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2025-01-24
~=nr܍E(MHW!߹mp3. ZhK~=nr܍E(MHW!߹mp3. ZhKAutomatic voter registration set to get underway in WalesMiddle East latest: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill more than 50 people, including kids

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CT Real Estate Investment Trust ( TSE:CRT.UN – Get Free Report ) shares passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$15.08 and traded as low as C$14.38. CT Real Estate Investment Trust shares last traded at C$14.48, with a volume of 108,266 shares. Analyst Ratings Changes Several analysts have issued reports on the company. National Bankshares set a C$16.25 price objective on CT Real Estate Investment Trust and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of CT Real Estate Investment Trust from C$15.00 to C$16.00 in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, TD Securities lifted their price objective on shares of CT Real Estate Investment Trust from C$15.00 to C$16.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Check Out Our Latest Report on CT Real Estate Investment Trust CT Real Estate Investment Trust Trading Up 0.6 % CT Real Estate Investment Trust Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.0771 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $0.93 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.39%. CT Real Estate Investment Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.09%. About CT Real Estate Investment Trust ( Get Free Report ) CT Real Estate Investment Trust is an unincorporated, closed-end real estate investment trust formed to own income-producing commercial properties located primarily in Canada. Its portfolio is comprised of over 370 properties totalling more than 30 million square feet of GLA, consisting primarily of net lease single-tenant retail properties located across Canada. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for CT Real Estate Investment Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for CT Real Estate Investment Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .The new DraftKings Promo Code unlocks a $150 welcome bonus for Black Friday in November 2024. DraftKings Sportsbook Mac Douglass | Special Correspondent As of Saturday, November 30th, 2024, DraftKings Sportsbook has announced an updated promo code that unlocks two distinct offers for new users across different states. Whether you’re betting on the Penn State vs. Maryland college football matchup or the Notre Dame vs. USC showdown, or any other action this month, these DraftKings promo codes ensure there’s something for everyone. 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Best Buy has slashed the price tag of the Asus Zenbook 14 by a cool $300 in the days leading up to Black Friday. Right now, you can buy the laptop for $500 . Also: The best Black Friday deals live now The 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 is available at Best Buy for $799, and is a contender to be one of the best work laptops of the year. It's affordable, sports the latest hardware, and has a long battery life; all packed into a form factor that weighs less than three pounds. As great as it is, this laptop has a tendency to run hot. Among the plethora of work laptops, the 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 stands out above the rest. It performs incredibly well, has a comfortable keyboard, long-lasting battery, and bright, smooth display. There isn't a single category where this device doesn't excel. This Zenbook model is one of the best laptops I've used this year alongside the Dell XPS 16 , and is nothing short of fantastic -- especially at this price point. Also: I tested Lenovo's Windows laptop that doubles as an Android tablet, and it has so much potential One of the reasons why the Zenbook is so popular is its sheer versatility. The model I went hands-on with here features the Intel Core Ultra 5, but there are additional configurations available, including with the Intel Core Ultra 7 and 9 processors featuring Intel's AI Boost NPU. Its high degree of customizability, combined with the bold form factor puts it up against Dell's XPS series as a high-performing machine with a unique look. Now that I've sufficiently sang its praises, let's get into what makes the Zenbook 14 so good, starting with its battery. No matter which power mode the machine is set to, you can expect it to last the entire workday. I performed my usual test of running an endlessly playing YouTube live stream at 720p and 50 percent brightness. Asus Zenbook 14 Asus' 2024 Zenbook 14 is the productivity user's best friend. The battery will last you the entire day, plus its ErgoSense keyboard is easy on the hands. On Best Performance, the battery ran for about 6.5 hours before dying. On Balanced, it surpassed that time by going over 10 hours. Then on Best Power Efficiency, the Zenbook 14 lasted a whopping 12 hours. Keep in mind these times were all achieved without the battery saver turned on. With that setting enabled, I expect run times to be even longer. I was genuinely surprised by how long the device lasted, and haven't been this impressed with a laptop's battery performance since the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 . It seems the model's longevity is owed to the hardware. Also: One of the best 13-inch laptops I've tested has marathon battery life and a bold design Asus went with an energy-efficient chipset for this laptop, which greatly contributes to its impressive battery life. The processor on my review unit was an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H bundled with an integrated Intel graphics card and 8GB of RAM. Make no mistake: that is not a particularly high-end configuration. But it doesn't need it. It performs this efficiently thanks to its secret weapon: a neural processing unit (or NPU). NPUs are a recent addition to laptops, with 2024 seeing their large-scale integration. To oversimplify what they do, NPUs harness AI to boost the performance of CPUs and GPUs by taking some of the load off them. For example, while testing this laptop, I was able to have 50 tabs open across six windows, all without experiencing a drop in performance. Impressive performance indeed, considering the hardware. Also: This inexpensive laptop brings back a buzzword that was once the talk of the tech industry In addition, Asus equipped this laptop with a 14-inch, OLED display outputting a Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) image at a variable refresh rate of either 60GHz or up to 120GHz, depending on your configuration. Tthe screen covers the entire PCI-3 gamut, enabling bright, vivid colors and a FullHD resolution that results in highly-detailed images. Plus, the bezels around the display are very thin, resulting in a display with a 16:10 aspect ratio for wide-angle viewing. All in all, this laptop has a marvelous design. It weighs less than three pounds yet is quite durable since it has an exterior made primarily from aluminum. Even the screen is tough, as Asus used Corning Gorilla Glass in its construction. However, since it's so thin, there aren't a ton of ports on this laptop. All it has is one USB-A input, two USB-Cs, a headphone/earphone jack combo, and an HDMI port. At least the basics are covered. Personally, I appreciate laptops with great keyboards, and the Zenbook 14 does not disappoint. It comes equipped with the company's patented ErgoSense technology which, as the name suggests, makes the keyboard ergonomically friendly. Each of the keys has a travel distance of 1.4mm travel distance, letting you type on them without having to press the buttons all the way down. This alleviates some of the stress on your fingers. Also, ErgoSense replicates the key spacing on full-sized keyboards, ensuring accurate typing. Now you may be wondering: what's the catch? Is the Asus Zenbook 14 as perfect as you say it is? Well, there are a couple of considerations here. One issue is more of a pet peeve of mine: the speakers are at the bottom of the laptop, facing down, resulting in some muffled audio. Fortunately, they're still powerful enough despite their poor placement. Music and media sound great coming from these speakers, but I did notice some audio distortion occurring at high volume. Also: Lenovo's new $749 ThinkBook may be the best-value Windows laptop of 2024. Here's why My biggest issue with the laptop is the fact it can run incredibly warm. You can't even type on the keyboard or have it on your legs without discomfort. Heat vents are found on the bottom and the side, but they don't offer much relief. This problem is exacerbated if you try to use the laptop while charging. There's so much heat that typing on the keyboard becomes uncomfortable. You're honestly better off not using the laptop during this time. ZDNET's buying advice The Asus Zenbook 14 is a solid laptop that is as versatile as it is high-performing. It boasts great performance, a crisp display, sturdy design, comfortable keyboard, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I didn't even mention the 1080p webcam, the anti-fingerprint coating covering the trackpad, or maybe the best part of all: the affordable price. You can purchase my review unit's configuration on Best Buy for $799.99, but there's always the option to upgrade the hardware if you're looking for something with more power behind it. A Zenbook 14 sporting an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, Intel Arc GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage will start at $1,299 but come with significant jump up in processing power. No matter which one you get, it'll be worth the low price. How we test laptops We use a combination of methods to test laptops here at ZDNET. First, we acquire data from benchmarking software to analyze a system's metrics under the hood, and compare those to advertised numbers. Then, we spend an extended amount of time with the laptop (usually a week or two) using it the same way a normal consumer would, in order to analyze its portability, form factor, and how well the battery actually holds up, among others. For an extensive breakdown, check out our comprehensive laptop testing methodology . Benchmarking: We run a series of tests to put the computer's hardware through the wringer in order to see what it's capable of. Cinebench is one of the most commonly-used hardware testing suites, which tests the laptop's rendering performance on single and multiple CPU cores. PCMark 10 is another powerful program that covers a wide variety of tasks performed in the workplace. Processor: The "brain" of the laptop, and one of the most important factors that determines performance. This is tested in benchmarking software. The display: Brightness is measured in "nits," and color spectrums are tested in benchmarking software. The graphics processor (GPU): We test the GPU with a combination of benchmarking software, gaming, and media playback. Physical form factor: We carry the laptop around for at least a week and note how well it commutes. Battery testing: We test a unit's battery in a few ways. A handful of benchmarking programs have their own battery testing components, but we also will just let the laptop run for as long as it can under a medium load. The human element: As we mentioned earlier, metrics and system data is important, but numbers alone don't give you the full picture. This is where we weave in our personal experience with the device and tap into the practical use cases that consumers actually care about. Ultimately, our goal is to break down the capabilities of each and every laptop we test into digestible terms that real people can find useful. One of the best QLED TVs I've tested isn't made by Samsung or Hisense (and it's $500 off) I finally found a wireless Android Auto adapter that's reliable, functional, and affordable This is the most bizarre portable power station I've tested - and it actually works One of the best cheap soundbars I've tested performs as well as models twice its priceLocal school officials are in the thick of budget season. So when the N.H. Department of Education told school districts last month to expect significantly less state aid for special education costs than initially planned for this fiscal year, school officials statewide were thrown for a loop. And, some say, this will likely force them to ask taxpayers to cover the difference. “I was shocked, and saddened, and worried,” said Rich Popovic, chair of the Nelson School Board. The rural school district is part of N.H. School Administrative Unit 29 and, per state education department data, has 63 students in grades kindergarten through 5. “Even in a small town, one special education case can really sort of — if it’s unexpected, especially — it can throw the budget into a downward spiral,” Popovic said. On the other side of the Monadnock Region, the Hinsdale School District enrolls approximately 523 students, K-12. Hinsdale School Board Chair April Anderson said the shortfall will disproportionately affect small rural districts like Hinsdale because special education services are more expensive and harder to come by for students with higher needs in these areas. “The lack of available funding will mean our taxpayers will have to make up the difference, and as we know the state is already failing to fund an adequate education,” she said in a written statement Dec. 13. “In order to keep our budget affordable, we will need to find revenue in other ways, possibly through reductions of staff and services. This isn’t fair to anyone, especially our students.” The amount of money Nelson districts were approved to receive from the state versus what will actually be funded was not available by press deadline. The Hinsdale School district requested $205,000 for school year 2024-25, according to Board Chair April Anderson. The Keene School District was approved to get $884,219 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, out of $2,566,091.09 in approved expenses, according to SAU 29 Chief Financial Officer Tim Ruehr. “The $884,219.50 is not fully funded so we are expecting to receive 66.3893% or $587,027.64,” Ruehr wrote in an email Dec. 15. “This immediately down shifted $297,191.86 to local taxpayers above what they would normally be responsible to fund.” Keene Board of Education Chair George Downing said the board is having to adjust very late in the budgeting process this year because of the shortfall. “It’s going to be a challenge. It’s always a challenge, but more so this year,” he said. At the start of the 2023-24 school year, 32,019 New Hampshire students, or 19.45 percent, received special education services, according to data from the state education department. Special education services often cost more than general education because these services require support that’s tailored to specific student needs from specially trained staff, assistive technology and smaller class sizes. These costs can also include transportation to out-of-district placements if these services aren’t available in a student’s local district. School districts that don’t raise enough money through the statewide education property tax, known as SWEPT, receive adequacy aid. After that, districts are responsible for any additional costs for those students up to 31⁄2 times the current average cost per pupil, per a handout from the education department. Any per-student special education expenses above that threshold are expected to be reimbursed by the state at 80 percent. Expenses that are 10 times the average cost per pupil must be covered by the state entirely. Federal law mandates that districts provide appropriate education to all students regardless of their disability, even if it means incurring significant expense. Each state has a “catastrophic aid” fund to help offset those costs for their local districts. New Hampshire lawmakers appropriated $33.9 million to the state’s catastrophic aid fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, in the two-year budget passed in 2023. But the N.H. Department of Education said requests for special education aid had exceeded the legislative appropriation this year by $16 million. The state’s manual for special education aid notes that if in any year “the amount appropriated for distribution as special education aid exceeds the allocated amount, the district’s reimbursement shall be prorated.” The N.H. Department of Education said in a written statement Dec. 16 it took the proactive step of alerting school districts that the requests for special education aid had exceeded the legislative appropriation this year, but that it will work with the Legislature in the upcoming session to help ensure appropriate funding is provided to all districts. The state’s total appropriation for special education aid has remained relatively steady since 2021 — $33.3 million in 2021 and $33.9 million in 2024 — despite the number of eligible students and the cost of services rising year to year. The state Legislature set aside $22.3 million in 2017 and again in 2018 when districts were owed $32.5 million, according to the state Department of Education. However, in 2019, the Legislature raised that amount to $32.6 million. “Historically, these special education aid requests have exceeded the state appropriations until 2019 when Commissioner [Frank] Edelblut sought relief to address this important matter,” the department said in the statement. Even though these special education costs are included in New Hampshire’s adequate education funding formula, only 17.47 percent of special education expenditures in 2023 were paid by the state and federal governments, according to the N.H. School Funding Fairness Project, an advocacy group for equitable education funding in the state. This results in the majority of the bill being downshifted to local property taxpayers. Downing, chair of the Keene school board, said board members have been mindful of other burdens taxpayers are already facing, such as the ongoing housing crisis. “We’re trying to balance what our schools need to operate without overburdening the tax base in Keene,” he said. Roughly 55 percent of the Keene School District’s budget each year comes from state and federal funds, according to Downing, with the remainder from taxes and tuition payments from sending towns. “But if you’re in a really small town, like Westmoreland or Marlow, one more student needing [special education] services can have a big impact on the budget,” Downing said. Information about how the shortfall will affect budgets in those two districts was not available. The Sentinel also reached out to the Monadnock Regional School District for comment but did not receive information prior to publication. Popovic has been on the Nelson School Board for roughly 10 years, joining when his daughter entered kindergarten. He said the school board will “do our best” to work with the shortfall, but he noted other small districts in the state might have to have difficult conversations about cutting staff or even considering closing schools. “If more of the burden goes to taxpayers, they have to consider that,” he said. “... You have scores of dedicated teachers and administrators just trying to make it work, and yet somehow they’re becoming the problem. And they’re not.” The budget creation process is still ongoing for Keene, Downing noted, so until he sees the proposed numbers he’s unsure if there’ll be any drastic measures considered to cut costs. “I feel good about our general budget process,” he said. “We’re pretty good about not asking for more than what we need. ... but with any loss of funding from the state, we do have to consider that it may very well impact our local taxpayers.” Both he and Popovic said local involvement is crucial, even if someone doesn’t have children in local schools. “If you’re really concerned about the tax burden from education, look at who you’re voting into power and see if they support public education in a realistic and wholehearted way,” Popovic said. “These are real financial impacts on everyone.”New Delhi: The Supreme Court Advocates On Record Association (SCAORA) has raised concerns over the current practice of announcing hearing sequences in the Supreme Court only after 10:30 a.m. on the same day. In a letter addressed to Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, the association emphasized the challenges this system poses for advocates, clerks, and other legal professionals, and called for reforms to improve planning and efficiency. “The present practice of issuing the hearing sequence in the morning after 10:30 a.m. is causing enormous challenges for all the Advocate-On-Records (AOR), Non-AORs, senior advocates, junior advocates, clerks, etc., as a whole,” SCAORA said in the letter. Advocate Nikhil Jain, Honorary Secretary of SCAORA, wrote on behalf of the association, requesting that the supplementary cause list include the hearing sequence for all courtrooms a day in advance. “On behalf of the entire association, I respectfully request that the supplementary cause list should include the hearing sequence for all the courtrooms for the next day, enabling better planning and preparation for our members,” Jain stated. The association highlighted how timely knowledge of the hearing order would aid advocates, especially elderly members of the Bar and those less adept with technology, in managing their schedules effectively. It also criticized the refusal by some courts to grant passovers in the first round of hearings, terming it a matter of significant concern. “The elderly members of the Bar and those who are not technically very adept are bearing the brunt and are frequently unable to attend hearings of their matters. Adding to the problem, it is unfortunate that some Courts are declining to give Passovers in the first round, which is a matter of great concern and causing great difficulty to the members of the Bar,” the letter said. Jain further stressed that timely publication of the cause list would enhance preparation and ensure efficient utilization of court time. “Timely publication of the cause list and clarity on the order of matters would ensure that advocates can prepare with due diligence and that the Court’s time is utilized to the fullest. I believe these changes will greatly enhance the court’s efficiency,” he added. Additionally, SCAORA requested that at least one passover should be granted by the courts, with such requests not being declined outright. The letter was signed by Jain and acknowledged the association’s leadership, including President Advocate Vipin Nair, Vice President Advocate Amit Sharma, and other executive members. The association hopes that its proposals will alleviate the difficulties faced by legal professionals and contribute to the Supreme Court's smooth functioning. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.

Ever since he entered the NBA, "The Alien" Victor Wembanyama has been the most terrifying player to try and score on. His 7-4 frame, eight-foot wingspan, insane reflexes, and shot-blocking ability has made him a one-of-a-kind defensive talent. One year after his arrival, the Spurs have added Stephon Castle, who is already one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA. Castle has been tasked with guarding some of the best guards in the NBA, and has held his own against Kyrie Irving, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Stephen Curry. Between "The Extraterrsital" Wembanyama, who wears No. 1, and Castle, who wears No. 5, Spurs fans have dubbed the young duo "Area 51." © Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Last year, the Spurs had the 21st-ranked defense in the NBA. This season, they are up to the eighth-best. Jeremy Sochan, who is a high-level defender in his own right, has missed the last ten games with a thumb injury. When he returns next month, the Spurs could emerge as one of the very best defense teams in the league. "They're playing pretty good on defense, they're a top-ten defensive team so far," said ESPN's Brian Windhorst. While Wembanyama is easily the centerpiece of the Spurs' defense, the national media is starting to pay attention to Castle. "Castle is the point-of-attack guy, get used to that folks," added Tim MacMahon. "They have a chance to be maybe the best defensive tandem in the league, they have a chance to be really tough." Related: Who Sets the Tone in San Antonio? After winning only 22 games last year, the Spurs are 9-8 and very much in the hunt in a crowded Western Conference. As they get healthy, they will only get better, which should be a scary prospect for the rest of the NBA. Related: Is Devin Vassell Injury Prone?

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20% of the world’s fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organized crime is rising at alarming rates. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organization that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor,” Miller said. Wildfires and extreme drought Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — dropped 30.6% compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula’s predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country’s environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024’s figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It’s impossible to overlook the threat posed by organized crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were draped in smoke in August from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the Amazon River fell to desperate lows, leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River’s main tributaries dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon’s fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole.” But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction.” It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil’s Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don’t how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. Indigenous voices and rights made headway in 2024 The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of a voice on nature conservation decisions, a development that builds on a growing movement to recognize Indigenous people’s role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organization, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support,” Ebus said. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Advertisement AdvertisementNo. 12 West Virginia women beat Boise State 82-47 to reach title game of Gulf Coast Showcase

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