is certainly e to , and the royal couldn't help but in her latest appearance. On Wednesday, the 54-year-old hosted a luncheon for women in the Sahab part of the Jordanian capital, Amman. The luncheon celebrated 100 women across the fields of education, culture, media, and civil society. During her appearance, Rania was briefed on projects helping the families of the community. The royal reflected on the birth of her first grandchild as she expressed her gratitude for the many messages of support she was sent. " ," she said, saying Iman was the thing she was most thankful for during the year. Most read However, Rania also drew attention to wider conflicts in the region as she expressed her sadness at lives lost over the past year. "We used to believe that all people in this world had an equal claim to humanity and human rights; but sadly, we are seeing otherwise," she said. "We in Jordan will stay true to the core values with which we were raised: kindness, generosity, compassion, care, and community. These are the values I never fail to see in the Jordanian people." Rania has and last month, she brought Iman to work with her as she . "Baby Iman's first Zoom board meeting earlier this week," she wrote in the caption. The image featured Rania holding her granddaughter while she engaged in a video call at her desk. Iman's birth was with an official statement from the Royal Hashemite Court which in part read: "The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein were blessed, on 3 August 2024, with a baby girl they named Iman." Shortly after Iman's birth, Rania penned a heartfelt message on social media which read: "Praise be to God for His greatest gifts... You have enlightened our lives with our precious granddaughter, Iman. "May God protect us from you. Congratulations to Hussein and Rajwa, and may God fill your lives with blessings and contentment."
Anthony Albanese treats world leaders to $60k worth of flowers and entertainment
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Oil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who led US crackdown on cryptocurrencies, to step down Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler will step down from his post on January 20. Since taking the lead at the SEC, the commission has been aggressive in its oversight of cryptocurrencies and other regulatory issues. President-elect Donald Trump had promised during his campaign that he would remove Gensler, who has led the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry and repeatedly called for more oversight. But Gensler on Thursday announced that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated. Bitcoin has jumped 40% since Trump’s victory. US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials are warning American defense companies to increase their security after a wave of sabotage in Europe blamed on Russia. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a public bulletin Thursday advising companies that work in the defense industry that Russia may seek to carry out acts of sabotage as part of its effort to undercut Ukraine's allies and their ability to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Western authorities say they believe Russian intelligence is behind several recent acts of sabotage targeting European defense companies. Russia has denied the allegations. Elon Musk's budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump's second term WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of finding ways to cut government spending and regulations. It's possible that their efforts will lead to a constitutional clash. This week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage the Republican president-elect to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress, which would conflict with a 1974 law that's intended to prevent presidents from blocking funds. If Trump takes such a step, it would quickly become one of the most closely watched legal battles of his second administration. Musk and Ramaswamy also aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Cutting in line? American Airlines' new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports NEW YORK (AP) — Sneaking a little ahead of line to get on that plane faster? American Airlines might stop you. In an apparent effort to reduce the headaches caused airport line cutting, American has rolled out boarding technology that alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. This new software won’t accept a boarding pass before the group it’s assigned to is called, so customers who get to the gate prematurely will be asked to go back and wait their turn. As of Wednesday, the airline announced, this technology is now being used in more than 100 U.S. airports that American flies out of. The official expansion arrives after successful tests in three of these locations. Stock market today: Wall Street rises with Nvidia as bitcoin bursts above $99,000 NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields inched higher in the bond market. What will happen to CNBC and MSNBC when they no longer have a corporate connection to NBC News? Two television networks with “NBC” in their names — MSNBC and CNBC — will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News once a spinoff formally takes effect in about a year. Comcast is cutting loose several of its cable companies into a separate company in order to improve its bottom line. It leaves several questions, particularly for MSNBC. Will the news network geared to liberal viewers continue to use NBC News personnel? Will it have to leave its offices and studios at the NBC News headquarters in New York's Rockefeller Center? Will they even keep the same names?
The Impact Of Physical Fitness On Executive PerformanceCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the United States for not electing Vice President Kamala Harris to the presidency, suggesting that “women’s rights and women’s progress” are “under attack.” During a speech on Tuesday evening at an Equal Voice Foundation event, Trudeau claimed America was facing “regressive forces” that were attempting to fight against women’s rights and progress, according to the National Post. Trudeau noted that the U.S. had decided “for a second time, to not elect its first woman president.” “It shouldn’t be that way. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. We were supposed to be on a steady — if difficult sometimes — march towards progress,” Trudeau said. “And, yet, just a few weeks ago the United States voted for a second time, to not elect its first woman president.” Trudeau added, “Everywhere, women’s rights and women’s progress is under attack — overtly and subtly, but I want you to know that I am and always will be a proud feminist. You will always have an ally in me and my government.” John Nolte Chronicles the End of America's Woke Moment The comments from Trudeau come a month after President-elect Donald Trump won the presidential election over Vice President Kamala Harris after he earned 270 votes in the Electoral College. As Breitbart News’s Wendell Husebo reported , Trump has recently taken to trolling Trudeau by calling him “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” During a meeting between Trudeau and Trump at Mara-a-Lago, Trump was reported as having joked about Canada becoming the 51st state and Trudeau being the governor if Canada did not like the idea of a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada. The meeting between Trudeau and Trump came after Trump threatened both Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from both countries and would not lift the tariffs unless both Canada and Mexico addressed the ongoing illegal immigration and drug inflow.
FBI Director Wray says he intends to resign at the end of Biden's term in January
FBI Director Wray says he intends to resign at the end of Biden's term in JanuaryIt was once among the most promising ways to funnel climate finance to vulnerable communities and nature conservation. The trading of carbon credits , each equal to a tonne of CO 2 that has been reduced or removed from the atmosphere, was meant to target quick, cost-effective wins on climate and biodiversity. In 2022, demand soared as companies made environmental commitments using offsets, with the market surpassing $2bn (£1.6bn) while experiencing exponential growth. But the excitement did not last. Two years later, many carbon markets organisations are clinging on for survival, with several firms losing millions of dollars a year and cutting jobs. Scandals about environmentally worthless credits , an FBI charge against a leading project developer for a $100m fraud, and a lack of clarity about where money from offsets went has caused their market value to plunge by more than half . Predictions that standing rainforests and other carbon-rich ecosystems would become multibillion-dollar assets have not yet come to pass. But at Cop29 over the past two weeks, governments have given the sector fresh hope by signing off rules that will create an international carbon trading system for countries to meet their Paris commitments. In Azerbaijan on Saturday evening, governments agreed to rules on how countries can create, trade and register emission reductions and removals as carbon credits after years of deadlock on article 6 of the Paris agreement. It paves the way for top emitters such as Germany and Japan to buy cheap removals and reductions from decarbonisation schemes in developing countries such as renewable energy schemes, rainforest protection or tree-planting, counting them towards their own targets. Trading could begin as soon as 2025 once technical bodies have agreed on the finer details. If it works well, the market would fund the low-hanging fruit of climate mitigation while making sure emissions are capped in line with the Paris agreement. There is particularly strong interest in carbon removal, with many large tech firms buying credits and trying to scale up the market. After several false starts, negotiators and observers say this is the last chance to get it right. “International carbon markets have crashed twice in two decades. This was due to an erosion of credibility. At Baku, the operationalisation of international carbon trading under Paris can prevent a third meltdown that could be fatal,” said Axel Michaelowa, a carbon markets expert at the University of Zurich. “They are a powerful tool to accelerate the diffusion of low-carbon technology around the world. The Paris carbon market is now ready to roll out in 2025. It can accelerate mitigation and thus help close the gaping emissions gap that separates us from achieving the 1.5C target,” he said. Big concerns about carbon markets remain. In the run-up to Cop28 in Dubai last year, it emerged that vast tracts of African forest had been sold off in a series of huge carbon offsetting deals to a little-known UAE firm overseen by a member of Dubai’s royal family, prompting fears of a “new scramble for Africa” over the continent’s carbon resources. The potential size and impact of any country-level market is also unclear. Norway has reserved up to $740m (£590) for purchases under the Paris carbon market, signing agreements in Baku with Benin, Jordan, Senegal and Zambia, but there are questions over how many other developed countries will make purchases despite predictions it could soar into a multibillion-dollar market. Then, there is the issue of environmental integrity, which has repeatedly undermined faith in carbon credits, including the previous UN carbon trading system. A new study in Nature Communications published during the first week of Cop29 found that less than 16% of carbon credits issued represent real emissions reductions, meaning that the vast majority are hot air. Moments after governments approved the Paris carbon trading system, observers warned that the rules were not strict enough to avoid similar issues. Dr Lambert Schneider, one of the co-authors and a senior researcher at the Oeko-Institut, said these problems would undermine the Paris agreement if they spilled into the official UN system. “The available evidence suggests that many carbon credits are not backed by any actual emission reductions. If these quality issues continue under article 6, this could undermine our efforts to achieve our climate targets. It is critical that we fix the integrity issue of the market,” he said. “We currently see proposals on the table that would credit the natural absorption of carbon dioxide by forests. But these removals occur anyways and not because of any human intervention. If these credits are used by buyers to emit more, this would result in more carbon added up to the atmosphere. And the potential for issuing such credits is very large,” he said. There have been efforts to clean up standards in the sector, which could form part of the UN market. Verra, the leading carbon credit standard which was the subject of a joint Guardian investigation into their rainforest offsets that found they were mostly worthless, is introducing a new system for generating the carbon credits. Mandy Rambharos, the non-profit’s CEO, said they were determined to get it right and move on from recent issues. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion “We’ve invested in millions of dollars for no guarantee of any return [in the new rainforest carbon credit methodology]. It’s all done at risk,” she said. “We need to take accountability for some things that went wrong. But I’m saying as well, it’s not just Verra. “The idea to grow the carbon market is to get climate financing to the right places. A London taxpayer is not going to give thousands of dollars to developing countries to reduce the emissions, especially if you’re not sure about those developing countries’ commitment. We’re all in the same bucket, whether it’s Mali, Saudi Arabia or China; that’s where the idea of where carbon markets came about,” she added. This month, a carbon credit integrity initiative – the ICVCM – approved three rainforest methodologies as high quality, including Verra’s new rules, meaning that buyers can trust that the credits represent real emission reductions. But those involved with the process have raised concerns about their approval. The Guardian understands that many experts did not think the methodologies met the standards. This is strongly contested by the ICVCM. Credits such as this could eventually form part of country-to-country carbon deals, and experts say that ensuring these deals have real environmental benefits will be key to their success. “The new rules are a start, but the risk of abuse still remains alive and well,” said Injy Johnstone, a research fellow at the University of Oxford. “We have to learn the lessons of past mistakes and watch for new ones this system could create, otherwise we risk the Paris agreement becoming a market failure,” she said.
High-profile cases involving CBI, ED: Trials set to begin without delay in New Year; Restitution of assets in focus
Papua New Guinea's Police Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr says the additional funding for police in the 2025 Budget will make the country safer. The minsiter said the government knows what is required to support plans to strengthen the police force, the Post-Courier reported. The increased spending will allow for higher wages, greater numbers, and help create a force that is relevant to modern law and order challenges. When revealing the new Budget, PNG Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey said, "it gives the police more than they asked for." "We will give them a 19 percent increase in wages so they are able to grow the force by 10,000 by 2030," Ling-Stuckey said. "We have increased their goods and services budget to K158.6 million, an extraordinary increase of 67 percent in just one year." Tsiamalili said there will also be more money for critical resources such as vehicles, fuel, housing, office accommodation, and ammunition. Business analysis company Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) has given Budget the thumbs up. PwC is forecasting robust GDP growth of 4.9 percent this year with 4.7 percent next year. Inflation in PNG is expected to be 4.5 percent. It said the key highlight is the move away from the resource sector, which will be growing more slowly. PwC told Sunday Online this heralds a move to a more balanced and sustainable economy. PwC said the allocation of more than a third of spending to health and education reflects a strong commitment to social development and human capital investment.
Raise the flag: No. 21 NAU football headed to the FCS playoffsJudge rejects sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to The Onion in dispute over bankruptcy auction
( ) - When I heard about AI glasses that let you "see" what people are saying, I was skeptical. But after trying them on, I was proven wrong. The give you closed captions for the real world. The right lens has a small, transparent display that shows you conversations, but you can still see the people you're talking to. "The mission is... using the technology to help others," said Ting Chen, vice president of marketing for the company behind the glasses. The glasses are lightweight but a bit thicker than your typical spectacles. They connect wirelessly to a smartphone, which uses the Hearview app to listen to what people are saying. Those conversations are transcribed in near real time using AI, and then the words are displayed on the tiny see through screen. The system seems to be very accurate and works with 13 languages - and although there is a bit of a delay, it won't necessarily matter if you can't hear the words being spoken out loud. The glasses come in one style but can be outfitted with a magnetic sunglass clip or prescription lenses. The battery lasts about 7 hours on a charge. The result is impressive and potentially very useful for the hard of hearing. "So far, overwhelmingly positive. The folks who have purchased the glasses, used it in the community, they loved it," said Chen. The downside? The price. Hearview glasses retail for about $2,000, but are often on sale for less. The company says the price could come down as the tech evolves. Various other big tech firms are working on glasses that could perform similar functionality - including Apple's Vision Pro, Meta's Project Orion and Snapchat's Spectacles. However, all of those solutions are either still in development or, in the case of Vision Pro, too bulky and pricey to be used on the go. "This is a very, very powerful new tool so that it can enrich the life of many (in the) deaf community," concluded Chen. Up next, Hearview is working on AI that can translate sign language into text. To remove this article -FrankRamspott/E+ via Getty Images Despite slowing sharply over the last quarter or so, India remains the fastest-growing major economy. More importantly, for investors, earnings growth also remains among the fastest in the world. Yes, the +32% earnings growth of last year has Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.