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(NAPSI)—The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, but when the average American is spending nearly $1,000 on gifts, food, and decorations, they can also be the most stressful. For many, the pressure to create a picture-perfect holiday can stretch budgets a bit too far. Many of today’s shoppers seek advice from their favorite online influencers, sourcing creative hacks, recipes, DIY projects, and tips to keep the holidays magical without overspending. In fact, 69% of consumers say they value and actively seek out influencer recommendations. Now, questions don’t need to get buried in the comments. This December, TextNow is flipping the script on holiday stress by introducing the Holiday Hotline , a free resource to help you navigate the season, with advice a mere text away. Whether it’s finding affordable gifts, creating a festive dinner on a budget, or even learning how to save on your monthly bills, the Holiday Hotline can make things simpler, cheaper, and—perhaps most importantly—more joyful. TextNow Holiday Hotline: Expert Advice at Your Fingertips From December 5–10, TextNow’s Holiday Hotline connects you with relatable experts (aka some of your favorite influencers including social media creator and podcast host Remi Cruz, Kayla Savings, and Melissa Weiss) who will share their go-to tips for a budget-friendly holiday. Here’s what you can expect: • Holiday Budgeting 101: Learn simple ways to stretch every dollar and avoid those dreaded post-holiday bills. • Affordable Gift-Giving Ideas: Thoughtful, creative gifts that won’t break the bank. • Festive Decorating on a Dime: Transform your home into a holiday wonderland with budget-friendly hacks. • Stress-Free Holiday Cooking: Recipes and meal-planning tips to impress your guests. Need more advice? Just text the hotline at 310-299-3584, and you’ll get personalized, practical tips sent straight to your phone. Win $1,000 for Your Holiday Dinner As if free expert advice wasn’t enough, TextNow is also giving you the chance to win big this holiday season. Enter the $1,000 Dinner Giveaway for a shot at a $1,000 gift card to cover your holiday expenses—whether it’s for food, gifts, travel, or whatever else makes your season special. Entering is simple: 1.Head to TextNow’s Instagram . 2.Like the giveaway post. 3.Share your best holiday tip in the comments (bonus: share the post to your story for an extra entry). 4.The giveaway runs from December 5-12, with winners announced from December 13-16. Save More This Holiday Season TextNow is more than just a phone service—it’s a way to take control of your budget, not just during the holidays but year-round. • Free Phone Service: Unlimited calling and texting on the nation’s largest 5G network free. No gimmicks, no contracts. • Free Essential Data: Get free data for such essential apps as maps, rideshare, and email when you activate your SIM card. • Additional Flexible Data Plans: Add extra data only when you need it, with hourly, daily, or monthly passes. Getting started with TextNow is easy. Download the app to call and text for free over Wi-Fi or unlock free cellular service with a $4.99 SIM card. Learn More For more details, visit www.TextNow.com . Word Count: 491An end-of-year money to-do list, of course. Christmas and Hanukkah are fast approaching, and there’s less than a month until the ball drops, which means it’s prime time to conduct a financial checkup before the new year arrives. A lot of these tasks involve pre-planning to avoid playing catch-up or worrying about something you should have already done, according to Alanna Morey, a private wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial. Your goal to shoot for, she says: “No surprises in 2025.” Putting in the effort now to get your financial house in order will be worth it later. With that in mind, here’s an end-of-year financial to-do list for 2024. Revisit your budget Jaime Eckels, a partner at Plante Moran Financial Advisors, says December is a great opportunity to look back at the previous year and determine whether you stayed on target. You should scrutinize your credit card statements and ask yourself: How did your plans work out? Were you able to follow your budget? Did you spend way more than you intended on, say, espresso martinis and the Eras Tour at the expense of your short-term savings for a new iPhone? “We always talk about budgeting and how important it is [but] it only works if you can actually check back and reflect and see how you did compared to what your goals were,” Eckels says. You can then take what you learned and apply it to your spending plan for 2025. For instance, if you weren’t able to stick to the recommended 50-30-20 breakdown in 2024, maybe you need to adjust those thresholds. If surging home and auto insurance premiums are dragging you down, maybe you need to shop around for better rates. Save for retirement Morey says to check in on your retirement savings plan next. If you have an individual retirement account , or IRA, there’s still time to max it out for 2024: The deadline for IRA contributions is April 15, 2025. You can put away as much as $7,000 ($8,000 for folks age 50 or older) in your traditional and Roth IRAs, though Morey points out that there are IRS income limits to consider. You can stash as much as $23,000 in your 401(k) for 2024 (people 50 and up can throw in an extra $7,500). These contributions generally have to be organized through work, but there’s still time to contact your company’s payroll department and ask to sneak in a bit more from your remaining paycheck(s). 401(k) contributions have to be made by Dec. 31. Meet end-of-year deadlines New Year’s Eve isn’t just for downing copious amounts of champagne and finally figuring out how in the world they’re going to make “2025” into glasses . It’s also the deadline for older Americans to make required minimum distributions, or RMDs, from their retirement accounts. (The rules on this recently changed because of the SECURE 2.0 Act, so pay close attention.) Dec. 31 is typically the last day to spend funds in your Flexible Spending Account , or FSA, too. (Some FSA plans have different deadlines.) This money is use-it-or-lose-it. Luckily, there are a ton of ways to use it: FSA-eligible items include sunscreen, vitamins, tampons, contacts, acupuncture, travel pillows and more. Review your portfolio Morey suggests speaking with your financial advisor about whether your investment portfolio still aligns with your goals. One easy place to start is by asking yourself whether you’re still comfortable with your asset allocation, which refers to how investments are divided among stocks, bonds and cash based on your risk tolerance, time horizon and goals. In general, investors can afford to take on more risk when they’re younger. The older you get, the less money you’ll probably want to have in stocks. Eckels says this time of year is also a good time to examine your brokerage accounts and see if there are any opportunities to harvest losses. Update your estate plan Death is not super-fun to think about when decking the halls and blasting *NSYNC’s Home for Christmas , but there’s no time like the present to establish what Eckels calls your crisis plan. Although you can create a basic will on your own through a service like LegalZoom, it’s probably smarter to reach out to an estate attorney. They can help you put together an airtight package of end-of-life documents , including medical and financial powers of attorney. Folks who are already ahead of the curve and have an existing estate plan aren’t off the hook. They should sit down and revisit everything, Eckels says. “Are the provisions appropriate? Are the individuals you named 10 years ago still the individuals you want to make your financial and health care decisions?” she says. “Because life changes, families change, and sometimes we just set it and forget it.” Give yourself a high-five Morey urges you not to forget the crucial step of self-congratulation. No, really: She says that amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays and working through this list of financial tasks, you should take a moment and hype yourself up for all the money goals you reached in 2024. That could be getting a raise at work, buying a house, taking a trip you’ve been saving for or paying for a flight with credit card points — whatever matters to you and will motivate you going forward. “Pat yourself on the back for the good work,” she says. “Congratulate yourself for the hard work you’ve been putting in, and then make a plan for what you want to do in the coming year.” More from Money: The FSA Deadline Is Coming. Here Are 12 Last-Minute Ways to Spend Your Dollars Will 2025 Finally Be a Buyer’s Market in Housing? How Low Will Interest Rates Go?
Japan eyes more flexible school curriculum to meet diverse needs
The Mumbai Police received death threats against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday while the Samajwadi Party announced that it was quitting the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra. An ISKCON temple was set ablaze in Dhaka amid continued communal unrest in Bangladesh. Meanwhile the stock market indices logged their best week in six months after RBI cuts CRR by 50 bps. PM Modi threatened The Mumbai Police received a threat message against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday via WhatsApp. The text was sent to the traffic police helpline and mentioned two ISI agents and a plot to carry out a bomb blast to target Modi. The development comes less than two weeks after the Mumbai Police received an anonymous call threatening to assassinate the senior politician. Bangladesh unrest An ISKCON temple in Dhaka district was set ‘ablaze’ early on Saturday. Officials based out of Kolkata indicated that deities of Sri Sri Laxmi Narayan and all items inside the ISKCON Namhatta Centre were 'burned down completely'. Samajwadi Party quits MVA The Samajwadi Party pulled out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra on Saturday over ‘communal’ jibes from the allied Shiv Sena (UBT). Controversy arose earlier this week after MLC Milind Narvekar — a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray — hailed the demolition of the Babri Masjid and a newspaper advert congratulating those behind the incident. The Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary also posted images of Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and himself alongside the endorsement message. Syria crisis Syrian rebels entered the key city of Homs from the north and east on Saturday — days after capturing Hama. Insurgents — led by the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group — said they had seized most of the south. Meanwhile government forces dug in to defend the key central city of Homs in a bid to try and save the 24-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad. The militants now plan to march towards Damascus — the seat of power for Assad. Sensex, Nifty soar Domestic equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty 50 logged their best week since June in the previous session. The surge was mainly due to financials after the Reserve Bank of India boosted liquidity by cutting the cash reserve ratio by 50 basis points in its December monetary policy committee meeting. (With inputs from agencies)Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Jedward have warmed hearts as they opened up about spending the festive season with showbiz pal Gemma Collins , after revealing a poignant family situation. Chatting to The Mirror at Tulleys Christmas Light Festival just last Friday, John and Edward Grimes shared how they find comfort in their friendship with Gemma during a time when most of their relatives are no longer here . The twins said: "Christmas is really sad, this year we're going to be spending it with Gemma because most of our family have sadly passed. Gemma's a real one, you know, having someone like Gemma in our lives has definitely been hugely uplifting. We spent Christmas with Gemma last year." They noted the absence of their grandparents makes the holiday season bittersweet, reflecting on the nostalgia of past Christmases: "I feel like Christmas is sad because we don't have our grandparents but we have all our memories so at Christmas time, those feelings come rushing in and you hold that during the holidays." Jedward also spoke candidly about the struggle they face during what should be a cheerful time, touching on their personal losses: "It's very hard. I feel like as much as people think we bring the energy, we do find ourselves in low moments." Their mum sadly died in 2019 . They elaborated on the emptiness felt during the festivities, saying: "It's a hard time, our mum's not around, our granny and grandad and people that meant a lot to us aren't around, so that alone hits you hard during the holidays when everyone is complaining about their family members or whoever, at least they have them around", reports the Mirror . Jedward are getting into the festive spirit with their BFF Gemma, sharing how they plan to spend Christmas together and offering tips on tackling the winter blues. The dynamic duo advised fans, "You've got to keep living until the sunlight gets back." Their holiday season will be full of joy and companionship, as they revealed, "We're going to be spending it with Gemma, she's already invited us. She got us Christmas decorations for our tree. During the festive season, she'll literally be staying at ours. She got us customised stockings. It's really sweet, it's nice that Gemma's able to rise to the occasion and be such a great friend." Holiday cheer is in the air with Jedward's new Christmas anthem, LOVEmas, which they'd happily perform at any festive wedding or engagement—throwing in Kerry Katona's name as a potential wedding to serenade. Gemma and Jedward are practically family, enjoying their past Christmases together, including a memorable one where Gemma showcased the twins crooning 'Feliz Navidad' on Instagram and expressed her affection for them: "It's OFFICIALLY CHRISTMAS when @jepicpics (the twins' Instagram page) come to stay for the whole time. The kindest people to me and real friends."
According to the ‘Indian Startup Ecosystem Report’ by Startup India, India’s startups have leveraged emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and IoT to solve local and global problems. New Delhi: At least 157,066 startups have been recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to date and 759,303 users are registered on the portal (as on December 25), the government said on Wednesday. The country now has more than 73,000 startups with at least one-woman director that have been recognised under the ‘Startup India Initiative’, representing nearly half of the 1,57,066 startups supported by the government, according to Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The country has emerged as one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems globally, earning its place as the third largest startup hub. With over 100 unicorns, the Indian startup landscape is shaping the future of innovation and entrepreneurship. “The entrepreneurial spirit in India has undergone a paradigm shift in the last decade. Cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR have become epicentres of innovation,” said the ministry. This year, 13 new-age companies launched their initial public offerings (IPOs), as startups cumulatively raised more than Rs 29,200 crore from the stock market. Out of this, the fresh issue was nearly Rs 14,672 crore and Rs 14,574 crore Offer for Sale (OFS). Among 13 startup IPOs, 10 were mainboard and 3 were SME IPOs. The widespread availability of affordable internet, coupled with a young and dynamic workforce, has fueled the growth of startups in diverse sectors, including fintech, edtech, health-tech, and e-commerce. According to the ‘Indian Startup Ecosystem Report’ by Startup India, India’s startups have leveraged emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and IoT to solve local and global problems. The flagship Startup India programme, launched in 2016, has been a cornerstone in this effort. In addition, initiatives such as the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) provide infrastructure and financial support to innovators. Moreover, the Startup Accelerator of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development, and Growth (SAMRIDH) scheme aims to support 300 software product startups over four years with an outlay of Rs 99 crore, providing funding up to Rs 40 lakh per startup through accelerators to scale their businesses. Stay informed on all the latest news , real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world News on Zee News.St Johnstone to face Aberdeen without recognised left-back as manager ponders ‘options’
There are many lasting things from Korea that many Filipinos have come to love — K-Pop, K-Drama, 10-step skincare routines, fried chicken, face masks — and now ready-to-drink beverages. Just like how Mukbangs took over the internet, the latest Korean food culture is the 'coffee pouch.' Made even more popular on social media, many continue to be enamored over the endless ASMR videos of Korean drink pouches and its refreshing contents being poured over ice. Now Filipinos can enjoy a taste of Korea anytime and anywhere with Chingu Cafe. Chingu Cafe is a brand of ready-to-drink beverages developed, produced, packed, and imported straight from Korea. It comes in coffee, tea, and ades, all packaged in those Instagram-worthy, ASMR-ready pouches. Each pouch features adorable characters that add a fun, playful touch to the experience, making it not only delicious but also a delight to look at and share. Chingu Café's first coffee offerings are not to be missed. Each variant tastes as good as it looks — the classic Vanilla Latte, the after meal dessert feels Caramel Latte, and the bold yet sweet Hazelnut Americano. Not a coffee fan? Try the crisp and refreshing Green Grape Ade, inspired by Korea's premium shine muscat grapes; the tart and delicious Strawberry Lemonade, a delightful twist on the classic; and the vibrant Peach Iced Tea, a balance of sweet and fruity blend. Chingu Café's also got those matcha lovers covered with their newest flavor, Matcha Latte. The new Chingu Cafe retails are available in e-comm shops and leading supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.Organisers of the popular Tynemouth Market have been unable to confirm whether it can go ahead on Sunday due to continuing concerns about the weather. The weekend market in North Tyneside , which attracts huge numbers of visitors year-round, was cancelled on Saturday because of Storm Darragh. And it was just one of several events across the region to be called off following the latest weather forecast and its predictions of high winds and rain lashing the region . Now, with weather updates extending the yellow warnings for wind and rain into Sunday, there are also concerns over Sunday's plans. Tynemouth Market updated its Facebook page on Saturday to explain that no decision can yet be made for the next day. Its post read: "Market cancelled today. Sorry No decision can be made about Sunday until tomorrow morning." Among those commenting was one who had heard it is "blowing a hooley right through the market" and said that Saturday's cancellation was "a good call", adding "even though we’re all gutted". Another called it a wise decision given the market has a glass roof and one noted: "It's a very hard decision to make. The management respect that traders have bought stock and food producers have made perishable products. "They have to see what direction the wind is hitting the market etc. Cancelling is very very rare but on this occasion it needed to be done." Among the comments was one man apparently taking the weather in his stride, writing that "due to weather" Wetherspoon's "seemed appropriate". And one wrote: "Better safe than sorry. Hope Sunday has a better forecast." Some pointed out that this would be their last chance of trading until January. Tynemouth Market is expected to update its plans on Facebook on Sunday morning. As previously reported , several other events across the region have fallen victim to Storm Darragh , despite the west being hardest hit, and Saturday's closures have included North Shields Christmas Market as well as major visitor attractions such as Beamish Museum and The Alnwick Garden. Join our Things To Do community for all the latest news What's On news sent direct to your phone. To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is click on the link and press 'join community' . No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice . CLICK HERE TO JOIN
Minnesotans with long-held connections to Jimmy Carter reflected Sunday on the legacy of the president, who died at the age of 100. Carter, the longest-lived American president, maintained a unique tie to the state after selecting Minnesota Sen. Walter ‘’Fritz’' Mondale as his running mate in 1976. The pair, who ran on the so-called ‘’Grits and Fritz’' ticket, was credited with elevating the vice president’s office into a more powerful position. Carter died Sunday in his hometown of Plains, Ga., more than a year after entering hospice care. He lived there with his wife, Rosalynn, who died at the age of 96 in November 2023. Salutes to the former president peppered social media Sunday. Gov. Tim Walz, who unsuccessfully ran for vice president this year on the Democratic ticket with Kamala Harris, posted on X on Sunday night. “President Carter defined what it means to be a servant leader,” Walz wrote. “He fought for our democracy, our climate, humanity, and civil rights around the world. We can find peace today knowing that he is reunited with the love his life, Rosalynn.” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a statement that Carter “earned a special place in the hearts of Minnesotans” when he added Mondale to his presidential ticket. The Democrat also praised Carter’s record. “Even during a period of economic uncertainty, he made key advancements in protecting the environment, expanding access to health care, bolstering Social Security, and strengthening America’s leadership on the world stage,” Klobuchar wrote. Skyrocketing inflation and oil prices marked Carter’s first and only term. An economic downturn, combined with the Iran hostage crisis, sunk his chances at re-election and overshadowed his foreign policy accomplishments, including brokering a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and negotiating the return of the Panama Canal to Panama. But he inspired great admiration in the decades after his presidency, working with his wife Rosalynn to create the Carter Center, a nonprofit human rights organization, in 1982. His dedication to democracy and economic development earned him a Noble Peace Prize in 2002. Sen. Tina Smith shared a photo posing with the former president on X, writing she was “blessed to meet him several times.” The pictured moment, she added, captured her favorite encounter: Carter locked into an “energetic conversation” with her husband “about the virtues of fly fishing.” “Jimmy Carter personified moral leadership for our country & the world,” she wrote in the post. Rep. Tom Emmer, the Republican House majority whip, said in a post on X that he is grateful for Carter’s “decades of service — from his time in the military to public office and beyond — and pray for peace and comfort for the Carter family during this difficult time.” U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican who represents northeastern Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District, also memorialized Carter on X. “There is no denying that he was a compassionate man who dedicated his life to serving others,” he wrote. Minnesota ties Carter cemented his legacy as a philanthropist in the decades after leaving office. He and his wife Rosalynn were perhaps the country’s most public volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. They donned hardhats and tool belts well into their older years, drawing media attention to the nonprofit through their annual Carter Work Project, an all-hands-on-deck effort to construct homes in the U.S. and abroad. The project twice came to the Twin Cities. In September, volunteers constructed 30 homes on St. Paul’s East Side — the first phase of an ongoing affordable housing development . Carter, just days shy of 100 this fall, didn’t appear at the festivities. But in 2010, an 86-year-old Carter and his former running mate, Minnesotan Walter Mondale, pitched into a homebuilding project in North Minneapolis. “The initiative in this neighborhood will be an inspiration to people all over the nation,” Carter said at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.Democrats should find the center in next election | GUEST COMMENTARY
OpenAI’s Sam Altman ‘not that worried’ about rival Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration
In the backdrop of a new exhibition ‘Fonseca: An Indic Lexicon’ at the Xavier Institute Historical Research, Porvorim, NT NETWORK examines how the late Goan artist Angelo da Fonseca is gradually finding more ground in his homeland KALYANI JHA | NT NETWORK Goa has been the birthplace of many artists, some of whom have gained world prominence. Yet, not all of them were fully accepted by their community in their homeland. Among these was the great modernist painter late Angelo da Fonseca. Indeed, the St. Estevam-born artist, faced ire from the Portuguese administration in Goa at that time, the church, and his village, for his portrayal of Christian icons in Indian settings, which went against the then popular European version of Christianity. This led the Shantiniketan School of Art artist to leave Goa and settle in Pune where he produced most of his works at the Anglican Christa Prema Seva Ashram. His works went on to feature in major exhibitions, including in Rome. In fact, he also received a knighthood from the pope and two medals from Pope Pius XII. And now, over 50 years since his passing away in 1967, this forgotten artist in Goa with over 1,000 paintings exploring Christian art themes in the Indian context and colours is being reviewed, studied, and slowly getting his due recognition. Leading this revival of interest in his art is writer and artist Savia Viegas who has been studying Fonseca’s works since 2009. In fact, after presenting a paper on his work in Gujarat at the MS University, Baroda, Viegas received a one-year grant from the India Foundation for the Arts in 2010 to do further research. She has since curated a number of exhibitions on Fonseca at the Xavier Centre of Historical Research (XCHR), Porvorim. “I found his ideas very fascinating. Very few people looked at it that way. They just think he is an iconic painter. But when I saw the connection between development of the nation and polity and the kind of icons Fonseca was painting, it was fascinating,” she shares. She further explains that Fonseca started painting in 1931 and continued till 1967. These were the years of the freedom movement in India with major developments in the process of de-colonisation. “So, there are a lot of ideas about freedom struggle, Indian-ness, about having God look like Indian and not European which are embedded in his ideas,” says Viegas. Dwelling on the unkindness that Fonseca received for his works back in the day, Viegas states that this can be observed in some of his correspondence that she has access to. “It didn’t affect his painting but it definitely made him very despondent. He said, ‘I paint for the public but the public doesn’t accept my images’,” shares Viegas. “At one point of time he says, ‘How does it matter who I paint, who I don’t paint? What matters is that looking at a painting you are inspired by the ideas I am trying to convey’.” Viegas says that when she shared her ideas with the Jesuits at XCHR, they were helpful in allowing her to have a freehand in curating the exhibitions. In fact, the XCHR are the custodians of a collection of Fonseca’s original artworks which have been gifted to the centre by his widow Ivy. The Centre has been making these accessible for public viewing through these various exhibitions like ‘A Christmas Story’ which showed his paintings on Christmas and nativity, ‘The Power and The Glory’ which dwelt on the Lenten period, and ‘Maiden, Muse and Madonna’. Recently, a new exhibition ‘Fonseca: An Indic Lexicon’ opened at the centre. “This year, we decided to look at some paintings that were made during the year that India as a nation was being born after a colonial period,” says Viegas. She adds that this art exhibition has gotten a better response from people. “An artist collection is not to be kept in archive. It is to be shown to people because it was painted for people. The Jesuits are doing a fantastic job in this respect,” says Viegas. In fact, director of XCHR Fr. Rinald D’ Souza admits to learning more about Fonseca through the last three exhibitions he curated with Viegas. “Every time I look at Fonseca, I discover something more about him and something more about myself,” he says. Talking about the deep connection of the Jesuits and Fonseca, Fr. D’Souza explains that Fonseca had a deep association with Fr. Matthew Lederle who was also writing a lot on Indian Christian art. “Lederle was also instrumental in Fonseca’s travel to Nuremberg, Germany where a substantial portion of his collection resides. A lot of work was done for the Jesuits at that time,” he shares. He adds that Fonseca was one of the most important artists of the 20th century not just from the Goan and Christian perspective. “One of the things was that he made this change that moved the face of Christian iconography,” he says, adding that as a cultural institution, the XCHR has to do their best to promote Fonseca. But this journey to get this master artist his due, is an ongoing struggle, reveals Viegas. “I don’t think it is easy for an artist, especially in Goa, to make a mark, no matter how good he is. People are a little apathetic to art. We have good infrastructure now. But cultural appreciation and critique has to come from people. It is only then Fonseca and other forgotten artists will be redeemed,” says the curator. In fact, with the goal of throwing more light on Fonseca, two years ago, Fr. Délio Mendonça, while working at the XCHR, published a coffee table book titled ‘Fonseca’. “I had access to some literature on Fonseca from our library and to his many originals. But there was no book or relatively complete monograph on the artist. There were brief essays about this artist but not easily accessible. This lacuna is one of the reasons that led me to write the book,” he shares. Since the XCHR was the custodian of the Fonseca artworks and with plans for an art gallery for his large legacy, Fr. Mendonca thought that a book dedicated to the magnum opus of Fonseca was necessary to showcase Fonseca’s art and his thoughts to a larger public in India and in the Church; and to prevent Fonseca from falling into total oblivion. Architect Gerard Da Cunha who published the book adds that it was done for the simple reason that everybody had forgotten Fonseca. “I suppose books and exhibitions have popularised him now and he is getting into the mainstream as being one of Goa’s main artists. He was an artist beyond his time. And it takes time to bring a man back to his history,” he says. Fr. Mendonca too opines that books and exhibitions are a sign of recognition of the artist. But more needs to be done. “His works, his thoughts and the motivation for creating a new Christian iconography for India and the world can inspire religious, social and political life,” says Fr. Mendonca. “It is not easy to acknowledge the works of persons when these disturb our holy traditions and question our cherished assumptions. But art should also disturb, provoke and renew our commitments.” He adds that there is a need for an art gallery to bring out Fonseca’s art. “His universal thoughts and spirituality are important for contemporary India,” says Fr. Mendonca, adding that Fonseca’s work reflected human and divine representations emanating peace, devotion, tenderness and serenity. To take the interest in Fonseca’s artworks further, Viegas will soon be coming out with her monograph titled ‘Angelo da Fonseca: An Artist of His Time’with six chapters dealing with different facets of Fonseca’s life and art. “It looks at his early life, at his Bengal school influence of other artists. It also looks at the kind of technique he used and the kind of colours he made. The book also examines all the images he created. There is a special chapter on Our Lady and then the last chapter deals with how people responded to his work,” she shares. The XCHR is also looking at further plans to bring Fonseca into mainstream art discussion. “A lot more has to be done. This includes an extensive website to get Fonseca to the public and to make the collection known. We also would like to start educational programmes for school children and public and invite lecturers,” shares Fr. D’Souza. “But in terms of him getting his due, that depends on the public and how they accept Fonseca as their own.”
By Opeyemi Bamidele Christmas, again, presents humanity the opportunity to appreciate God Almighty for His redemption plan and the birth of Jesus Christ, whom we are all celebrating today. Christ is indeed the real reason for this season and nothing more. It is not just a season for winning and dining, but also of deep reflection about Christ’s birth and mission, about His care and love, and about His sacrifice and travail for us all, even for the unborn generations. The reason for the season is, no doubt, a huge lesson for all humanity far and near. As we celebrate His faithfulness and goodness in our homes, we must also remember the needy in our neighbourhoods and consciously minister to them as Christ will have done. We need to reflect on the travail of the vulnerable nationwide and rekindle enduring hope in their hearts. We must reach out to those in troubled areas and show them the care of Christ our Lord. In this season and beyond, we must likewise remember Nigeria, our Fatherland and the only country of our common heritage. With the zeal of our Lord, we must offer our timeless prayers for the renaissance of our Fatherland, for the restoration of her economy, for the stability of her polity, for the cohesion of her people across the Niger and for the manifestation of her glory in the league of Nations. This is the season never to shy away from eternal responsibilities God Almighty has committed to our hands. This is the season to renew our resolve to faithfully stand with the political leadership for the renewal of hope. This is the season to halt the search for pastures that are never green, but the time to join hands together to build our own Nation with conviction and rebrand her for the ceaseless inflow of global capitals and for the endless troupe of global tourists. This is the spirit behind key legislations and reforms we have promoted in the 10th National Assembly. From the Tax Reform Bills, 2024 to National Minimum Wage Act, 2024, Investment and Securities Act, 2024 and National Ranches Commission Establishment Bill, 2024, among others, we are simply committed to building an environment where businesses can operate seamlessly; where investors will never think twice before they bring in their capitals; where our compatriots can freely breathe without undue burden and where the next generations will be proud of at all times. We are pursuing each of these reforms purely in the love of our countrymen as Christ our Lord has commanded. This intention is more than evident in the case of Tax Reform Bills, 2024, a set of four initiatives consciously designed to reverse the country’s disturbing economic indicators. We have taken due note of public concerns about these initiatives. We are, as well, looking deeply into the areas of public concern. Our duty, as democrats, is not just to listen to our constituents, but also give effect to policy initiatives that will positively impact their lives. For the record, the Tax Reform Bills, when finally enacted, utterly exempt all employees earning N1,000, 000 annually or N83,000 monthly; exempt start-ups, shared services and technologically driven services from taxation and recommend zero VAT on essential services and consumptions. Even though it reviews the derivation formula to 60%, this proposal is guided purely by the principles of equity, fairness and justice. The new model will eventually guarantee a significant increase in VAT distributable to every state of the federation. As credible data have shown, for instance, the new model recommends 6.17% to Kano compared to 0.89% currently due to it. It recommends 1.21% for Zamfara compared to 0.05%. Currently, Lagos gets 80.26%, but the new model only recommends 15.28%, representing a 81% decrease. Under the new model, also, Rivers’ share will decline from 7.74% to 4.6%, accounting for 41%. With these figures, the narrative around the new derivation model is utterly incorrect and unfounded. Amid the debates about the Tax Reform Bills, as Christ our Lord has taught us and as the Parliament of the people, we shall never pursue any agenda outside our oath of allegiance or undertake policy initiatives adversarial to or conflicting the interest and welfare of all our constituents and indeed our Fatherland. With all my heart, I wish you all happy celebrations in this season of deep reflection. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance. *Senator Opeyemi Bamidele is the Leader of the Nigerian Senate
MADRID (AP) — Kylian Mbappé admitted he is going through a difficult moment as he missed another penalty kick and Real Madrid lost ground to Barcelona in the Spanish league after a 2-1 loss at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday. Mbappé had his penalty saved by Athletic goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala in the 68th minute, and later Federico Valverde gifted a late goal by losing possession on defense to allow an easy winner by Gorka Guruzeta in the 80th. “Bad result,” Mbappé posted on Instagram. “A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it. A difficult moment but it's the best time to change this situation and show who I am.” Mbappé sent the penalty shot to his right and Agirrezabala dived that way to make the stop. “We knew that he is a good penalty taker,” Agirrezabala said. “He missed the last one and I believed that he was going to choose the same side and luckily that’s what happened.” Mbappé, who had a goal disallowed for offside in the 13th, had also missed a penalty in Madrid’s 2-0 loss at Liverpool in the Champions League last week. He didn’t take the one for the club in a Spanish league match on Sunday, but he scored in the 2-0 win over Getafe to ease some of the pressure on him and the club. But it was another lackluster outing for the France star, who continues to struggle in his first season since finally joining the Spanish powerhouse. “I won’t evaluate the performance of a player because of a missed penalty. Obviously he is sad and disappointed, but you have to move on,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said about Mbappé. “He is not at his best level, but you have to give him time to adapt. You have to give him time to be able to do better.” Ancelotti also downplayed the bad play by Valverde, saying that mistakes can happen to anyone. Valverde had control of the ball but gave it away while trying to get past a couple of Athletic players instead of passing it to a teammate, leaving Guruzeta with an easy run into the area for his goal. Álex Berenguer had put the hosts ahead in the 53td and Jude Bellingham equalized for Madrid in the 78th. The defeat left Madrid four points behind Barcelona, which on Tuesday ended a three-match winless streak in the league with a 5-1 rout at Mallorca. Madrid, which has a game in hand, had won three consecutive league games since a 4-0 loss at home in the “clasico” against Barcelona. Madrid has lost five of its last 11 matches in all competitions. Athletic moved to fourth place with the victory, its fourth consecutive across all competitions. Both matches on Tuesday and Wednesday were moved forward in the schedule because the clubs will be playing in the Spanish Super Cup in January. In the Copa del Rey, first-division clubs Rayo Vallecano, Valencia and Real Betis all advanced over lower-division teams in the second round, but Villarreal lost 1-0 to fourth-division club Pontevedra and Girona fell on penalties to fourth-tier team Logrones. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerThe man often known as the "Godfather of EVs" has a warning for automakers thinking of ditching electric vehicles for hybrids. Former Aston Martin CEO and Nissan exec Andy Palmer told Business Insider that delaying transitioning to EVs in favor of selling hybrids was a "fool's errand" and warned automakers doing so risk falling even . Palmer's moniker comes from his time as Chief Operating Officer at Nissan. He led the development of the , the world's first mass-market electric car, which has sold since it launched in 2010. "I wish I could say that it was driven by a motivation to better the world. But actually, it was driven by the Toyota Prius kicking our ass," Palmer told BI. Rather than copying the success of the , Palmer says he pushed Nissan to build a fully electric vehicle, eventually securing the support of . Over a decade later, he's skeptical of automakers — including , the company Palmer ran as CEO from 2014 to 2020 — who have taken the opposite path and . "Hybrids are a road to hell. They are a transition strategy, and the longer you stay on that transition, the less quickly you ramp up into the new world," said Palmer. "If you just delay transitioning to EVs by diluting it with hybrids then you are more uncompetitive for longer, and you allow the Chinese to continue to develop their market and their leadership. I honestly think it's a fool's errand," he added. China races ahead Over the past few years, the auto industry has been shaken by the , which have conquered their home market with a and hybrids and are now rapidly expanding abroad. "The Chinese cars are bloody good. The Chinese vehicles offer remarkable value for money for what they deliver," said Palmer. "Their battery technology's class-leading, and they've concentrated very much on their software," he said. Palmer told BI that the success of China's EV industry was down to the country's long-running industrial strategy. According to one study, the Chinese government has for electric vehicle makers since 2009. Palmer, who , a joint venture between Nissan and Chinese state-owned automaker Dongfeng, says he saw firsthand how aggressive China's EV strategy was. "The edict [from the Chinese government] was to move to new energy vehicles," he said. "It starts with an industrial strategy. That's the big thing to learn. For the best part of 14 years, we have not had an industrial strategy," Palmer added. Both the US and Europe have responded to the rise of Chinese automakers by , but Palmer said that tariffs would only harm Western companies' ability to compete with their Chinese rivals. "My experience with tariffs is it just makes your indigenous industry lazy. The gap becomes even bigger," he said. Instead, he argued that automakers should prepare for a "survival of the fittest" battle with Chinese automakers, especially in Europe, where the . "I think the Chinese firms will learn from competing in Europe, because that's the toughest market in the world. If they can do that, then they're going to be unbeatable," Palmer said. Japanese carmakers stumble The surging growth of China's EV giants has put Palmer's former employer Nissan and its Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda under severe pressure. Nissan announced it would , while both in China and slumping profits. In December, it was reported that Palmer says while Toyota's decision to , it has left it and other Japanese automakers exposed as key markets like China transition quickly to EVs. "Toyota took the Japanese industry down a cul-de-sac, which it is going to struggle to recover from," he said. The former Nissan executive said his old company, meanwhile, had "shot itself in the foot" and squandered a promising lineup of electric vehicles and a 10-year lead in EV tech. "My last board meeting in July 2014, I was under enormous attack from the bean counters who were saying; these things don't make money, we are going too fast. I managed to win the day in that meeting, but I left the company," said Palmer. "Nissan finds itself now with a very poor lineup of products and without obvious leadership in EVs, and that's the direct result of poor management," he said. How to get EVs moving again . While sales are still growing, the pace of adoption has been slower than expected, causing automakers across the globe to . For Palmer, the reason some consumers have proven reluctant to go electric is simple: EVs are too expensive. "Prices have got to align to those of internal combustion engines. And to make that happen, you've got to be able to offer cars with smaller batteries," said Palmer. The average price of an electric vehicle in the US in October was $56,902, according to , compared to $48,623 for gas-powered vehicles. Palmer said that selling cheaper vehicles with smaller batteries and less range would require governments to incentivize the rollout of charging networks to alleviate range anxiety. He added that the West could learn from China's approach to industrial strategy — especially when it comes to batteries, an . "If the West wants to catch up, I would advocate copying the Chinese," said Palmer. "The alternative is everything is Chinese at the moment — even if you were building your own battery cells, you've still gotta get all the minerals from China. The whole supply chain is stuck," he said. Read the original article on