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Zardari for upholding Bhutto family's legacy of serving humanityPuerto Vallarta, Jalisco – On Saturday, December 28 at 9:00 p.m., theater lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy the play “The Real Mexican Pastorela Chou” for the last time at the iconic La Gata Foro Bar. This show, full of humor, satire and fun, promises to close with a flourish not only the season, but also the history of this 2024 in the emblematic cultural space. A play to laugh and reflect The staging offers a modern and fun interpretation of traditional Mexican pastorelas, combining social and political criticism with light-hearted humor. With a talented cast and a script full of wit, “The Real Mexican Pastorela Chou” has won over local audiences and visitors to Puerto Vallarta. Satire, comedy and cabaret have been fundamental tools in the performing arts for social criticism due to their ability to mix entertainment with deep reflection. Humour and exaggeration allow complex or sensitive topics to be addressed in a light and understandable way. This makes it easier for the audience to connect emotionally with the messages and analyse them without feeling attacked. Satire and cabaret, in particular, use irony and sarcasm to expose injustices or abuses of power. Their symbolic and metaphorical format allows problems to be pointed out without mentioning them explicitly, which has historically avoided censorship in oppressive regimes. By ridiculing social, political or cultural situations, the audience sees itself reflected in the characters and recognises its own experiences. This identification generates empathy and provokes the need to question reality. Humour acts as an escape valve for social tensions. It allows repressed emotions to be released through laughter, while inviting people to think of solutions to the problems presented. While entertaining, they also educate. These art forms present uncomfortable truths wrapped in laughter, which motivates the audience to reflect even after the performance. Cabaret and comedy can quickly adapt to current issues, staying relevant and responding to the pulse of society. Their ability to improvise makes them powerful tools to keep social conversations alive. Being aimed at a diverse audience, these genres break down barriers of class, gender or age. This creates an inclusive space where critical ideas can be widely disseminated. From Classical Greece, with the works of Aristophanes, through the commedia dell'arte in the Renaissance, to the European cabarets of the 20th century, these artistic forms have served as cultural mirrors to denounce injustices. Satire, comedy and cabaret have been effective for social criticism because they generate laughter, reflection and change. They not only entertain, but invite us to question the world, fostering conversations necessary to transform society. The farewell of a 2024 on an unforgettable stage. The function also marks the end of the activities of La Gata Foro Bar, a place that during 2024 has been a refuge for artists, musicians and culture lovers. Located at Calle Matamoros 869-A, almost on the corner with Allende, in the center of Puerto Vallarta, this forum has left an indelible mark on the local art scene and has shown that with effort and dedication great achievements can be achieved. Let us remember that not long ago, hurricane winds left this beautiful place without a roof, so it had to close operations, but this 2024 showed that even with inclement weather, art can continue to be created and a new history for Cabaret culture can be built. Pre-sale and reservations Tickets are now available in pre-sale for $160 and can be purchased on the day of the event for $200. Due to the expected high demand, it is recommended to reserve in advance by calling 322 191 7478. A night to celebrate theater and the community. This event promises to be an unforgettable experience, not only for the show itself, but also for being a tribute to the legacy of La Gata Foro Bar as a cradle of artistic expression in Puerto Vallarta. At La Gata Foro Bar you can not only enjoy plays, but also a cozy atmosphere full of bohemian people who share dreams and hopes for a better world. Its intimate and vibrant atmosphere has made it an ideal space for artistic expression and human connection. Don't miss the opportunity to be part of this final chapter. Come and enjoy a night full of laughter, excitement and culture in a spectacular farewell!
The Sparks will open the 2025 WNBA season on Friday, May 16, in San Francisco against the expansion Golden State Valkyries at the Chase Center, the league announced on Monday. After a historic 2024 season in which the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 24 years while drawing the most spectators in two decades, the league is expanding its schedule again – this time to 44 games. WNBA teams played 40 games each of the last two seasons and 36 before then. The Sparks and new head coach Lynne Roberts will play their home opener on Sunday, May 18, against the 2024 WNBA runner-up Minnesota Lynx. The Sparks face the defending champion New York Liberty at home on Aug. 12 and in Brooklyn on July 3 and July 26. “We look forward to tipping off the WNBA’s 29th season in May of 2025 and continuing to build on the success of last season, when the WNBA delivered its most-watched draft and All-Star Game and set records for viewership, attendance, digital consumption and merchandise sales,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “We look forward to the expansion Golden State Valkyries taking the court for the first time.” The Valkyries, who join the league as its 13th team and will be coached by former Marina High and UCLA star Natalie Nakase , have their expansion draft on Friday (3:30 p.m. PT). Golden State will pick fifth in the 2025 WNBA Draft in April. The Sparks, who finished last in the league in 2024 and have missed the postseason for four consecutive years, have the No. 2 selection in the April draft . The New York Liberty will celebrate their first title with a ring and banner ceremony on May 17 when they host the Las Vegas Aces, who they met in the 2023 WNBA Finals. The Liberty, who beat Minnesota in five games in last season’s Finals in October, will face the Lynx four times in 2025: in Minneapolis on July 30 and Aug. 16, and in New York on Aug. 10 and Aug. 19. The Indiana Fever and 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark visit Los Angeles to take on the Sparks on Aug. 5 and Aug. 29 at Crypto.com Arena. The All-Star Game will be held in Indianapolis for the first time on July 19. The games designated for the Commissioner’s Cup standings will be played from June 1-17. Each team plays the others in its conference – five games for the six Eastern Conference teams and six for the seven Western Conference teams. The top teams in each conference meet in the Cup title game on July 1, hosted by team with the best winning percentage in Cup play. The regular season ends on Sept. 11 with the expanded playoffs to take place after that. The WNBA Finals have been expanded to a best-of-seven series this year and the best-of-three opening round of the playoffs will switch to a 1-1-1 format, guaranteeing each team gets at least one home game. In the past, the team with the better seed would host the first two games. The semifinals remain best-of-five. The league will hold its draft on April 14 with Connecticut star Paige Bueckers expected to go first to the Dallas Wings. Free agency precedes that. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on Jan. 21, and can start signing players on Feb. 1. The television and streaming broadcast schedule will be announced in 2025, likely in March. SPARKS’ 2025 SCHEDULE (all times are PT) May 16 – at Golden State, 7 p.m. May 18 – vs. Minnesota, 3 p.m. May 21 – at Las Vegas, 7 p.m. May 23 – vs. Golden State, 7 p.m. May 25 – vs. Chicago, 3 p.m. May 27 – vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m. May 30 – at Las Vegas, 7 p.m. June 1 – vs. Phoenix, 3 p.m. June 6 – vs. Dallas, 6:30 p.m. June 9 – vs. Golden State, 7 p.m. June 11 – at Las Vegas, 7 p.m. June 14 – at Minnesota, 10 a.m. June 17 – vs. Seattle, 7 p.m. June 21 – at Minnesota, 5 p.m. June 24 – at Chicago, 5 p.m. June 26 – at Indiana, 4 p.m. June 29 – vs. Chicago, 3 p.m. July 3 – at New York, 4 p.m. July 5 – at Indiana, 4 p.m. July 10 – vs. Minnesota, noon July 13 – vs. Connecticut, 3 p.m. July 15 – vs. Washington, 7 p.m. July 22 – at Washington, 4:30 p.m. July 24 – at Connecticut, 4 p.m. July 26 – at New York, 4 p.m. July 29 – vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m. Aug. 1 – at Seattle, 7 p.m. Aug. 5 – vs. Indiana, 7 p.m. Aug. 7 – vs. Connecticut, 7 p.m. Aug. 9 – at Golden State, noon Aug. 10 – vs. Seattle, 3 p.m. Aug. 12 – vs. New York, 7 p.m. Aug. 15 – at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. Aug. 17 – at Washington, Noon Aug. 20 – vs. Dallas, 7 p.m. Aug. 26 – Phoenix, 7 p.m. Aug. 29 – vs. Indiana, 7 p.m. Aug. 31 – vs. Washington, 5 p.m. Sept. 1 – at Seattle, 7 p.m. Sept. 3 – at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 5 – at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 7 – vs. Dallas, 3 p.m. Sept. 9 – at Atlanta, 7 p.m. Sept. 11 – vs. Las Vegas, 7 p.m.BERLIN (XINHUA) – The China-Europe freight train service has become a cornerstone of economic ties between China and the European Union (EU), providing essential support for industries requiring time-sensitive and reliable logistics, Chairman of the International Rail Freight Business Association Olaf Krueger told Xinhua in an interview. The imminent arrival of the 100,000th China-Europe Freight Train in Duisburg, Germany, marks a historic milestone for this rail link, which has emerged as a vital economic bridge. Krueger emphasised its pivotal role in enhancing trade and supply chain efficiency. “Rail transport has made a significant contribution to the strong economic growth between China and the countries of the EU. This transport option on the Silk Road has developed expansively and has been used in particular for time-critical transport,” he noted. Krueger praised railway workers for reducing transit times and improving transfer efficiency at gauge junctions. Recalling the challenges they faced, he highlighted how Chinese workers managed to transfer cargo at the China-Kazakhstan border during harsh winters with two metres of snow. “These photos have gone around the world, and the railwaymen involved must still be thanked today for this great effort,” he said. The 100,000th China-Europe freight train waits for departure at the Tuanjiecun Station in Chongqing, southwest China. PHOTO: XINHUA A view of the Duisburg port in Duisburg, Germany. PHOTO: XINHUA Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the railway has become a dependable logistics solution for goods requiring prompt delivery, seeing significant growth as an option for time-sensitive shipments. “European companies have increasingly relied on the railway to optimise supply chains. Its stability and reliability ensure ‘just-in-time’ deliveries, which are essential for many industries,” Krueger said. He highlighted how importers of Chinese goods benefit from shorter transit times and faster market responses. European companies with production facilities in China have also come to depend on the rail network for material transport between factories. “Rail’s reliability prevents production delays and maintains supply chain continuity,” he explained. The retail sector is another key beneficiary, with many discount chains using the China-Europe Railway Express to ship non-food promotional items. “Retailers are increasingly demanding ‘just-in-time’ services, and the Railway Express meets these needs effectively,” Krueger said. As demand for rail services continues to grow, particularly from central and western China, Krueger stressed the importance of expanding railway infrastructure. “This is particularly necessary in difficult political and economic situations, as alternative transport solutions are required in the event of delivery restrictions in both maritime transport and air freight,” he said. Krueger proposed optimising the European rail network and logistics hubs to improve efficiency. Italy, he noted, is a key consumer market with increasing demand for both imports and exports. “More logistics terminals in Italy would boost container utilisation rates on both legs of the journey,” he suggested. He also advocated for improved rail links to ports such as Piraeus in Greece. “Expanding rail connections in Southern and Eastern Europe will enhance efficiency and foster economic integration,” he added. “Efficient transport connections are a prerequisite for the continuation and deepening of diplomatic relations between China and the EU,” Krueger said.
Bill Shorten represents the best in Australian politics. And the worst. In his valedictory speech to the House on Thursday, ending 17 years in parliament, he spoke of the achievement in government that was “closest to my heart” – the National Disability Insurance Scheme. “The NDIS belongs alongside Medicare and superannuation as examples of Australian exceptionalism.” Illustration by Simon Letch Credit: Shorten is rightly proud of the NDIS. It was a world-first undertaking and instantly set the standard for the way that civilised societies should treat their disabled citizens. It was not all his work. As Shorten acknowledged, it was Kevin Rudd who gave him his start in the field by appointing him as the parliamentary secretary for disabilities in 2007. “I thought I knew hardship, having seen disadvantage representing workers,” Shorten told the House. “But nothing had prepared me for the way literally hundreds of thousands of Australians with disability and their carers were sentenced to a second-class life of lesser opportunity.” And it was Julia Gillard who committed her government to implementing it. Shorten recalls asking the then prime minister to do just one thing: “I asked her to meet five people in my office and leave her phone outside for an hour and a half.” She heard their stories and was persuaded. Credit must also go to Tony Abbott, the opposition leader who embraced the idea. As he said: “Normally I’m Mr No, but on this occasion I’m Mr Yes!” It’s hard for any major reform to endure without bipartisan support; Abbott gave it that support. Bill Shorten delivers his valedictory speech in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer But Shorten can take most of the credit for creating the scheme when Labor was in power in 2007-2013, and for repairing it now that Labor is in power once more. By the time Anthony Albanese gave Shorten responsibility for the NDIS in 2022, it had veered out of control. It had become an open secret that it was rife with rorting. Not rorted by the disabled people receiving help, but by the companies and individuals who were supposed to help them and who then billed the government for services provided. The incoming minister was appalled to discover that, if a service provider sent their invoice to the National Disability Insurance Agency between 5pm and 6.30pm, they were paid immediately without any verification. And that 92 per cent of them were unregistered. And that there was no specified list of authorised services. Providers were charging the public purse some outrageous sums for some outrageous supposed needs: “What we have seen is the rise of opportunistic, unethical providers,” Shorten said earlier this year. “They’re selling snake oil. They’re selling stuff which frankly doesn’t work and shouldn’t be being paid for.” That included airline lounge memberships, sex work, pet costs, cigarettes and vapes, illegal drugs, tarot card reading, clothes, guns and cuddle therapy. So Shorten published a list of approved services, the first one, last month, banning all those categories, among others. Shorten’s awkward munching helped make democracy sausage word of the year in 2016. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen It’s no wonder that the costs of the NDIS blew out spectacularly. It’s now on track to become the most expensive item on the federal budget, overtaking the age pension, by 2030. The original 2011 estimates for the scheme were that it would cover 411,000 people and cost $13.6 billion a year. This year it has 660,000 participants with budgeted cost of $42 billion. It’s obvious that the scheme is succeeding in giving life-changing help to many but failing the test of sustainability. Unreformed, the scheme would have to be cut back or shut down. As its father, Shorten was best placed to fix it. And, crucially, the one most trusted to fix it. Last year, the government announced measures to restrain its annual cost growth of 14 per cent to 8 per cent by 2026-27. This is essential to achieve Shorten’s stated aim – to make it “politician-proof”. Among other reforms, he replaced 10 of the 11 top managers and recruited Kurt Fearnley as chair. Shorten persuaded state governments to increase their share of funding from next July. He tripled the number of staff at the Quality and Safeguards Commission to improve scrutiny. He created a Fraud Fusion Taskforce which, over its two-year lifespan, has put 50 people before the courts, prevented $60 million in fraud and currently has more than $1 billion in payments under investigation. Shorten played a key role in removing Kevin Rudd as PM in 2010 and then reinstalling him, at Julia Gillard’s expense, in 2013. Credit: Andrew Meares He’s not quite finished, but he has put the scheme on “train tracks” to sustainability , as he puts it. Compared with the outlay growth anticipated in 2022, Shorten’s reforms will have saved the taxpayer well over $100 billion over the course of a decade. In creating – and then repairing – such an important improvement to the lives of Australia’s people, Shorten shows Australian politics at its best. But he was also one of the faction chiefs who connived to destroy two elected Labor prime ministers, ushering in the “coup era” of Australian politics, the rampant regicide of the “revolving door” prime ministership that made Australia a laughing stock for a decade. If that only damaged Labor governments and destabilised the political system, that would be bad enough. But it did much more. We can now see that the factional fun and games in the corridors of Canberra inflicted enduring harm on the people’s trust in democracy. Shorten wasn’t the instigator of the threshold event, the 2010 lightning coup against Kevin Rudd. The motive force was Mark Arbib with sidekicks Karl Bitar, David Feeney, Stephen Conroy and Don Farrell. And, of course, the willing participation of Julia Gillard; you can’t have a challenge without a challenger. Shorten, with wife Chloe, concedes defeat after the 2019 election. Credit: AP But Shorten, as leader of elements of the Victorian Right faction, energetically joined the execution of the elected prime minister. He said at the time that he feared that he and his little gang would be cut out of the victors’ circle if the coup succeeded. His motives were self-interested and unprincipled. So he helped remove Rudd and install Gillard. Only to then connive against Gillard and help restore Rudd to the prime ministership as electoral oblivion loomed. The madness, of course, soon infected the Liberals, too. Rudd-Gillard-Rudd was followed by Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison. One consequence is that John Howard was the last Australian prime minister to be re-elected. But democracy is much bigger than politics, politicians, factions, parties, prime ministers and even elections. It is, at core, an act of the people’s confidence in the virtue of collective decision-making, of trust in our fellow citizens and submission to the greater good. So what happens when the people who are supposed to model these ideals expose themselves to be self-interested thugs, grasping opportunists and self-involved narcissists? Unsurprisingly, Australians have been discouraged and disgusted. People’s trust in democracy has not recovered from the era of the disposable leader. The ANU and Griffith University’s Australian Election Study shows that the public disapproved of every leadership coup, regardless of party or personality. The proportion of Australians saying they are “satisfied with democracy” was in a healthy 80 per cent range in the late Howard and early Rudd years, the highest at any time since 1969. It peaked at 86 per cent in 2007, the year Rudd was elected. From the moment he was torn down, this proportion started to shrink non-stop until it hit bottom at 59 per cent in 2019. For perspective, this was its lowest since the dismissal of the Whitlam government. When the pandemic struck, trust in government recovered somewhat. But, to this day, satisfaction with democracy has not recovered to the pre-coup era, according to the Australian Election Study. Does Shorten regret his part in the destruction of two Labor prime ministers, the onset of the coup mania and the enduring damage to Australians’ confidence in democracy? “You do regret your mistakes, you don’t forget your failures,” Shorten said in his valedictory on Thursday, and for a moment the House held its breath in anticipation. Shorten resumed: “Oh, what I would give to go back to election day 2016 and turn that sausage in bread around the right way.” He got a laugh as the audience recalled that much-publicised lapse in democracy sausage etiquette when he approached it from the side instead of the end. But this was not any metaphor for political remorse, however. Asked for his political regrets, Shorten falls back on Frank Sinatra: “Regrets. I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention.” When I ask him straight whether he regrets his part in the downfall of two Labor prime ministers, he disavows responsibility and only replies: “I regret that the instability occurred.” The journalist David Marr wrote a 2016 assessment of Shorten in the Quarterly Essay . It was titled “Faction Man”. Today, Marr looks back on Shorten’s political career and concludes that “he never ceased being a man of factions”. The best and the worst of Australian politics. Peter Hartcher is political editor.Letter to the editor: Thoughts on juvenile detention, voting and Christmas
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Transfer: Mourinho begs Cristiano Ronaldo to join FenerbahceBoxing Day shopper footfall was down 7.9% from last year across all UK retail destinations up until 5pm, MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index found. However, this year’s data had been compared with an unusual spike in footfall as 2023 was the first “proper Christmas” period without Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, an analyst at the retail technology company said. It found £4.6 billion will be spent overall on the festive sales. Before the pandemic the number of Boxing Day shoppers on the streets had been declining year on year. The last uplift recorded by MRI was in 2015. Jenni Matthews, marketing and insights director at MRI Software, told the PA news agency: “We’ve got to bear in mind that (last year) was our first proper Christmas without any (Covid-19) restrictions or limitations. “Figures have come out that things have stabilised, we’re almost back to what we saw pre-pandemic.” There were year-on-year declines in footfall anywhere between 5% and 12% before Covid-19 restrictions, she said. MRI found 12% fewer people were out shopping on Boxing Day in 2019 than in 2018, and there were 3% fewer in 2018 than in 2017, Ms Matthews added. She said: “It’s the shift to online shopping, it’s the convenience, you’ve got the family days that take place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.” People are also increasingly stocking-up before Christmas, Ms Matthews said, and MRI found an 18% increase in footfall at all UK retail destinations on Christmas Eve this year compared with 2023. Ms Matthews said: “We see the shops are full of people all the way up to Christmas Eve, so they’ve probably got a couple of good days of food, goodies, everything that they need, and they don’t really need to go out again until later on in that week. “We did see that big boost on Christmas Eve. It looks like shoppers may have concentrated much of their spending in that pre-Christmas rush.” Many online sales kicked off between December 23 and the night of Christmas Day and “a lot of people would have grabbed those bargains from the comfort of their own home”, she said. She added: “I feel like it’s becoming more and more common that people are grabbing the bargains pre-Christmas.” Footfall is expected to rise on December 27 as people emerge from family visits and shops re-open, including Next, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis that all shut for Boxing Day. It will also be payday for some as it is the last Friday of the month. A study by Barclays Consumer Spend had forecast that shoppers would spend £236 each on average in the Boxing Day sales this year, but that the majority of purchases would be made online. Nearly half of respondents said the cost-of-living crisis will affect their post-Christmas shopping but the forecast average spend is still £50 more per person than it was before the pandemic, with some of that figure because of inflation, Barclays said. Amid the financial pressures, many people are planning to buy practical, perishable and essential items such as food and kitchenware. A total of 65% of shoppers are expecting to spend the majority of their sales budget online. Last year, Barclays found 63.9% of Boxing Day retail purchases were made online. However, a quarter of respondents aim to spend mostly in store – an 11% rise compared with last year. Karen Johnson, head of retail at Barclays, said: “Despite the ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is encouraging to hear that consumers will be actively participating in the post-Christmas sales. “This year, we’re likely to see a shift towards practicality and sustainability, with more shoppers looking to bag bargains on kitchen appliances and second-hand goods.” Consumers choose in-store shopping largely because they enjoy the social aspect and touching items before they buy, Barclays said, adding that high streets and shopping centres are the most popular destinations.
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SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 75, MISSOURI STATE 55Two Black-owned B.C. businesses will receive grants and legal services as part of a small business program. The fifth annual Black-owned small business grant program, organized by law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, is aimed at supporting such enterprises across the country. Judith Kasiama of Vancouver-based Colour the Trails and Naa Sheka Riby-Williams of White Rock-based Naa Sheka Fashion were two of six recipients from across Canada, according to Tuesday’s (Nov. 26) announcement. More than $100,000 will be distributed to recipients, who will also receive legal services. More than $537,000 in grants have been distributed to Black-owned and operated businesses through the law firm’s program. Founded in 2017, Colour the Trails is a business that focuses on making outdoor activities more accessible to Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC). It does this by hosting outdoor events, creating media that features the stories of BIPOC and, where possible, providing financial support to those facing financial hurdles when it comes to participating. Naa Sheka Fashion is a clothing line that fuses Western and Ghanaian influences using traditional West African textiles. One of their highlights is a partnership with the Vancouver Canucks in February, where it designed a jersey for Black History Month. According to the announcement, the business provides fair wages to Ghanaians and its website states it donates part of its profits to help build libraries in that country. The Black-owned small business grant, which is also supported by Vancouver-based Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM), is committed to supporting businesses that represent diversity and inclusivity, Cassels Black Affinity Group co-chair Kori Williams said in the announcement. [email protected]