.
MUSBAH SHAHEEN: The feelings of don't leave, don't move, don't do anything, just stay put.
KAUFMAN: Sixteen-hundred international undergraduate students and almost 4,000 graduate students are at UMass Amherst. Like at other colleges in the U.S., many are in the STEM fields of study. Shaheen is from Syria. He was a senior at Vanderbilt University in the year Trump was first elected. In 2017, when President Trump took office, he signed an executive order restricting travel to the U.S. from seven majority-Muslim countries, including Syria.
SHAHEEN: It made it essentially impossible for me to leave after my degree because I knew I couldn't come back for the master's.
KAUFMAN: Shaheen got that master's and a doctorate. Now he says he's watching international students struggle with their decision to stay in the U.S. over break.
SHAHEEN: You're not just away. You're oceans away from what you know, and you're homesick, and you were looking forward to going back for a break time, and that is not going to happen.
KAUFMAN: More than a million international students and scholars are studying and doing research in the U.S. More than half are from China or India. Immigration attorney Dan Berger, who has been working with American universities for decades, says school administrators and students just don't know what's going to happen.
DAN BERGER: We recommend buying travel insurance, not making nonrefundable deposits for travel, because there is uncertainty about what will happen next year and what the details will be.
KAUFMAN: And, Berger says, he's trying to help universities understand that students need more flexibility from campus housing to the timing of their enrollment.
BERGER: If I'm an international student, I would like the school to be as flexible as possible with understanding that I may not be able to go at the last minute if the immigration situation is not good.
KAUFMAN: Under the Biden administration, Berger says some students are already facing delays coming into the U.S. He's seen this for people coming from Russia, China and Iran. In an email, U.S. Customs and Border Protection didn't confirm or refute Berger's observations. A spokesperson said, all international travelers attempting to enter the United States are subject to examination.
In the first Trump administration, Berger says no one saw the travel restrictions coming. International students and scholars with visas just had to wait it out. This time around, he says, they have to be ready for anything. If another ban happens, UMass Amherst Professor Musbah Shaheen says students will have to think hard about whether to leave for summer break. Will they be able to return for their next year? For NPR News, I'm Jill Kaufman in Amherst, Massachusetts.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
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https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/international-students-stay-in-the-u-s-for-the-holidays-fearing-their-visa-status-under-trump
| 2024-12-16T06:11:20Z
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Latest update December 16th, 2024 1:58 AM
Dec 16, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom
Kaieteur News- Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has a new mantra: exporters must advocate. Fight for fair access within CARICOM. Challenge unjust barriers. It sounds empowering. It shifts responsibility. It also ignores reality. Advocacy alone cannot dismantle restrictive trade barriers rooted in systemic abuse of phytosanitary regulations.
But what is a phytosanitary measure? It’s a legal, regulatory, or administrative action. Designed to protect plants from pests, diseases and harmful organisms. Governments enforce them. The goal? Stop the spread of pests across regions or borders. Measures vary from outright bans to quarantine requirements, fumigation requirements and processing standards.
It is asking too much of exporters to take the lead in dismantling trade-restrictive phytosanitary measures. It is the government which must lead in this regard.
Jagdeo must know this. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) exists for a reason. It protects against arbitrary barriers. It requires measures to be science-based, transparent and non-discriminatory.
The SPS provides safeguards. Governments must base their sanitary and phytosanitary measures on scientific evidence. Measures must be supported by risk assessments and cannot be arbitrary or unjustified. For example, a country cannot ban imports of a particular fruit without demonstrating that it poses a scientifically verified risk to plant health.
The SPS Agreement encourages countries to align their measures with international standards and guidelines. This harmonization reduces the likelihood of arbitrary or protectionist policies. It is for Guyana to push CARICOM in this direction. It is for Guyana to ensure that this harmonization is endorsed within the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).
The SPS Agreement also provides that measures must not unfairly discriminate between countries where identical or similar conditions exist. For instance, if a country allows imports from one country with similar pest risks, it must not arbitrarily restrict imports from another country under similar circumstances.
Under the SPS, governments must ensure that their measures are no more trade-restrictive than necessary to achieve their health objectives. They must explore alternative measures that address risks without unnecessarily impeding trade.
Words mean nothing without action. The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) promises free trade. It envisions economic integration. The SPS principles can strengthen it. Yet, Jagdeo and his government have done little to ensure that CARICOM aligns with the SPS Agreement.
The RTC itself is clear. It prohibits measures that unfairly restrict trade. But it needs teeth. Without explicit integration of SPS principles, it lacks the strength to deter unfair practices. Jagdeo must know this. He knows that Guyana can push for reforms. Regional regulations that mandate adherence to SPS rules. Yet, he deflects. Why?
Guyana itself is no stranger to violating the RTC. Trade barriers have been erected. Commitments ignored. Regional integration undermined. The Caribbean Court of Justice has issued rulings against Guyana. Not once. More than once. How can a country with such a record demand compliance from others? The hypocrisy is glaring. It undermines moral authority. It erodes credibility.
President Irfan Ali once declared a mission. He would dismantle barriers to trade within CARICOM. He spoke of a CARICOM market liberated from unfair restrictions. The promise was grand. The delivery has been abysmal.
Jagdeo should remember those promises. He should recognize their failure. Instead, he shifts the burden onto exporters. A convenient diversion. A tactic of avoidance.
Exporters can advocate. They can lobby. They can even mount legal challenges. But they cannot enforce treaties. They cannot compel CARICOM states to comply with SPS principles. That is the government’s role. It is their duty to lead. To engage diplomatically. To negotiate reforms.
Failure to act has consequences. Guyanese goods face barriers in regional markets. Agricultural products are vulnerable. Perishable goods delayed. Opportunities lost. The economy suffers. Jagdeo’s rhetoric ignores this. He pretends advocacy is enough.
The solution is clear. Incorporate SPS principles into the RTC. Mandate adherence across CARICOM. Establish a regional mechanism to resolve disputes swiftly. Create penalties for non-compliance.
This requires leadership. Guyana must lead the charge. It must push for regional adoption of SPS standards. It must hold CARICOM states accountable. This is not an exporter’s job. It is a government’s job.
Jagdeo’s challenge to exporters is a distraction. The real challenge is his own. The challenge of leadership. The challenge of delivering on promises.
Regional trade depends on fair rules. Rules that prevent abuse. Rules that foster trust. The framework exists. The opportunity is clear. The question is simple: will Jagdeo and his government act? Or will they continue to pass the buck? If history is any guide, the answer is obvious. Leadership is absent. Responsibility is deflected. And exporters? Left to fend for themselves.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newspaper.)
(Exporters are being left to fend for themselves)
(Exporters are being left)
Dec 15, 2024
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https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2024/12/16/exporters-are-being-left-to-fend-for-themselves/
| 2024-12-16T06:11:21Z
|
IATA: Supply chain issues limit airline industry profitability in 2024
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
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Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
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https://centreforaviation.com/news/iata-supply-chain-issues-limit-airline-industry-profitability-in-2024-1295940
| 2024-12-16T06:11:21Z
|
LAHORE - A man shot his wife dead over a domestic dispute in the Gujjarpura area, here on Sunday. According to the police, 30-year-old Tooba, a mother of five children, was shot 8 times by her husband. The accused fled the scene after killing his wife, leaving the pistol in the house. According to initial information, there were frequent domestic fights between the husband and wife. The police said that the police reached the scene after receiving information and started investigation after collecting evidence from the scene. The body was shifted to the morgue for postmortem. According to the police, the real motive for the murder would come out after arrest of the accused. The police are investigating various aspects and a police team has also been formed to arrest the accused.
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https://www.nation.com.pk/16-Dec-2024/man-kills-wife-over-domestic-dispute
| 2024-12-16T06:11:24Z
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AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Between the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas campus is the Austin Saengerrunde Hall. German immigrants formed the social club in 1879 with the mission to promote German heritage through song. The tradition is still going strong today. Every year, the club hosts several concerts and festivals, including a Christmas concert. Reporter Patrick M. Davis brings us the story.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
PATRICK M DAVIS, BYLINE: It's a chilly Monday evening in early December in downtown Austin, Texas. The sound of a harp and violin float out of the open door of a 19th-century brick building.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DAVIS: Austin Saengerrunde's Damenchor, or women's choir, is holding its final rehearsal for its annual Christmas concert.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
HOLLY DALRYMPLE: OK, so if we can hear from Sarah and Anna together at measure nine.
SARAH AND ANNA: (Singing in German).
DAVIS: That's Damenchor conductor Holly Dalrymple, directing the choir and musicians.
SARAH AND ANNA: (Singing in German).
DAVIS: While the Maennerchor, or men's choir, will sing at the concert, too, Damenchor President Danielle Plecash says the Christmas concert is the Damenchor's gift to Austin.
DANIELLE PLECASH: We have a few concerts throughout the year, but the Damenchor really take over, managing the Christmas concert. It's a free concert for the public that we put on. And it's just really fun. We spend a lot of time learning the Christmas songs.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: We're so happy you're here.
DAVIS: A few days later, the Austin Saengerrunde Hall was packed with an audience of over 300 people. After months of preparation, the night of the Christmas concert is here.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DALRYMPLE: Good afternoon. We're so glad that you joined us this afternoon for our annual Christmas concert. We're going to jump right into some music. This is (speaking German).
AUSTIN SAENGERRUNDE DAMENCHOR: (Singing in German).
DAVIS: The Damenchor and Maennerchor serenade the audience with rich, complex harmonies. Their setlist includes traditional German hymns and compositions by Handel and Brahms.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AUSTIN SAENGERRUNDE DAMENCHOR: (Singing in German).
DAVIS: To end the concert, the enthusiastic crowd joins both choirs for a sing-along.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AUSTIN SAENGERRUNDE DAMENCHOR AND MAENNERCHOR: (Singing in German).
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in German).
DALRYMPLE: We have a word that we use here that I think encapsulates everything we do, and it's (speaking German). But it means the act of being in community in a kind and warm, receiving place where everybody is a friend. Yes, we come together for the purpose of singing, but that's actually the secondary purpose. It's family and community first. It's a way of being.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AUSTIN SAENGERRUNDE DAMENCHOR AND MAENNERCHOR: (Singing in German).
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in German).
DAVIS: For NPR News, I'm Patrick M. Davis in Austin, Texas.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
AUSTIN SAENGERRUNDE DAMENCHOR AND MAENNERCHOR: (Singing in German).
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing in German). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kenw.org/2024-12-15/since-1879-this-austin-texas-choir-aims-to-preserve-their-german-heritage-through-song
| 2024-12-16T06:11:26Z
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SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Some things are easier to learn when you're a kid, like an instrument or a sport. NPR's Avery Keatley visited a gymnastics class outside of Washington, D.C., to find out why it's important to keep learning new things, no matter your age.
AVERY KEATLEY, BYLINE: On a dark, rainy Tuesday night, the Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center in Arlington, Virginia, is brightly lit and absolutely buzzing. The gymnastics floor is mobbed with kids wearing bright leotards, taking turns on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor. It is loud as the kids tumble across the floor and parents wait in the bleachers overlooking the gymnasium. But as the kids' classes begin winding down, a different group files in.
GAELEN WOOD: (Inaudible) forward rolls, so arms up.
ERIN WEISENBERGER: This is the worst one because it really hurts your head. When I was a kid, this didn't hurt, but it really gives me a headache doing it. I don't know why.
KEATLEY: That's 32-year-old Erin Weisenberger. She's warming up doing somersaults across the gymnastics floor along with the rest of her class. It's a group of nearly all women ranging in age from their late 20s to their early 40s, and they're all here trying something a little different.
WOOD: So we're going to learn something new today.
KEATLEY: They're part of an adult beginner gymnastics class. It's a bit of a rarity in the gymnastics world, where most classes are geared towards kids and teens.
WOOD: And if you're lefty, you're going to jump, land on your right foot, extend your left foot into your lunge.
KEATLEY: That's Coach Gaelen Wood. Tonight, they're learning how to power hurdle. It's a move that helps generate momentum for tumbling, and the footwork is a little complicated.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: So think about jumping off of two feet and just land on your right foot.
WEISENBERGER: Just land on my right foot. Just land on my right foot.
(LAUGHTER)
KEATLEY: While Erin tries to master the power hurdle, classmate Shateela Winters has a simpler goal in mind.
SHATEELA WINTERS: So my goal is to not injure myself. I have a bad back amongst other things. But if I could pick the dream thing that I had learned to do, if I could just do one back handspring, I'd be incredibly happy.
WOOD: Awesome.
KEATLEY: After warming up on the floor, the class files over to a trampoline that stretches almost halfway across the gym.
WOOD: All right, we're going to straddle jumps. So remember, either straddle jumps can go out to the side or straddle jumps can come up in front of you, OK?
KEATLEY: Gymnastics program supervisor Alex Asante-Dean says that for adult beginners, breaking out of their normal patterns of movement, like jumping really high in the air on a trampoline, can be uncomfortable.
ALEX ASANTE-DEAN: When we start, some of the things are really jarring 'cause you're moving your body in ways that hasn't been done before.
KEATLEY: And it's not just physical movements.
ASANTE-DEAN: When we get older and we have, you know, routines that we're used to, gets hard to break those habits.
KEATLEY: That's an observation backed up by research.
RACHEL WU: Adults might have a more fixed mindset in terms of thinking, if I'm not good at something now, I'm never going to be good at it.
KEATLEY: Rachel Wu is an associate professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside. She studies the way children learn and how those patterns might help adults learn too. She says that in some ways, learning is easier as an adult. Adults generally grasp concepts more quickly. They're less distracted, and they have better motor control than kids. But learning as an adult requires time, money and quality teachers, which can all be harder to find. She also says adults are often convinced they simply lack a talent for something.
WU: I've never been good at languages, or I've never been good at art, or I don't have a musical ear or something like that - that kind of, like, very fixed mindset. So you're either born with some talent or you're not.
KEATLEY: But continuing to learn as an adult has serious brain benefits.
WU: You will increase a lot of different types of cognitive abilities - your attention, memory. You have existing neurons that can be strengthened and existing pathways between neurons that can be strengthened as well.
KEATLEY: She says physical activities can be especially helpful in growing new neurons, which help the brain remain healthy and flexible later in life. Community can also play a big role in supporting adult learning.
WU: Learning new stuff is really hard, and if you're doing it with other people, it may be less depressing (laughter) in some ways because those people can help hold you accountable. You can see through how other people are struggling that you're not the only one struggling.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: There you go. Yes. Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull. Good.
KEATLEY: Back in the gym, the class is practicing on the uneven bars.
WEISENBERGER: The Olympians make it look so smooth and so easy and just like a walk in the park. But it is not (laughter).
KEATLEY: Erin Weisenberger says that even though class is challenging, she gets a lot out of it.
WEISENBERGER: Just proud of myself for trying something that I thought I would be really bad at.
KEATLEY: Coach Gaelen Wood says that for him, seeing adult students achieve something new is one of the best parts of the class.
WOOD: I love when people are nervous of something, and they finally take that step forward, and they're like, I can do this.
KEATLEY: As class winds down, one of those moments unfolds as Erin successfully pulls herself all the way over the uneven bar for the first time.
WEISENBERGER: I did it.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: There you go. Yay.
KEATLEY: Avery Keatley, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
|
https://www.kdll.org/2024-12-15/learning-as-an-adult-can-be-hard-its-even-harder-on-a-balance-beam
| 2024-12-16T06:11:26Z
|
### A New Dawn in Quantum Education
A consortium of educators from across Europe, including Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, and Germany, is reshaping how young minds engage with quantum physics. Breaking away from outdated methods rooted in historical contexts, this pioneering initiative, spearheaded by Professor Philipp Bitzenbauer of Leipzig University, places a spotlight on qubits. These elementary quantum units, integral to revolutionary technologies like quantum cryptography and computing, form the crux of this educational shake-up.
Quantum systems are utilised to foster a practical understanding among students, equipping them with the knowledge to navigate the intricacies of future technological landscapes. This approach not only enhances grasp of complex theories but also aligns with current technological advancements.
### Bridging the Quantum Gap: A Hands-On Approach
The traditional framework has long neglected empirical studies on the efficacy of qubit-centred education. Professor Bitzenbauer’s innovative pedagogy, focusing on practical experiences and quantum measurement processes, promises to reform student engagement and comprehension. This model not only aids students in understanding quantum mechanics but also ignites curiosity and active participation, paving the way for a new era of educational enrichment.
### Looking Ahead: Quantum Education Beyond 2025
Anticipating the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025, there’s a clarion call for embedding quantum concepts into mainstream education. This effort, led by Bitzenbauer and his team, is gaining momentum as they strive to demystify quantum mechanics for young learners, also earning recognition from the American Physical Society.
### Navigating Future Challenges
While this transformative endeavour promises a paradigm shift in educational methods, it also faces challenges, including resistance from traditional educators and limited resources to train teachers. Nonetheless, the impact of this initiative on global educational practices is undeniable, setting the stage for a quantum-ready generation.
This breakthrough not only underscores the feasibility of emerging quantum technologies in academia but also signals the advent of profound changes in science education worldwide.
Quantum Education: Shaping a Future of Limitless Possibilities
As the quantum education initiative launched by a European consortium gains traction, one intriguing aspect is its potential to spur advancements in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Quantum-enhanced AI could redefine machine learning, allowing for faster data processing and pattern recognition beyond current limitations. This raises questions: How can these technologies impact privacy and ethical concerns surrounding AI? And what will be their implications for industry disruption?
While the benefits of this educational shift are apparent, such as preparing students for high-demand technological roles, challenges remain. The resistance from traditional educators and the financial constraints in training teachers must be addressed to accomplish widespread acceptance and implementation.
The influence on new technologies is twofold. Firstly, integrating quantum concepts into education can catalyse the rise of quantum computing startups, fostering an environment where innovation thrives. Conversely, there is a concern that without adequate investment, regions might lag, widening the educational and technological gap internationally.
How can this change influence humanity? A future proficient in quantum principles could spark environmental solutions through new quantum technology applications, potentially aiding in climate research and sustainable development.
For those eager to delve deeper into quantum computing and its impact on various industries, consider exploring resources from credible tech sites such as IBM or Quanta Magazine.
As this educational transformation unfolds, the hope is a global embrace of quantum readiness, ushering in a technologically adept generation capable of tackling the world’s most pressing challenges.
|
https://www.yanoticias.es/uk/uncategorized-en/quantum-learning-evolution-are-schools-ready-for-this-big-leap-2/12580/
| 2024-12-16T06:11:27Z
|
Brisbane, Dec 16 (PTI) India continued to lose wickets as they reached 48/4 in a rain-interrupted second session on day three of the third Test against Australia here on Monday.
After the fall of three wickets in the morning session, the tourists lost Rishabh Pant (9) before tea, which was taken following another weather interruption.
India need to reach 246 to avoid follow-on after Australia posted a mammoth 445 all out. The visitors trail by 397 runs right now.
Pant fell to Pat Cummins for the third time this series as the Australian skipper had the wicketkeeper-batter caught behind.
Also Read | IND vs AUS 3rd Test 2024: Isa Guha Calls Jasprit Bumrah 'Primate', Apologises for Her Remark Later.
Brief Scores:
Australia 1st Innings: 445 all out in 117.1 overs (Travis Head 152, Steve Smith 101; Jasprit Bumrah 6/76)
India 1st innings: 48 for 4 in 14.1 overs (KL Rahul 30 batting; Mitchell Starc 2/24).
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
|
https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/sports-news-india-484-at-tea-need-246-to-avoid-follow-on-6494115.html
| 2024-12-16T06:11:26Z
|
India CISF to deploy security personnel at Navi Mumbai Airport and Jewar Noida Airport
CAPA News Briefs
CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.
Our daily News Briefs are only available to CAPA Members
Membership provides access to more than 1,000 News Briefs every week, with quick links to our Analysis Reports, Research Publications, Data Centre and more.
It’s easy to keep your News Briefs relevant by customising your email alerts based on topic, region, sector, frequency and more. Once you’ve saved your settings, you can stay up-to-date wherever you are, by quickly scanning our News Briefs online or via the CAPA mobile app.
Membership also provides full access to our Analysis Reports, in-depth Research Publications and comprehensive Data Centre. Premium CAPA Members can also access add-ons such as our exclusive Fleet Database, Airline Cask Data tools and more, to enjoy the full capabilities of our global platform.
Background ✨
India's Ministry of Civil Aviation planned to redeploy Central Industrial Security Force personnel to new airports by replacing them with private security at 60 airports, allowing CISF to focus on core tasks1. The CISF increased its presence at Bangalore Kempegowda International Airport with 1700 additional personnel due to the opening of Terminal 22. The Airports Authority of India sought CISF security for Vijayawada/Gannavaram Airport, planning to deploy 300 personnel3.
|
https://centreforaviation.com/news/india-cisf-to-deploy-security-personnel-at-navi-mumbai-airport-and-jewar-noida-airport-1295884
| 2024-12-16T06:11:28Z
|
Lindian scores US$50m boost for Malawi rare earths giant
Christmas has come early for Lindian Resources – it will wrap up the year with a US$50 million (A$78.6 million) funding agreement and take-off package for its Malawi rare earths project with the United States-based commodity trader, Gerald Metals Group.
Gerald’s funding injection will start stage one development of the Kangankunde rare earths project, with US$40m (A$62.8m) earmarked for capital expenditure and the remainder covering the costs of creating initial run-of-mine stockpiles.
The funding package includes a mix of equity, convertible instruments and prepayment-type loan facilities.
Gerald Group is one of the world’s biggest independent and employee-owned metal trading powerhouses.
The company was founded in the US in 1962, has since set up shop in London and operates a series of metal trading hubs across the globe exchanging everything from aluminum and copper to iron ore, precious metals, tin and cobalt, as well as related concentrates and raw materials.
Its end-to-end service model covers the entire commodity value chain, including sourcing, marketing, logistics and storage, hedging and risk managemen, and structured finance solutions.
In return for its investment, Gerald will have first dibs on monzonite concentrate from stage one at Kangankunde and will be at the front of the line for production from stage two.
We are pleased a globally recognised metals trading group, Gerald Metals, is working with Lindian towards accelerating the development of the world-class Kangankunde rare earths project. The proposed funding facility and offtake agreement for monazite concentrate will be key enablers to advance Kangankunde’s construction activities in the first half of 2025.
Management says stage one is poised to be a “logical springboard” for future expansion at Kangankunde, which is fully permitted for construction.
The project has an initial ore reserve of 23.7 million tonnes with an impressive average grade of 2.9 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO), underpinning a mine life of 45 years.
It is slated to generate about 15,300 tonnes per year of clean, high-grade concentrate running at about 55 per cent TREO to produce about 8400t of rare earth oxides and 1640t of the valuable magnet rare earths, neodymium and praseodymium.
According to a recent feasibility study released in July of this year, the project has a net present value of US$555m (A$872m) at an 8 per cent discount rate.
It is also forecast to generate an average annual EBITDA of US$84m (A$132m) after a capital cost of just US$40m (AU$62.9m), presenting a payback period of less than two years, running at an average ultra-low operating cost of US$2.92 per kilogram TREO.
Despite volatile commodity prices, rare earths remain critical ingredients in various applications, with future demand expected to remain strong, driven by the clean energy economy through e-mobility and wind power technology uptakes.
According to the International Energy Agency, demand for rare earths is expected to nearly triple by 2050 under the 2050 net zero emissions scenario.
China recently imposed restrictions on the export of rare earths, including neodymium and praseodymium. These new regulations took effect in early October and are part of China’s broader strategy to control the supply of critical minerals.
With startup funding all but squared away with a global metal trading powerhouse and approvals in place, Lindian is nudging closer to joining the ranks of rare earths producers at a time when Western governments are pushing to secure reliable and independent sources of the critical metals. Lindian’s timing seems serendipitous.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au
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|
https://thewest.com.au/business/bulls-n-bears/lindian-scores-us50m-boost-for-malawi-rare-earths-giant-c-17101552
| 2024-12-16T06:11:29Z
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