Capital project: plugging in profits from a big batteryTimes News Network Ludhiana: Unhappy with the govt not closing common effluent treatment plants of dyeing units at Buddha Dariya , as promised on Dec 3, members of Kale Pani Da Morcha have decided to secure the involvement of people of Punjab in the campaign and make it an election issue. Activists have announced that they will visit all districts of the state to talk to people about the ground situation. They said that on April 13, they would gather at Anandpur Sahib and announce a future course of action. Activists claimed that it was “useless” to interact with officials or the govt as they had not kept their promise of closing down the CETP at Bahadur K Road in two days and two CETPs at Tajpur Road in one week. Addressing a press conference, activists appealed to people of Ludhiana to ask candidates of MC elections whether they would solve the issue of pollution in the Buddha Dariya. Kapil Arora, an activist said, “MC elections are round the corner and Buddha Dariya passes across the city. Voters should ask candidates why they have not been given the right to clean drinking water. Few city residents could participate in the protest but now, they can ask these candidates whether they will be able to provide them with clean water and air.” Amitoz Mann, a celebrity and member of Kale Pani Da Morcha said, “A govt which does not bother about an issue related to public health has no right to stay in power.” We also published the following articles recently Ludhiana municipal corporation elections: 34 candidates file nominations ahead of December 21 polls Nominations for the Ludhiana municipal corporation elections are underway, with 34 candidates filing papers on the third day, bringing the total to 26. Nine additional nominations were submitted for Sahnewal and Malaud Nagar Panchayat elections. The deadline is December 12, followed by scrutiny on December 13 and withdrawal until December 14. HC: Fundamental rights only for hawkers, not common people? The Bombay High Court questioned if fundamental rights apply only to hawkers and not citizens, emphasizing the need for BMC to act against illegal hawking. The court highlighted the impact on pedestrians' rights and questioned the validity of hawkers' licenses, particularly near Flora Fountain. HC asks govt about steps to address attacks by stray animals The Delhi High Court is demanding action on the threat stray animals pose to vulnerable groups like children and the disabled. Dissatisfied with the government's response, the court pressed for a detailed report on current measures and any national policy for service animals assisting the disabled, citing examples like police dogs. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
South Africa is concerned about the violence in Mozambique and calls on all parties to engage in political dialogue, the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. According to the statement, South Africa is ready to assist Mozambique in any manner to facilitate this dialogue, saying that the country's government "will continue working with SADC and other multilateral agencies in supporting a lasting solution to the current impasse." Opposition protests began in Mozambique immediately after the electoral commission announced preliminary results of the presidential and parliamentary elections held on October 9.Trump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’
LOS ANGELES — Longtime political commentator Bill Maher and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson engaged in a fiery exchange after the scientist questioned a claim about the biological differences between men and women. During a Friday episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Maher addressed the controversy surrounding Laura Helmuth, former editor-in-chief of Scientific American who resigned after making disparaging remarks about supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. He went on to jab at a piece published by Scientific American suggesting the differences between how males and females perform in sports are societal, not biological. “That’s nuts,” Maher said. “And it sure ain’t scientific and it’s in Scientific American and that’s why Democrats lost the election.” “Bill, every 20 minutes on your platform, you come up with another reason why the Democrats lost,” Tyson said after laughing at Maher’s remark. “You already have the answer, they lost the election, so anything you say is why they did it.” Tyson’s response prompted Maher to question how much Tyson watches his show. “First of all, you don’t watch this show, so you don’t know,” Maher replied. “I know you don’t and it’s OK, but you talk as if you do.” Tyson then noted Helmuth no longer works at Scientific American, saying the magazine shouldn’t be judged entirely by what happened under her leadership. “Why can’t you just say this is not scientific and Scientific American should do better?” Maher asked. Tyson again dodged the question, claiming women might have an advantage over men in long-distance swimming. “Well, I’m going to file you under ‘part of the problem,’ ” Maher said. Maher pressed Tyson again during the show’s “Overtime” segment. That discussion surrounded the effectivity of vaccines and whether avoiding a vaccine is worth the potential risk of infection. “Science matters in this,” Tyson said. “Of course it does,” Maher replied. “Sometimes you don’t sound that way and that’s what worries me,” Tyson said. “You’re the guy who doesn’t understand why the [WNBA] team can’t beat the [Los Angeles] Lakers,” Maher fired back. “You’re supposed to be the scientist and you couldn’t even admit that.” The clash between Maher and Tyson comes at a time of tense debate in Washington, D.C., surrounding the transgender community. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., last week offered to allow Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., to use his private office bathroom after multiple Republican lawmakers spoke out against her use of the women’s facilities.PHILANTHROPIST Julia Rausing, who died earlier this year, left an eye-watering £58 million in her will. Julia, who died of cancer aged 63 in April, was the wife of Swedish food packaging titan Hans Kristian Rausing . A trust set up in her name after she died has pledged to donate £100 million to UK charities in the next year, including £10 million to the Royal Opera House , £5 million to The National Gallery and £1 million to Gloucester Cathedral. Figures from the probate office show she left a gross estate of £58,815,688 reduced to £58,518,112 after her bills were paid. In her will, made a month before her death, she asked to be buried in the church at Lasborough, Gloucestershire, wearing her wedding ring, and left her two nieces and nephew, and great nieces and great nephews, £250,000 each. She left £30,000 each to her five god-children. She left the rest of her estate to Hans, whom she met in 2002 when she was a senior director at auction house Christie’s. In a heartbreaking tribute, Hans, heir to Tetra Pak, said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of my beloved wife Julia after an extended illness. “Julia dedicated her life to her family and charitable causes, and she will be missed by all who knew her. “She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy across many charities which we will continue in her name.” The couple donated £330million in more than 1,000 grants through the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust which they co-founded in 2014. Their philanthropy included £50million to UK charities. Their charity extended across the health and well-being, welfare and education plus the arts and culture sectors. Julia worked at Christie’s auctioneers before she met Hans. She is survived by her husband, four stepchildren, her sister Lavinia Verney and mother Lady Helen Delves Broughton. One friend told The Independent: “They were palpably in love and affectionate towards each other and were a very touching couple who focused most of their time on how to give away money to those in need. “They were also discreetly social while she also for many years had to battle cancer. “Without a doubt, she was responsible for bringing Hans back from appalling grief and helping him find joy in life again.” Hans’s first wife Eva, mother to his four kids, was found dead wrapped in bedding at the couple’s squalid Belgravia flat in July 2012. He had hidden her body for two months before being charged with delaying her burial and sentenced to ten months’ in prison. A coroner ruled Eva died around May 7 from the effects of cocaine on a damaged heart. At the time she was one of the richest women in Britain. Professor Hans Rausing, Hans’s father, died aged 93 in August 2019.
Hurricane-force winds bear down on California, latest in stretch of extreme weather
Major stock indexes on Wall Street drifted to a mixed finish Friday, capping a rare bumpy week for the market. The S&P 500 ended essentially flat, down less than 0.1%, after wavering between tiny gains and losses most of the day. The benchmark index posted a loss for the week, its first after three straight weekly gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%, ending just below the record high it set on Wednesday. There were more than twice as many decliners than gainers on the New York Stock Exchange. Gains in technology stocks helped temper losses in communication services, financials and other sectors of the market. Broadcom surged 24.4% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the semiconductor company beat Wall Street’s profit targets and gave a glowing forecast, highlighting its artificial intelligence products. The company also raised its dividend. The company's big gain helped cushion the market's broader fall. Pricey stock values for technology companies like Broadcom give the sector more weight in pushing the market higher or lower. Artificial intelligence technology has been a focal point for the technology sector and the overall stock market over the last year. Tech companies, and Wall Street, expect demand for AI to continue driving growth for semiconductor and other technology companies. Some tech stocks were a drag on the market. Nvidia fell 2.2%, Meta Platforms dropped 1.7% and Google parent Alphabet slid 1.1%. Among the market's other decliners were Airbnb, which fell 4.7% for the biggest loss in the S&P 500, and Charles Schwab, which closed 4% lower. Furniture and housewares company RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, surged 17% after raising its forecast for revenue growth for the year. All told, the S&P 500 lost 0.16 points to close at 6,051.09. The Dow dropped 86.06 points to 43,828.06. The Nasdaq rose 23.88 points to 19,926.72. Wall Street's rally stalled this week amid mixed economic reports and ahead of the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year. The central bank will meet next week and is widely expected to cut interest rates for a third time since September. Expectations of a series of rate cuts has driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year . The Fed has been lowering its benchmark interest rate following an aggressive rate hiking policy that was meant to tame inflation. It raised rates from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023. Inflation eased under pressure from higher interest rates, nearly to the central bank's 2% target. The economy, including consumer spending and employment, held strong despite the squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. A slowing job market, though, has helped push a long-awaited reversal of the Fed's policy. Inflation rates have been warming up slightly over the last few months. A report on consumer prices this week showed an increase to 2.7% in November from 2.6% in October. The Fed's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures index, will be released next week. Wall Street expects it to show a 2.5% rise in November, up from 2.3% in October. The economy, though, remains solid heading into 2025 as consumers continue spending and employment remains healthy, said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “Still, the outlook is clouded by unusually high uncertainty surrounding regulatory, immigration, trade and tax policy,” he said. Treasury yields edged higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.40% from 4.34% late Thursday. European markets slipped. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%. Britain’s economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1% month-on-month in October, following a 0.1% decline in September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Asian markets closed mostly lower.Releasing Aaron Rodgers prior to June 1 would be a shortsighted move by the New York Jets , immediately hamstringing the new general manager with a devastating 2025 salary cap hit. In "What I'm hearing," The Athletic's Dianna Russini suggested that New York could send Rodgers packing sooner than later. "Some around the league say they won’t be surprised if Rodgers is cut in-season," said Russini . Other than embarrass Rodgers, releasing the quarterback within the next few weeks accomplishes nothing except put the Jets on the hook for $49 million in dead salary cap space in 2025. According to figures posted by sports news outlet uStadium , a pre-June 1 cut would mean New York would have to absorb the full dead cap hit next season. If they wait until after June 1 in the new league year, the Jets can spread the charge out in the form of $14 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026. The salary cap will escalate over the next two years as the NFL continues to build its media rights revenues, so $35 million in 2025 will hit harder than in 2026. Right now, each team must comply with a $255.4 million spending limit. That number is projected to jump to $273.3 million next season. In 2026, it's scheduled to increase to $290 million. Cutting Rodgers right now would mean that the quarterback would occupy 18 percent of the Jets' 2025 salary cap space despite not even being on the team. RELATED: Jets' next game could be the last for 'disastrous' Aaron Rodgers experiment If New York is content with low expectations next year, owner Woody Johnson could elect to dismiss Rodgers early and all but sacrifice the 2025 campaign before it starts. There's speculation from multiple sources that Rodgers has been playing hurt over the past seven games. He ranks 30th amongst qualifying quarterbacks in yards per attempt (6.4) and hasn't shown the ability to stretch the field. Rodgers and the Jets (3-8) will be playing for their postseason lives on December 1 against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. More New York Jets News: • Ex-Jets' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick drags Aaron Rodgers, Jets • Why Woody Johnson finally fired Joe Douglas • Jets urged to make smart personnel move now with eye on future • Who is New York Jets' interim general manager Phil Savage? • Three serious candidates for Jets' head coaching job
Family members of murder victims launch campaign to speak at parole hearingsStock market today: Wall Street ends mixed after a bumpy week
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” That’s the prevailing feeling during Christmas, but for LeBron James and his family, the holiday season tends to get pretty hectic. As the Lakers superstar revealed in Netflix’s Starting 5 docuseries, his daughter Zhuri is the first person to wake up on the morning of the 25th, and she waits patiently for her parents to join her to open her gifts. The 10-year-old runs Christmas in the James household, and the rest of the family ensures the day is set up to provide her with the most magical time possible. According to James, when he and his wife Savannah wake up and get down to the tree in their house, Zhuri is already in a festive mood. He said, Funnily enough, Savannah said the same thing in the other room, and the producers were shocked about how the couple had the same concern. She yelled, James won’t be at home for Christmas this year as he’ll be busy playing in his 18th consecutive Christmas Day game , and his 19th overall. Despite spending practically every morning of every year on the holiday in a different city or at the practice facility, being away from his family isn’t a feeling he has gotten used to. When LeBron James spoke out against having to play on Christmas In 2017, the Cavaliers and the Warriors were set to face off for the third straight year on Christmas Day. This game was at the Oracle Arena, so James and his teammates had to fly out a day before and couldn’t spend the morning with their families, which the four-time NBA champion was too pleased about. He was visibly upset about having to spend Christmas worrying about a game rather than being with his wife, three children, and his mother. He was most heartbroken about not being with his daughter Zhuri, who had turned three two months prior. When asked before the game why his mood was grim, he said , The cost of being one of the most famous athletes in the world is missing important events like birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmases. It comes with the territory but never gets less painful.