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Pandas An An and Ke Ke celebrate their 1st Christmas in Hong Kong HONG KONG (AP) — A pair of five-year-old pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, celebrated their first Christmas early in a Hong Kong park, munching on special treats and looking cute for the cameras. An An, the male panda, was presented with an ice slab that had “Merry Christmas” written on it with sweet potato and carrots while Ke Ke, his female companion, got a snowman garnished with slices of carrot and apple in a special press event Monday before visitors streamed to the park. China sent the pair to Hong Kong in late September in a bid to boost tourism in the city. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby: Spurs-Knicks Christmas game is also an animated one at Disney World NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a Christmas Day basketball game at Walt Disney World, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Wemby. While Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are facing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, an alternate animated telecast will have the teams playing in the Magic Kingdom, with some Disney characters participating. The special alt-cast, the first animated presentation of an NBA game, will be shown on ESPN2 and also stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. 'Squid Game' returns looking for win with season 2 The first season of “Squid Game” was Netflix's most-watched series and went on to win a variety of accolades including the Emmy Award for lead actor in a drama series for Lee Jung-jae and a directing award for Hwang Dong-hyuk. The show returns for its second season on Dec. 26 and is already nominated for a Golden Globe for best drama. It's rare for TV shows made in Korea to have more than one season but Lee describes Hwang as “a genius.” A third and final season has already filmed. Netflix is also invested in expanding its “Squid Game” universe with a reality competition series and an English-language version in development. In the ruins of a bombed-out church in Lebanon, there's now a tiny Christmas tree DARDGHAYA, Lebanon (AP) — A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones in the ruins of a Catholic church in southern Lebanon that was hit by an Israeli airstrike during the war with Hezbollah. It's a small and modest tree. There are no lights because the war destroyed power lines. The ground is too uneven to set up the Nativity scene. The priest says his blood pressure went up and he lost his balance when he saw the church's destruction. Now he leads Mass in an underground room that serves as a temporary worship space. He tells the community it “is more like the cave where Jesus was born.” Burt, the huge Australian crocodile who had a cameo in ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ dies at 90 The Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia, says the huge crocodile that rose to fame with a cameo in the movie “Crocodile Dundee” has died. The aquarium says Burt died over the weekend and was at least 90 years old. A saltwater crocodile, Burt was estimated to be more than 5 meters long. The 1986 movie stars Paul Hogan as the rugged crocodile hunter Mick Dundee. In the movie, American Sue Charlton, played by actress Linda Kozlowski, goes to fill her canteen in a watering hole when she is attacked by a crocodile, before being saved by Dundee. Elaborate holiday light displays are making spirits bright in a big way CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow might be enough to brighten some homes this holiday season. But others are adorned with thousands of blinking lights synched to blasting music. In Mesa, Arizona, 14 homeowners have been going all-out on holiday lights for 30 years, and those buying homes in the neighborhood often find the attics full of décor left behind by previous owners. In Santa Clarita, California, residents began coordinating their holiday lights to bring some joy to their community after an earthquake. And in Edmond, Oklahoma, those looking to the western sky will easily spot the Miranda family’s elaborate display featuring images and music from the movie “Wicked.” Santa braves the sticky heat of the Amazon jungle to bring gifts to children in Brazilian village CATALAO, Brazil (AP) — Santa Claus has braved the sticky heat of the Amazon rainforest this weekend, taking two boats to bring gifts to the children of a small village near the Brazilian city of Manaus. The visit was arranged by Amigos do Papai Noel, a Brazilian charity that has been taking gifts to children in the Amazon rainforest for the past 26 years. More than 600 children from different villages gathered in Catalao to receive presents from Santa, who dressed in his traditional nightcap, white gloves and red suit, while enduring the stifling jungle heat. NASA's Parker Solar Probe aims to fly closer to the sun like never before NEW YORK (AP) — A NASA spacecraft is about to make the closest approach to the sun. The Parker Solar Probe was launched in 2018 to get a close-up look at the sun. On Tuesday, Parker will pass within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface. That's nearly seven times closer to the sun than previous spacecraft. Scientists won’t hear from Parker until a few days after the flyby. It’ll continue circling the sun at this distance until at least September. Scientists hope to better understand what drives the solar wind and why the corona is so much hotter than the sun's surface. 174 Colorado skiers and snowboarders rescued after a lift cracks WINTER PARK, Colo. (AP) — Officials are investigating what caused a crack in a Colorado ski lift that forced the evacuation of over 170 stranded skiers and snowboarders. The evacuation happened Saturday on a gondola lift at Winter Park Resort. A spokesperson says the lift stopped automatically when a crack was detected in a structural piece of the lift. Passengers were lowered down by ropes over the course of about five hours. No injuries were reported during the rescues, which came at the start of the busy holiday season. 'Sonic 3' bests 'Mufasa: The Lion King' at the box office NEW YORK (AP) — In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” sped past the Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” to take the top spot at the box office. The results came just ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters. According to studio estimates, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend. “Mufasa,” however, was humbled in its opening weekend, coming in notably shy of expectations. It returned just $35 million in domestic ticket sales.US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many peopleOTTAWA — After being blanked 4-0 by host Canada the night before, Finland bounced back with a gritty 3-1 win over Germany during Friday's second day of competition at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa. Emil Pieniniemi, Arttu Alasiurua and Jesse Kiiskinen scored for Finland, which outshot the winless German crew 43-32. Clemens Sager scored for Germany, which lost 10-4 to the defending champion United States on Boxing Day. Finland led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 heading into the third. Germany's goaltender Linus Vieillard stopped 40 of 42 shots directed at him, while Petteri Rimpinen stopped 31 of 32 shots for Finland. Both teams play their next games Sunday when Finland plays the U.S. and Germany faces Canada. Earlier on Friday, Slovakia bounced back from a 5-2 opening-day loss to Sweden to edge Switzerland 2-1. Jan Chovan's goal with 3:18 left in the third period snapped a 1-1 deadlock and lifted Slovakia to the victory. Daniel Jencko also scored for Slovakia. Eric Schneller scored for winless Switzerland, which lost 5-1 on Thursday to Czechia. Both teams had 29 shots on goal. Both teams play again Sunday when Slovakia faces Czechia and Switzerland plays Sweden. In later games Friday, Sweden will square off with Kazakhstan, while Canada will face Latvia. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024. The Canadian PressMark Olfson, MD, MPH Credit: Columbia, Department of Psychiatry A cross-sectional study demonstrated significant psychotherapy increases from 2018 to 2021 among adults with mild or moderate distress, college education, greater family income, and private insurance, as well as young adults and females. 1 In 2021, people were significantly more likely to use teletherapy if they had a greater income, were employed, and were college-educated. Last February, the same team reported that the proportion of US adults receiving psychotherapy increased from 6.5% in 2018 to 8.5% in 2021. 2 This previous report found the rate of outpatient mental health care decreased for individuals with serious psychological distress, particularly among older adults, the unemployed, lower-income, less educated, and rural residents. "While psychotherapy access has expanded in the US, there's concern that recent gains may not be equally distributed, despite or maybe because of the growth of teletherapy," said Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, from Columbia Mailman School professor of Epidemiology and Psychiatry. 3 "This increase in psychotherapy use, driven by the rise of teletherapy, has largely benefited socioeconomically advantaged adults with mild to moderate distress." Due to this concern, investigators sought to characterize trends and patterns in outpatient psychotherapy using the 2018 to 2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys. 1 The repeated cross-sectional study included 89,619 adults (51.5% female) with 29% aged 18 – 34 years, 48.8% aged 35 – 64 years, and 22.2% aged ≥ 65 years. The team measured age-, sex-, and distress-adjusted differences in psychotherapy between 2018 – 2021. They also measured for differences in age, sex, and distress in teletherapy. Investigators examined trends across levels of sociodemographic characteristics and distress. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler-6 scale; a score ≥ 13 indicated serious psychological distress, 1 – 12 indicated mild to moderate distress, and 0 indicated no distress. The study revealed psychotherapy use increased significantly quicker between 2018 and 2021 for females (7.7% to 10.5%) than males (5.2% to 6.3%), younger individuals aged 18 – 34 years (8% to 11.9%) than older individuals aged ≥ 65 years (3.6% to 4.6%), college graduates (7.6% to 11.4%) than those without a high school diploma (5.5% to 7%), privately insured (6.1% to 8.9%) than publicly insured (8.8% to 8.8%), adults at 2 to 4 times the poverty level (5.7% to 8.2%) than below the poverty level (9.7%. to 10%), employed (5.7% to 8.9%) than unemployed aged 18 – 34 and ≥ 65 years (10.8% to 10.5%, and urban adults (6.5% to 8.7%) than rural (6.4 to 5.9%). Controlling for distress levels showed teletherapy use was significantly greater among younger adults than middle-aged (35 – 64 years) (difference, -3.7 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -5.1 to -2.3) and older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) (difference, -6.5 percentage points; 95% CI, -8.0 to -5.0). Teletherapy was also significantly greater among participants who were not married (difference, 2.9 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.6 to 4.2), college-educated adults (difference, 4.9 percentage points; 95% CI, 3.3 to 6.4), people who were higher on the federal poverty level (difference, 2.3 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.5), privately insured (difference, -2.5 percentage points; 95% CI, -3.4 to -1.5), and urban residents (difference, 2.7 percentage points; 95% CI, 1.5 to 3.8). “Technological challenges, preferences for in-person care, and financial barriers can hinder access to teletherapy," Olfson said. 2 "There is growing concern that the rise of telemental health could deepen existing disparities in access to care. The trends we are seeing underscore the need for targeted interventions and health policies that expand psychotherapy access to underserved groups.” References Olfson M, McClellan C, Zuvekas SH, Wall M, Blanco C. Trends in Outpatient Psychotherapy Among Adults in the US. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online December 04, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.3903 Derman, C. Psychologically Distressed Patients Faced Challenges During COVID-19. HCPLive. February 8, 2024. https://www.hcplive.com/view/psychologically-distressed-patients-faced-challenges-during-covid-19 . Accessed December 4, 2024. Study shows significant rise in psychotherapy use among adults, but gains are uneven across socioeconomic groups. EurekAlert! December 4, 2024. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066713 . Accessed December 4, 2024.
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There is uneasy calm in Anambra state as the whereabouts of Godwin Okpala, a retired archbishop of the Niger is unknown Reports disclosed that the Archbishop was last seen on Friday when he embarked on a journey to Umuchu, a community in the state The incumbent Bishop of the Diocese, Ndubuisi Obi, confirmed the development and shared further details CHECK OUT: Education is Your Right! Don’t Let Social Norms Hold You Back. Learn Online with LEGIT. Enroll Now! Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements. Awka, Anambra state - Reports making the rounds on Saturday, December 7, disclosed that an Anglican Bishop had been declared missing in Anambra state . Bishop missing after journey to Umuchu, Anambra The missing cleric, identified simply as Godwin Okpala, is a retired archbishop of the Niger Province and Bishop of Nnewi. PAY ATTENTION: Legit.ng Needs Your Help! Take our Survey Now and See Improvements at LEGIT.NG Tomorrow The leadership of the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi announced on Saturday that Mr Okpala, a professor, had gone missing since Friday, December 6. Read also Gunmen reportedly target Taraba governor’s mother, daughter hospitalized after shooting Premium Times reported that the incumbent Bishop of the Diocese, Ndubuisi Obi, in a Facebook post shared on Saturday, disclosed that the missing cleric embarked on a journey to Umuchu alongside his driver, but they were yet to reach their destination 24 hours after. “Since then, there has been no communication, and neither he, his driver, nor the vehicle have been located,” he said. “We earnestly plead for your fervent prayers for their safety and swift return,” the bishop appealed. Bishop missing: ‘Authorities now contacted’ Interestingly, the Anambra state police command is yet to release an official statement on the development but Mr Obi added that the leadership of the church has contacted “relevant authorities” over the situation and expressed hope that God would intervene in the matter. Read related articles here: Tears in Kogi as gunmen kill popular pastor on way to burial, 3 others kidnapped Former House of Reps member abducted in Nasarawa, police orderly killed, details emerge Read also Confusion as thieves cart away harvested rice in Nasarawa, governor Sule reacts Benue, Anambra attacks: Peter Obi decries rising insecurity Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Peter Obi raised an alarm over rising insecurity in Nigeria while reacting to recent terrorist attacks. On Thursday, Obi warned that the rising insecurity, coupled with economic challenges, is putting Nigeria at risk, urging the government led by President Tinubu to act before the country is irreparably damaged. Following the kidnapping of three employees from Innoson’s showroom in Anambra and the killing of 30 residents in Benue state, Obi called for enhanced security measures and immediate rescue efforts. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ng
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New Delhi : The US denied the Bharatiya Janata Party’s allegations accusing the country over recent controversies about Narendra Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani, on Saturday, December 7. The BJP had blamed that organisations funded by the US State Department and elements in the American “deep state” were behind attempts to destabilise India through targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani, on Saturday, . A spokesperson at the US embassy described the allegations as “disappointing” and asserted that the US government has been a champion of media freedom around the world. “It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” the US embassy spokesperson said. “The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” the official said. The OCCRP, headquartered in Amsterdam, is a media platform that largely focuses on stories relating to crime and corruption. The BJP had referred to a French media report and said it revealed that OCCRP is funded by the US State Department’s USAID, along with other “deep state figures” like George Soros and the Rockefeller Foundation. “The United States has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable,” the US embassy official said. The BJP alleged on Thursday that the US deep state colluded with the media portal OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to “damage” India’s image. The BJP had cited Gandhi’s use of reports by OCCRP to attack the Adani Group and to accuse it of having closeness with the government. Last month, US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani, 62, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over USD 250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts on terms that could potentially bring in more than USD 2 billion in profit. The Adani Group has dismissed the charges as “baseless”. The opposition Congress demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations and accused the government of shielding the businessman. In an unprecedented criticism of the the US State Department, the BJP said on Thursday, “French investigative media group Mediapart revealed that OCCRP is funded by the U.S. State Department’s USAID, as well as other deep state figures like George Soros and the Rockefeller Foundation.” “In fact, 50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the U.S. State Department. OCCRP, therefore, functions as a media tool for carrying out deep state agendas,” the party said in a series of posts on X. “A French investigative journalist has revealed that the US govt controls the media organization OCCRP, dictating that any story it ran was influenced & lacked genuine backing. But what is its connection with Congress?” one of the posts said.
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