IPL 2025 auction: Sunrisers Hyderabad clinch Ishan Kishan for Rs 11.25 crAmanda Hernández | (TNS) Stateline.org CHICAGO — Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice. Related Articles National News | NORAD’s Santa tracker was a Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kids National News | Today in History: December 24, former defense secretary pardoned in Iran-Contra scandal National News | Bill Clinton is hospitalized with a fever but in good spirits, spokesperson says National News | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak National News | The internet is rife with fake reviews. Will AI make it worse? The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities. Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years. “There is this sense of brazenness that people have — they can just walk in and steal stuff. ... That hurts the consumer, and it hurts the company,” said Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, in an interview. “That’s just the world we live in,” he said. “We need to get people to realize that you have to obey the law.” At least eight states — Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New York and Vermont — passed a total of 14 bills in 2024 aimed at tackling retail theft, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The measures range from redefining retail crimes and adjusting penalties to allowing cross-county aggregation of theft charges and protecting retail workers. Major retailers have responded to rising theft since 2020 by locking up merchandise, upgrading security cameras, hiring private security firms and even closing stores. Still, the report indicates that shoplifting remains a stubborn problem. In Chicago, the rate of reported shoplifting incidents remained below pre-pandemic levels throughout 2023 — but surged by 46% from January to October 2024 compared with the same period a year ago. Shoplifting in Los Angeles was 87% higher in 2023 than in 2019. Police reports of shoplifting from January to October 2024 were lower than in 2023. Los Angeles adopted a new crime reporting system in March 2024, which has likely led to an undercount, according to the report. In New York, shoplifting rose 48% from 2021 to 2022, then dipped slightly last year. Still, the shoplifting rate was 55% higher in 2023 than in 2019. This year, the shoplifting rate increased by 3% from January to September compared with the same period last year. While shoplifting rates tend to rise in November and December, which coincides with in-person holiday shopping, data from the Council on Criminal Justice’s sample of 23 U.S. cities shows higher rates in the first half of 2024 compared with 2023. Researchers found it surprising that rates went up despite retailers doing more to fight shoplifting. Experts say the spike might reflect improved reporting efforts rather than a spike in theft. “As retailers have been paying more attention to shoplifting, we would not expect the numbers to increase,” said Ernesto Lopez, the report’s author and a senior research specialist with the council. “It makes it a challenge to understand the trends of shoplifting.” In downtown Chicago on a recent early afternoon, potential shoppers shuffled through the streets and nearby malls, browsing for gifts ahead of the holidays. Edward Johnson, a guard at The Shops at North Bridge, said that malls have become quieter in the dozen or so years he has worked in mall security, with the rise of online retailers. As for shoplifters, Johnson said there isn’t a single type of person to look out for — they can come from any background. “I think good-hearted people see something they can’t afford and figure nothing is lost if they take something from the store,” Johnson said as he patrolled the mall, keeping an eye out for lost or suspicious items. Between 2018 and 2023, most shoplifting in Chicago was reported in the downtown area, as well as in the Old Town, River North and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, according to a separate analysis by the Council on Criminal Justice. Newly sworn-in Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke this month lowered the threshold for charging retail theft as a felony in the county, which includes Chicago, from $1,000 to $300, aligning it with state law. “It sends a signal that she’s taking it seriously,” Rob Karr, the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told Stateline. Nationally, retailers are worried about organized theft. The National Retail Federation’s latest report attributed 36% of the $112.1 billion in lost merchandise in 2022 to “external theft,” which includes organized retail crime. Organized retail crime typically involves coordinated efforts by groups to steal items with the intent to resell them for a profit. Commonly targeted goods include high-demand items such as baby formula, laundry detergent and electronics. The same report found that retailers’ fear of violence associated with theft also is on the rise, with more retailers taking a “hands-off approach.” More than 41% of respondents to the organization’s 2023 survey, up from 38% in 2022, reported that no employee is authorized to try and stop a shoplifter. (The federation’s reporting has come under criticism. It retracted a claim last year that attributed nearly half of lost merchandise in 2021 to organized retail crime; such theft accounted for only about 5%. The group announced this fall it will no longer publish its reports on lost merchandise.) Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills into law in August aimed at addressing retail theft. These measures make repeated theft convictions a felony, allow aggregation of crimes across multiple counties to be charged as a single felony, and permit police to arrest suspects for retail theft even if the crime wasn’t witnessed directly by an officer. In September, Newsom signed an additional bill that imposes steeper felony penalties for large-scale theft offenses. California voters also overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November that increases penalties for specific drug-related and theft crimes. Under the new law, people who are convicted of theft at least twice may face felony charges on their third offense, regardless of the stolen item’s value. “With these changes in the law, really it comes down to making sure that law enforcement is showing up to our stores in a timely manner, and that the prosecutors and the [district attorneys] are prosecuting,” Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, told Stateline. “That’s the only way we’re going to deter retail theft in our communities.” In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders. “This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence,” Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring. The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams. Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this year’s legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next year’s legislative session that would target gift card fraud. Better, more thorough reporting from retailers is essential to truly understanding shoplifting trends and its full impact, in part because some retail-related crimes, such as gift card fraud, are frequently underreported, according to Lopez, of the Council on Criminal Justice. Measuring crime across jurisdictions is notoriously difficult , and the council does not track organized retail theft specifically because law enforcement typically doesn’t identify it as such at the time of arrest — if an arrest even occurs — requiring further investigation, Lopez said. The council’s latest report found conflicting trends in the FBI’s national crime reporting systems. The FBI’s older system, the Summary Reporting System, known as SRS, suggests that reported shoplifting hadn’t gone up through 2023, remaining on par with 2019 levels. In contrast, the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, or NIBRS, shows a 93% increase in shoplifting over the same period. The discrepancy may stem from the type of law enforcement agencies that have adopted the latter system, Lopez said. Some of those communities may have higher levels of shoplifting or other types of property crime, which could be what is driving the spike, Lopez said. Despite the discrepancies and varying levels of shoplifting across the country, Lopez said, it’s important for retailers to report these incidents, as doing so could help allocate law enforcement resources more effectively. “All law enforcement agencies have limited resources, and having the most accurate information allows for not just better policy, but also better implementation — better use of strategic resources,” Lopez said. Stateline staff writer Robbie Sequeira contributed to this report. ©2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
PARIS (AP) — France’s president and prime minister managed to form a new government just in time for the holidays. Now comes the hard part. Crushing debt , intensifying pressure from the nationalist far right, wars in Europe and the Mideast: Challenges abound for President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou after an already tumultuous 2024. The most urgent order of business is passing a 2025 budget. Financial markets, ratings agencies and the European Commission are pushing France to bring down its deficit, to comply with EU rules limiting debt and keep France’s borrowing costs from spiraling. That would threaten the stability and prosperity of all countries that share the euro currency. France’s debt is currently estimated at a staggering 112% of gross domestic product. It grew further after the government gave aid payments to businesses and workers during COVID-19 lockdowns even as the pandemic depressed growth, and capped household energy prices after Russia invaded Ukraine. The bill is now coming due. But France’s previous government collapsed this month because Marine Le Pen’s far-right party and left-wing lawmakers opposed 60 billion euros in spending cuts and tax hikes in the original 2025 budget plan. Bayrou and new Finance Minister Eric Lombard are expected to scale back some of those promises, but the calculations are tough. “The political situation is difficult. The international situation is dangerous, and the economic context is fragile,” Lombard, a low-profile banker who advised a Socialist government in the 1990s, said upon taking office. “The environmental emergency, the social emergency, developing our businesses — these innumerable challenges require us to treat our endemic illness: the deficit,” he said. “The more we are indebted, the more the debt costs, and the more it suffocates the country.” This is France’s fourth government in the past year. No party has a parliamentary majority and the new Cabinet can only survive with the support of lawmakers on the center-right and center-left. Le Pen — Macron’s fiercest rival — was instrumental in ousting the previous government by joining left-wing forces in a no-confidence vote. Bayrou consulted her when forming the new government and Le Pen remains a powerful force. That angers left-wing groups, who had expected more influence in the new Cabinet, and who say promised spending cuts will hurt working-class families and small businesses hardest. Left-wing voters, meanwhile, feel betrayed ever since a coalition from the left won the most seats in the summer's snap legislative elections but failed to secure a government. The possibility of a new no-confidence vote looms, though it's not clear how many parties would support it. Macron has repeatedly said he will remain president until his term expires in 2027. But France's constitution and current structure, dating from 1958 and called the Fifth Republic, were designed to ensure stability after a period of turmoil. If this new government collapses within months and the country remains in political paralysis, pressure will mount for Macron to step down and call early elections. Le Pen's ascendant National Rally is intent on bringing Macron down. But Le Pen faces her own headaches: A March court ruling over alleged illegal party financing could see her barred from running for office. The National Rally and hard-right Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau want tougher immigration rules. But Bayrou wants to focus on making existing rules work. “There are plenty of (immigration) laws that exist. None is being applied," he said Monday on broadcaster BFM-TV, to criticism from conservatives. Military spending is a key issue amid fears about European security and pressure from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for Europe to spend more on its own defense. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who champions military aid for Ukraine and ramping up weapons production, kept his job and stressed in a statement Tuesday the need to face down ‘’accumulating threats'' against France. More immediately, Macron wants an emergency law in early January to allow sped-up reconstruction of the cyclone-ravaged French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean off Africa. Thousands of people are in emergency shelters and authorities are still counting the dead more than a week after the devastation. Meanwhile the government in the restive French South Pacific territory of New Caledonia collapsed Tuesday in a wave of resignations by pro-independence figures — another challenge for the new overseas affairs minister, Manuel Valls, and the incoming Cabinet. Associated Press writer David McHugh in Frankfurt contributed.
Why did NORAD start tracking Santa Claus? It started with a wrong number
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has charged state governments policymakers to take advantage of technology to drive economic prosperity in their states. He also urged them to develop policies that would harness competencies of the youth to enable them secure remote jobs. While emphasizing the importance of adopting a strategic mindset and integrating technology into everyday workflows, he urged participants to start with small changes in their own offices and inspire others to adopt strategic approaches to problem-solving. He noted that effective service delivery starts with individual commitment and grows into collective action. He stated this at a capacity building Workshop held at FutureMap Academy, in Hadejia, Jigawa state. The theme of the workshop is “AI for Office Productivity, Design Thinking, Agriculture, Health, Education, Energy, and Climate Change.” The participants included academics, professionals, startup founders, students, government officials, and representatives from non-governmental organizations, Highlighting the need for state policymakers to identify and harness their resources effectively, Inuwa said the large pool of computer science graduates from Jigawa state could be empowered to contribute to the state’s development if equipped with the right skills and opportunities. Sharing his personal experience and journey into digital transformation, explained how local mentors can inspire the next generation to explore careers in technology. He shared the success stories of young Nigerians who transitioned from being workers in organisations to a high-paying remote role with foreign companies. The DG advocated for integrating technology into various sectors, including agriculture, to create diverse employment opportunities. In his remarks, Representative of Huawei, Dr. Nihinlola Mary Fafore, According to her, In partnership with stakeholders, Huawei aims to bridge the digital divide, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and enhance employability among young Nigerians. She said the initiative is part of Huawei’s efforts to develop a robust tech ecosystem in Nigeria, ensuring that no region is left behind in the journey towards technological advancement.
As the cryptocurrency market experiences new shifts, Lightchain AI (LCAI) has emerged as a top pick for traders looking to capitalize on an innovative new project. Cardano (ADA) and Dogecoin (DOGE), once dominant forces in the crypto market, have seen a decline in momentum, leading investors to seek fresh opportunities With LCAI’s presale currently priced at $0.0041, traders are flocking to this emerging token in hopes of capitalizing on its innovative technology and massive growth potential. Lightchain AI offers unique features and a solid roadmap that make it a standout investment for those looking beyond traditional altcoins like Cardano and Dogecoin. Cardano Faces Challenges as Investors Look for New Opportunities Cardano (ADA) has been a well-liked pick for long-time buyers, giving a power-saving blockchain with a solid study-backed base. But, in last months Cardano has had problems keeping its rise. Even with its updates like Hydra a way to scale, Cardano has found it hard to get big price shifts. Investors is starting to doubt if the project can get past its current blocks, especially after a trouble of quick push in the market. Though Cardano's strong system stays a key part of its plan, lots of traders are looking at newer, fast-growing chances that say they can give faster gains—like Lightchain AI. As ADA finds it hard, LCAI is catching eyes for its AI-made ans͏wers and the hope of huge returns. Dogecoin’s Decline and Lightchain AI’s Surge in Popularity In 2024, Dogecoin experienced a significant decline, with its price dropping over 50% from March to August, reaching approximately $0.10. This downturn is attributed to fading hype, limited practical use cases, and increased market competition. Concurrently, Lightchain AI has gained substantial attention for integrating artificial intelligence with blockchain technology. Its innovative features, such as the Proof of Intelligence consensus mechanism and the Artificial Intelligence Virtual Machine, have attracted investors seeking projects with real-world applicability. Analysts predict that Lightchain AI could experience significant growth, with projections suggesting its value may reach $10, indicating strong market confidence in its potential. Why Lightchain AI’s Presale Is Attracting Traders Lightchain AI introduces the Proof of Intelligence (PoI) consensus mechanism, where nodes are rewarded for executing AI computations such as model training and optimization. This novel approach enhances both network security and efficiency, distinguishing it from traditional methods. The project’s comprehensive roadmap highlights significant milestones, including a testnet launch in January 2025 and mainnet activation in March 2025, signaling a clear trajectory for innovation and growth. With robust tokenomics, the LCAI token’s total supply of 10 billion is thoughtfully allocated—40% for presale, 28.5% for staking rewards, 15% for liquidity, 5% for marketing, 6.5% for the treasury, and 5% for the team—ensuring sustainability and equitable ecosystem participation. By combining AI and blockchain, Lightchain AI addresses critical challenges such as scalability, governance, and privacy, positioning itself as a leader in decentralized intelligence with real-world applicability. https://lightchain.ai https://lightchain.ai/lightchain-whitepaper.pdf https://x.com/LightchainAI https://t.me/LightchainProtocol Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.
Lotus Technology Inc. ( NASDAQ:LOT – Get Free Report )’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $3.91, but opened at $3.80. Lotus Technology shares last traded at $3.95, with a volume of 7,463 shares traded. Lotus Technology Stock Up 3.2 % The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.93. The company has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of -2.67 and a beta of 0.10. The company’s 50 day moving average is $4.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.20. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in Lotus Technology during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. State Street Corp bought a new position in shares of Lotus Technology during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lotus Technology in the third quarter valued at $402,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.40% of the company’s stock. Lotus Technology Company Profile Lotus Technology Inc engages in the design, development, and sale of battery electric lifestyle vehicles worldwide. It also distributes sports cars. The company sells its products under the Lotus brand. Lotus Technology Inc is based in Shanghai, China. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Lotus Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lotus Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Advertisement EY has an AI-powered avatar named eVe that candidates can use for a pre-interview. The AI avatar allows candidates to ask questions and can help them prep for a real-person interview. EY also lets some candidates take virtual tours of their offices in the metaverse. EY, a Big Four accounting and consulting firm, is turning to technology to improve its recruiting process — in part by allowing job candidates to warm up with an AI interviewer before getting face-to-face with a real person. Company leaders who work on recruiting and metaverse experiences told Business Insider the AI interviewer was aimed at providing a better — and potentially less stressful — hiring process. Advertisement A link to the AI-powered avatar, called eVe, is sent out to candidates as soon as they are selected to advance to the interview stage. eVe can answer questions about the company and help candidates prepare for their interview with a real person, according to Francesca Jones, an early careers leader at EY. The AI avatar, which appears on the screen as a real person would during a video chat, can be spoken to directly and offers verbal answers back within moments, mimicking an actual conversation. It can also be used with text like other chatbots. eVe can walk candidates through what the EY hiring process is like and help with case study preparation. It can also answer follow-up questions and give detailed responses about how benefits like healthcare and retirement plans work at the company. eVe can be used at any point in the process, so candidates can revisit it when weighing whether or not to accept a job offer. Advertisement EY started offering eVe to job candidates in early October, so they are still waiting to get a fuller picture of how it is being used. However, eVe went through months of internal user testing with hundreds of interns, which gave a glimpse into how early-career professionals in particular would use the tool. "I was amazed by the types of questions they asked and how much time they actually spent with it," Domhnaill Hernon, global lead of EY's Metaverse Lab, told Business Insider. He suspected the younger generation might spend two to three minutes with eVe and then move on, but they were regularly spending 15 to 20 minutes engaging with it conversationally, asking questions and follow-ups. One intern who spent 25 minutes talking to eVe went into extreme detail evaluating EY's compensation benefits, particularly comparing the company's pension plan to its 401K offering. Others asked the sort of questions that many early-career professionals want to know ahead of interviews but might be afraid to ask, like what to wear. Advertisement EY lets students take office tours with virtual-reality headsets. EY Though it is powered by an OpenAI GPT-4 large language model, eVe's knowledge base comes entirely from EY content, so the AI avatar is basing all of its responses on information that is specific to the company, rather than generic answers pulled from the internet. Related stories Jones said that beyond enhancing the recruiting process, the avatar also signals to candidates that the company is ahead of the game from a technology standpoint. EY , like other major consulting firms, has focused heavily on AI. The company announced last year it had invested $1.4 billion on the technology and created its own large language model. Advertisement It's also not the only company to incorporate AI into the hiring process , with so-called AI interviewers becoming more common in the generative AI boom. Companies and recruiters are also using AI to sort through resumes and cover letters. Apriora , a startup founded last year, provides companies with an AI interviewer called Alex, who can conduct early-stage interviews. The AI interviewer asks questions chosen by the company and can ask the candidate follow-up questions in real time. The startup raised $2.8 million in seed funding and graduated from startup-incubator Y Combinator. Hernon said they worked with behavioral scientists, neuroscientists, and learning leaders inside and outside of EY to understand psychological safety, with the aim of reducing the "social threat" felt by the user as much as possible. In other words, they wanted eVe to feel less intimidating than a real person might, encouraging the user to ask questions that they otherwise might be too embarrassed to ask. Advertisement With that in mind, the team chose to make eVe look human-like, but not like it was pretending to be human, so the avatar is not photorealistic. "You've removed that human social threat, but yet at the same time it feels human enough that they want to spend time interacting with it," he said. Have a news tip or a story to share? Have you done a job interview with an AI avatar? Contact this reporter at kvlamis@businessinsider.com .
Idaho Fish and Game is investigating 43 ducks that were shot and left to waste on Pine Creek Pass between Swan Valley and Victor, according to a press release. “The needless wasting of wildlife is illegal and unethical,” Regional Conservation Officer Barry Cummings stated in the release. “Any little bit of information the public can provide us may help put the pieces of this puzzle together to solve this case.” According to the release, conservation officers were made aware of the ducks on Nov. 12. The ducks were dumped just off the Upper Rainey Creek Road, a half-mile from Highway 31. Most were whole and unfrozen so officers believe they were dumped earlier that day. Fish and Game requested anyone with information to call the Upper Snake Regional Office at 208-525-7290, or the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for cash rewards when it leads to a citation. According to Idaho statutes, it is illegal to waste “edible portions of any game animal.” Edible portions are defined as breasts on game birds.LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 18 points, making four 3-pointers, and No. 22 UCLA edged 14th-ranked Gonzaga 65-62 on Saturday in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome, the new home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. Ryan Nembhard’s basket tied it at 60 before the Bruins (11-2) scored five points in a row. Nembhard then drove the length of the court and scored while getting fouled. After a timeout, he missed the potential tying free throw with 8 seconds remaining. Graham Ike fouled Skyy Clark, who made both free throws for a 65-62 lead with 5 seconds left. Nembhard's 3-point heave from halfcourt missed at the buzzer. Ike led the Bulldogs (9-4) with 24 points and eight rebounds. Nembhard had 16 points and eight assists. Graham was 11 of 16 from the floor on a day when both teams struggled offensively in the 18,000-seat arena. It was a tough shooting day for UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau, who was limited to seven points — well under his team-leading 15.1 average — while going against Ike. Gonzaga: The Zags fell to 3-4 on neutral courts. UCLA: The Bruins improved to 2-2 on neutral courts. They were coming off a two-point loss to North Carolina in New York City last weekend. The Zags lost starter Khalif Battle (five points) when he was ejected with 4:12 remaining in the first half for a flagrant-2 foul against Dailey. Before it was reviewed, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tore off his jacket. Early in the second half, Dailey and Nembhard were called for double technicals when things got heated between the teams. The Zags went 2 of 11 on 3-point attempts in the first half, when they trailed by 11. They made five 3s in the second half. Gonzaga stays in the Los Angeles area to visit Pepperdine on Monday. UCLA visits Nebraska on Jan. 4 in Big Ten play. Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballWashington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata welcomed final Senate passage last Friday of a bipartisan House bill she co-introduced, the FISHES Act, H.R. 5103. The legislation has been sent to President Biden to become law. Amata is one of a bipartisan group of 11 original cosponsors at introduction, primarily from coastal districts, led by sponsor Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida, and including Congressman James Moylan of Guam. “We live in harmony with a beautiful ocean, but it is capable of sudden, powerful disasters, which we have experienced,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Our bipartisan FISHES Act supports and instructs NOAA in providing strong and rapid response after emergencies to restore fisheries, and direct resources where most needed in those cases.” The FISHES Act is fully titled the Fishery Improvement to Streamline untimely regulatory Hurdles post Emergency Situation Act. The legislation is endorsed by many organizations including the National Audubon Society, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Captains for Clean Water, American Conservation Coalition Action, National Association of Charterboat Operators, and more. SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT In addition, Congresswoman Amata is welcoming final passage of the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, H.R. 82, which she also cosponsored. The bill originated in the House and has now been sent to President Biden to be signed into law, among a flurry of completed bills as the 118th Congress closes. The bill ends two unnecessary and harmful provisions of the Social Security Act that unfairly reduce benefits for more than 2 million Americans who have had public service careers, such as police officers, firefighters, educators and government employees. The bipartisan effort was sponsored by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) and last month passed the House by a vote of 327-75. “I appreciate our many retired public servants who gave many years of dedicated careers to professions that keep our communities safe, healthy, educated, and provide other necessities,” said Congresswoman Amata. “This change is the right thing to do, and it will improve the retired years of many Samoans and other Pacific Islanders who have served all over the United States. This improvement will help 2 million American retirees in receiving their full Social Security and spousal benefits with any other retirement income they are due.” Specifically, the bill eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), allowing better retirement incomes for public service retirees, rather than having their or their spouses’ Social Security benefits reduced, solely because of the career they had working for federal, state and local governments.
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. It’s a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still deeply unsatisfied but some hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. World Resources Institute president and CEO Ani Dasgupta called it “an important down payment toward a safer, more equitable future,” but added that the poorest and most vulnerable nations are “rightfully disappointed that wealthier countries didn’t put more money on the table when billions of people’s lives are at stake.” The summit was supposed to end on Friday evening but negotiations spiraled on through early Sunday. With countries on opposite ends of a massive chasm, tensions ran high as delegations tried to close the gap in expectations. Here’s how they got there: read more Here’s what happened when experts at COP29 played a climate change board game Athletes see climate change as threatening their sports and their health. Some are speaking up Papuan women’s mangrove forest in Indonesia is increasingly threatened by development and pollution What was the finance deal agreed at climate talks? Rich countries have agreed to pool together at least $300 billion a year by 2035. It’s not near the full amount of $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, and that experts said was needed. But delegations more optimistic about the agreement said this deal is headed in the right direction, with hopes that more money flows in the future. The text included a call for all parties to work together using “all public and private sources” to get closer to the $1.3 trillion per year goal by 2035. That means also pushing for international mega-banks, funded by taxpayer dollars, to help foot the bill. And it means, hopefully, that companies and private investors will follow suit on channeling cash toward climate action. const iframes=document.querySelectorAll('iframe.ap-embed');const iframeMap=new Map();iframes.forEach(iframe=>iframeMap.set(iframe.contentWindow,iframe));window.addEventListener('message',msg=>{const iframe=iframeMap.get(msg.source);if(!iframe)return;if(msg.data.type==='embed-size'){iframe.setAttribute('height',msg.data.height);iframe.style.height='${msg.data.height}px';return;}});iframes.forEach(iframe=>{const data={type:'embed-size-query'};iframe.contentWindow.postMessage(data,'*');}); The agreement is also a critical step toward helping countries on the receiving end create more ambitious targets to limit or cut emissions of heat-trapping gases that are due early next year. It’s part of the plan to keep cutting pollution with new targets every five years, which the world agreed to at the U.N. talks in Paris in 2015. The Paris agreement set the system of regular ratcheting up climate fighting ambition as away to keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world is already at 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) and carbon emissions keep rising. Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More What will the money be spent on? The deal decided in Baku replaces a previous agreement from 15 years ago that charged rich nations $100 billion a year to help the developing world with climate finance. The new number has similar aims: it will go toward the developing world’s long laundry list of to-dos to prepare for a warming world and keep it from getting hotter. That includes paying for the transition to clean energy and away from fossil fuels. Countries need funds to build up the infrastructure needed to deploy technologies like wind and solar power on a large scale. Communities hard-hit by extreme weather also want money to adapt and prepare for events like floods, typhoons and fires. Funds could go toward improving farming practices to make them more resilient to weather extremes, to building houses differently with storms in mind, to helping people move from the hardest-hit areas and to help leaders improve emergency plans and aid in the wake of disasters. The Philippines, for example, has been hammered by six major storms in less than a month , bringing to millions of people howling wind, massive storm surges and catastrophic damage to residences, infrastructure and farmland. “Family farmers need to be financed,” said Esther Penunia of the Asian Farmers Association. She described how many have already had to deal with millions of dollars of storm damage, some of which includes trees that won’t again bear fruit for months or years, or animals that die, wiping out a main source of income. “If you think of a rice farmer who depends on his or her one hectare farm, rice land, ducks, chickens, vegetables, and it was inundated, there was nothing to harvest,” she said. Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, applauds as he attends a closing plenary at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, applauds as he attends a closing plenary at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Why was it so hard to get a deal? Election results around the world that herald a change in climate leadership, a few key players with motive to stall the talks and a disorganized host country all led to a final crunch that left few happy with a flawed compromise. The ending of COP29 is “reflective of the harder geopolitical terrain the world finds itself in,” said Li Shuo of the Asia Society. He cited Trump’s recent victory in the US — with his promises to pull the country out of the Paris Agreement — as one reason why the relationship between China and the EU will be more consequential for global climate politics moving forward. Developing nations also faced some difficulties agreeing in the final hours, with one Latin American delegation member saying that their group didn’t feel properly consulted when small island states had last-minute meetings to try to break through to a deal. Negotiators from across the developing world took different tacks on the deal until they finally agreed to compromise. Meanwhile, activists ramped up the pressure: many urged negotiators to stay strong and asserted that no deal would be better than a bad deal. But ultimately the desire for a deal won out. Some also pointed to the host country as a reason for the struggle. Mohamed Adow, director of climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa, said Friday that “this COP presidency is one of the worst in recent memory,” calling it “one of the most poorly led and chaotic COP meetings ever.” The presidency said in a statement, “Every hour of the day, we have pulled people together. Every inch of the way, we have pushed for the highest common denominator. We have faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides.” Shuo retains hope that the opportunities offered by a green economy “make inaction self-defeating” for countries around the world, regardless of their stance on the decision. But it remains to be seen whether the UN talks can deliver more ambition next year. In the meantime, “this COP process needs to recover from Baku,” Shuo said. ___ Associated Press reporters Seth Borenstein and Sibi Arasu contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .Gurugram, Nov 22 (IANS): To improve traffic management and road safety here in the city the Gurugram Traffic Police in collaboration with Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) inaugurated Gurugram’s first Traffic Engineering Centre and Organisation Development Centre, at the DCP (traffic) office in Gurugram on Friday. The Centre is equipped with cutting-edge technology that can monitor 1,100 cameras from a single location, ensuring streamlined management for swift action and better response time. Traffic Police officers will receive dedicated training to enhance their skills and knowledge of traffic and accident management. A significant step towards enhancing road safety in the city, the Traffic Engineering Centre monitors 218 junctions, helping manage traffic better, analysing accidents and their causes, detecting faults, and sharing recommendations for improvement. Additionally, the Organization Development Centre will act as a training ground for Traffic Police personnel, where they will be trained for better and more effective traffic management across the city. Speaking on this occasion, Shatrujeet Kapur, Director General of Police (DGP), Haryana, said: "This centre will prove to be effective in improving traffic management in Gurugram. This will reduce road accidents and reduce deaths in road accidents. During this, he said that the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) is a leading institution for road engineering and traffic engineering for road safety." “With the help of these centres, Haryana Police will bring positive results in road engineering, traffic engineering and traffic management in Gurugram through cooperation. Both the centres established today will play an important role in traffic management by organising the traffic, and road accidents will decrease," he added.Ryan Crookham, national No. 1 at 133 pounds, gets Lehigh's only win in a 36-3 loss to No. 1 Penn State. He won 4-2 at 133 pounds in his second match of the season.
The refusal of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to attend a Cricket West Indies meeting on governance reform is not sitting well with chairman of the Caricom Sub-Committee on cricket, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. “The closing of the year on that score was not a good thing,” PM Rowley said on Saturday’s ISport programme on i95FM. On December 6, the two territorial boards did not send representatives to the planned shareholders meeting which was described as “pivotal.” The meeting was to vote on implementing governance reforms recommended by the Wehby Report, a document compiled by a group headed by Jamaican business executive Don Wehby. The meeting failed to come off because the required quorum was not met. In a subsequent statement, the two boards stated in part that “the BCA and GCB rejected the Wehby Report on the basis that it seeks to relinquish power from the territorial boards.” Saying that he was “disappointed” that there was no quorum, Rowley stated that, “this signals a reluctance on the part of the establishment in current West Indies cricket to engage the issue and to take hard decisions.” The Prime Minister added: “I’m afraid that what is appearing to be coming up on the surface is that some people who can influence the outcome are prepared to have the current arrangements remain in place even though we acknowledge that they are not delivering as we would like (them) to...” Rowley reasoned: “Even though we do not have 100% agreement, what we have agreement on, we could move forward with or, when we acknowledge a problem, that we try to find a way to move forward with.” However, the T&T PM did not think that there was governmental influence on the positions of the GCB and BCA. “I don’t think there is any underlying strategic planning on the part of the (governmental) leadership. I think it has more to do with the Cricket West Indies itself and its membership; the territorial leaders where certain strong-willed individuals believe that this direction is not right.” But, he stressed, “the place to do that is at the meeting.” Adding also that, “there is no attempt by Caricom to run West Indies cricket,” he said Caribbean leaders can only use “moral suasion” with the CWI decision-makers. “We want to encourage people in this period or great risk and possible good rewards to get to the table, take the assistance that is available, work as one body. Nobody is going to respect West Indies cricket if we are fractured at the level of the management of the game,” he said. No sense to disbanding And the Prime Minister used stronger words to describe the recent suggestion by former chairman of world governing body ICC Greg Barclay that it may be time for West Indies to be disbanded as a cricket-playing entity, describing it as “tomfoolery.” “I’ve never heard more nonsense,” he said, adding: “As a matter of fact, the West Indies as a team is a unique entity in World cricket and the fact that we have dominated the game for two decades should indicate that the model does work, and we don’t need any advice from anybody telling us that the way to go is with 13 different countries.” Rowley added: “What they really trying to encourage us to do is to get out, because they are aiming to form an elite group of...cricket-playing countries and you will be ranked by your performance and therefore West Indies’ history would come to nought. And rather than try to aspire to where we achieved, we should go down in Division Three or Division Four and scratch our way down there among newcomers.” He said: “We must reject that...At Caricom we have taken a decision that...West Indies has played a role and we’ve paid our dues and we need to be treated with more respect and have more resources from the ICC, so that we can get those resources to bring our game into line with what is required in today’s sport and not to abandon our great legacy and our great record.”This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article. CEASEFIRE? US President-elect Donaldu00a0Trumpu00a0and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands inside the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ahead of a ceremony to mark its re-opening following the 2019 fire, in Paris, France on December 7, 2024. PARIS, France – United States President-elect Donald Trump called on Sunday, December 8, for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end "the madness," prompting Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy and the Kremlin to list their conditions. Trump made his comments just hours after meeting Zelenskiy in Paris for their first face-to-face talks since Trump won last month's US election. Trump has vowed to bring about a negotiated end to the conflict, but so far has not provided details. "Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, adding that Kyiv had lost some 400,000 soldiers. "There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin." "I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!" Trump added, referring to Russian...
MPs from the ruling parties in Andhra Pradesh would raise the issues of unfulfilled provisions in AP Split Act, the delay in execution of the Polavaram project, the Kadapa Steel Plant issue etc in the Winter Session of Parliament.
Vikings withstand Bears' furious rally, win on field goal in OT