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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Looking for hard-to-find bottles of Kentucky bourbon to toast the holidays or add to a collection? Get your bids ready as the Bluegrass State launches its first online auction of confiscated alcohol. Whiskeys up for sale include two bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle, a Blanton’s Single Barrel Gold in box with Japanese markings and a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Barrel Strength 2011. The sale is the result of a new Kentucky law, which allows alcohol confiscated from closed criminal investigations by the state's alcoholic beverage control agency to be auctioned. Online bidding opens Wednesday and closes at midnight on Dec. 11. Proceeds will support programs promoting responsible alcohol use by adults and awareness programs for youths. “This is a really good auction,” Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, said by phone Tuesday. “There are some hard-to-find and rare bottles on there.” No estimate has been given on how much the auction might raise. “We look forward to seeing the response to this auction and have started planning additional auctions for 2025,” said Allyson Taylor, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The auction features 32 bottles of alcohol and includes a “stock the bar” bundle with bottles of wine, vodka, rum and whiskey, the agency said. But the stars are the hard-to-find and rare bourbons up for sale. “It’s not every day you go to a liquor store and find a bottle of Blanton’s Gold," Gregory said. “You never go to a liquor store and find a bottle of Four Roses 2011.” The lineup includes bottles of E.H. Taylor bourbon, Blanton’s Single Barrel, Eagle Rare 10 yr., Weller Antique 107, Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Rye, Michter’s, an Old Forester gift set and more. A link to the online auction is available at ABC.ky.gov . Auction items cannot be shipped, so winning bidders must pick up items in Frankfort, the state said. The auctions will become a “can't miss opportunity” for bourbon connoisseurs, Gregory said. Previously, confiscated bourbon or other spirits could end up being destroyed, he said. “We don't like to see good bourbon poured down the drain,” Gregory said. Kentucky distillers produce 95% of the global bourbon supply, the Kentucky distillers’ group says.
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart's sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups. The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher at the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the October survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associate at Pew, called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Walmart says its U.S. businesses sourced more than $13 billion in goods and services from diverse suppliers in fiscal year 2024, including businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company has no explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Philippines has made it to the Guinness World Record for the most number of people planting bamboo simultaneously in multiple locations. Guinness World Records Adjudicator Sonia Ushiriguchi confirmed this on November 28 during the celebration of the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week (NSTW) that was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held in Cagayan de Oro City. A total of 2,305 planters participated in the record-setting event, which was conducted by DOST and its Kawayanihan Circular Economy Movement partners on October 18 in 19 different locations across Mindanao and Leyte. The record-setting initiative, spearheaded by DOST-X, aimed to raise awareness about bamboo’s potential to promote a Circular Economy, Climate Resilience, and Sustainability. A circular economy is essential for conserving finite resources, reducing environmental impacts, and fostering economic resilience. It advocates for the reuse, repair, and recycling of materials, minimizes waste, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps combat climate change. DOST collaborated with Bukidnon first District Rep. Hon. Jose Manuel F. Alba and 85 other local government units, nongovernment agencies, private sector organizations, and members of Congress. The Kawayanihan Circular Economy Movement aligns with DOST’s framework on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Circular Economy. As the lead agency providing innovative S&T solutions and opening opportunities, the framework guides DOST agencies to collaborate in promoting a circular economy, sustainable consumption and production, and the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance aspects. “We must love our environment as much as we love our children—ensuring they are healthy and live in a peaceful, stable place,” emphasized DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., underscoring the importance of the framework during the DOST Circular Economy Initiative Towards Smart and Sustainable Communities activity. The collaboration between DOST and its Kawayanihan partners has paved the way for solutions and opportunities in the green economy.Scholz's Second Run: Pistorius Steps Back, SPD's Uncertain Path
By KAREEM CHEHAYEB BEIRUT (AP) — In 2006, after a bruising monthlong war between Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militant group, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted for a resolution to end the conflict and pave the way for lasting security along the border. But while there was relative calm for nearly two decades, Resolution 1701’s terms were never fully enforced. Now, figuring out how to finally enforce it is key to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal approved by Israel on Tuesday. In late September, after nearly a year of low-level clashes , the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah spiraled into all-out war and an Israeli ground invasion . As Israeli jets pound deep inside Lebanon and Hezbollah fires rockets deeper into northern Israel, U.N. and diplomatic officials again turned to the 2006 resolution in a bid to end the conflict. Years of deeply divided politics and regionwide geopolitical hostilities have halted substantial progress on its implementation, yet the international community believes Resolution 1701 is still the brightest prospect for long-term stability between Israel and Lebanon. Almost two decades after the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, the United States led shuttle diplomacy efforts between Lebanon and Israel to agree on a ceasefire proposal that renewed commitment to the resolution, this time with an implementation plan to try to bring the document back to life. What is UNSC Resolution 1701? In 2000, Israel withdrew its forces from most of southern Lebanon along a U.N.-demarcated “Blue Line” that separated the two countries and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, which most of the world considers occupied Syrian territory. U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL , increased their presence along the line of withdrawal. Resolution 1701 was supposed to complete Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and ensure Hezbollah would move north of the Litani River, keeping the area exclusively under the Lebanese military and U.N. peacekeepers. Up to 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers would help to maintain calm, return displaced Lebanese and secure the area alongside the Lebanese military. The goal was long-term security, with land borders eventually demarcated to resolve territorial disputes. The resolution also reaffirmed previous ones that call for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon — Hezbollah among them. “It was made for a certain situation and context,” Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese army general, told The Associated Press. “But as time goes on, the essence of the resolution begins to hollow.” Has Resolution 1701 been implemented? For years, Lebanon and Israel blamed each other for countless violations along the tense frontier. Israel said Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and growing arsenal remained, and accused the group of using a local environmental organization to spy on troops. Lebanon complained about Israeli military jets and naval ships entering Lebanese territory even when there was no active conflict. “You had a role of the UNIFIL that slowly eroded like any other peacekeeping with time that has no clear mandate,” said Joseph Bahout, the director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy at the American University of Beirut. “They don’t have permission to inspect the area without coordinating with the Lebanese army.” UNIFIL for years has urged Israel to withdraw from some territory north of the frontier, but to no avail. In the ongoing war, the peacekeeping mission has accused Israel, as well as Hezbollah , of obstructing and harming its forces and infrastructure. Hezbollah’s power, meanwhile, has grown, both in its arsenal and as a political influence in the Lebanese state. The Iran-backed group was essential in keeping Syrian President Bashar Assad in power when armed opposition groups tried to topple him, and it supports Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Yemen. It has an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles pointed at Israel, and has introduced drones into its arsenal . Hanna says Hezbollah “is something never seen before as a non-state actor” with political and military influence. How do mediators hope to implement 1701 almost two decades later? Israel’s security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday. Efforts led by the U.S. and France for the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah underscored that they still view the resolution as key. For almost a year, Washington has promoted various versions of a deal that would gradually lead to its full implementation. International mediators hope that by boosting financial support for the Lebanese army — which was not a party in the Israel-Hezbollah war — Lebanon can deploy some 6,000 additional troops south of the Litani River to help enforce the resolution. Under the deal, an international monitoring committee headed by the United States would oversee implementation to ensure that Hezbollah and Israel’s withdrawals take place. It is not entirely clear how the committee would work or how potential violations would be reported and dealt with. The circumstances now are far more complicated than in 2006. Some are still skeptical of the resolution’s viability given that the political realities and balance of power both regionally and within Lebanon have dramatically changed since then. “You’re tying 1701 with a hundred things,” Bahout said. “A resolution is the reflection of a balance of power and political context.” Now with the ceasefire in place, the hope is that Israel and Lebanon can begin negotiations to demarcate their land border and settle disputes over several points along the Blue Line for long-term security after decades of conflict and tension.
NoneBhagalpur: To encourage farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices to enhance productivity and profitability, and support the national mission to reduce dependency on imported oilseeds and food grains, Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, (Bhagalpur district) has introduced a dual simultaneous cropping method for groundnut-cum-rice cultivation using raised bed system, and ridge and furrow technique . Vice-chancellor (VC) D R Singh, who is monitoring the techniques on a day-to-day basis, has said that it is tailored for the agro-climatic conditions of Bihar. “It promises to revolutionise farming in the region by ensuring resource efficiency. The BAU scientists and researchers are also demonstrating the systems for groundnut-cum-rice cultivation to the progressive farmers on the campus, stressing the practicality and benefits of using the ridge-and-furrow technique,” said the BAU VC, adding four major benefits have been incorporated for the farmers. The first benefit is improved productivity with enhanced drainage, aeration and nutrient management. The second benefit is optimal land use to enhance farmers’ income. The third benefit is localized solutions by developing groundnut varieties suited to the Bhagalpur region, ensuring long-term sustainability. The fourth benefit is farmer empowerment through training programmes and interactive sessions on adoption of modern techniques. Director of research at BAU, Anil Kumar Singh, who is leading the project, says that groundnut and rice can be cultivated year-round in Bihar across different sub-agro-climatic zones. The expansion of the system for groundnut-cum-rice cultivation, especially during rainy season, is a crucial step towards achieving self-sufficiency in the edible oil sector in the state, he adds. Referring to the raised bed system, Singh says that waterlogging remains a persistent challenge in many agricultural regions of Bihar, particularly for water-sensitive crops like groundnuts. “Hence, the system using ridge and furrow technique provides an effective solution by creating elevated planting areas separated by drainage furrows along with rice. The successful experiments started in July on 800 square metres of research farmland at BAU, with 400 square metres for groundnut and an equal stretch of land for paddy (rice),” says Singh. He adds paddy dominates Bihar’s Kharif season and occupies approximately 30 lakh hectares. “The technique for groundnut-cum-rice cultivation in Bihar can reduce India’s dependence on imported oilseeds, which is nearly 16.5 million tonnes per annum, incurring a staggering cost of Rs 1.38 lakh crore,” he says. We also published the following articles recently Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) introduces dual cropping system for sustainable farming Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) is pioneering a dual cropping method for groundnut and rice using raised beds and ridge-and-furrow techniques. This innovative approach aims to boost farmer incomes, optimize land use, and reduce India's reliance on imported oilseeds. Initial trials on the BAU research farm have shown promising results, attracting interest from local farmers. 3 BAU students successfully grow kesarwith aeroponics, vertical farming method Three Bihar Agricultural University students have achieved a groundbreaking feat by cultivating saffron in Bhagalpur, Bihar, typically grown in Kashmir. Using aeroponics, vertical farming, and IoT technology, they recreated Kashmiri conditions in a controlled environment. The team, mentored by BAU scientists and supported by Sabour Agri Incubators, expects their first harvest in December 2024 after sourcing seeds from Kashmir. Black Coffee vs. Milk Coffee: Differences, benefits, and brewing techniques Coffee lovers rejoice! This article delves into the delightful world of coffee, exploring the distinctions between black coffee and milk coffee. Discover the unique brewing methods, health benefits, and flavor profiles of each. From the bold intensity of black coffee to the creamy indulgence of milk coffee, find your perfect cup.
ATLANTA — A month after the November election, a series of major developments has shaken up Georgia’s political landscape as Donald Trump prepares his return to the White House. The president-elect’s announcement Wednesday that he will nominate former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler to his Cabinet was his second appointment that will have broad implications for Georgia’s 2026 races. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.The time finally has come -- the have revealed their uniforms for the 2025 WNBA season. A press release issued by the team Thursday describes the uniforms as a representation of who the Valkyries are, with nods to Oakland, where the team's practice facility and front office are located, and San Francisco's Chase Center, where the team will play its home games. The uniform features the team's logo, highlighting the Bay Bridge, with the suspension cables reimagined as wings. Additionally, the five triangles formed within the "wings" represent the five players on the court at one time, while the 13 lines extending from the top of the sword, which also doubles as the bridge tower, reflect the Valkryies becoming the 13th active team in the WNBA. “The Valkyries’ inaugural uniforms are a visual interpretation of who Valkyries are: fierce, bold and strong,” Valkyries senior vice president of marketing & communications Kimberly Veale said. “When our athletes and fans alike put on a Valkyries uniform during our inaugural season, they will embody that ethos. "These uniforms represent another major milestone for the franchise as we prepare to welcome WNBA basketball to the Bay Area in 2025." As part of WNBA's structure, the Valkryies will wear two versions of their uniforms -- one black and one white. Golden State founding partners JPMorgan Chase and Kaiser Permanente are featured on the uniforms. The Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA champion , were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise in October 2023. They will play their first games in 2025.NoneDaily Post Nigeria Police arrest Ondo farmer for beating suspected thief to death Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Metro Police arrest Ondo farmer for beating suspected thief to death Published on November 24, 2024 By Abdul Babajide A farmer has been apprehended by operatives of the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly beating a suspected thief to death in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state. The farmer identified as Adegoke allegedly committed the crime at Mile 10, Ore axis of the local government, when he descended on the deceased suspect and his friends after accusing them of stealing his farm produce. According to sources, the other suspects attacked by Adegoke had been hospitalised, stressing that Adegoke claimed the suspected thieves who hailed from the neighbouring Aba Tuntun community had also stolen his motorcycle. One of the sources, who craved anonymity, said: “Some suspected thieves had been stealing the farm produce of one Adegoke, popularly called Ariya. But he had been keeping quiet for long. “However, Nemesis caught up with the thieves, as Adegoke was able to get hold of two persons out of four found on his farm. Before now, his cocoa pods, kola nuts, and plantains had been missing from his farm often and often, including his motorcycle. But he found two persons culpable of the offence.” Following the incident, Adegoke was subsequently arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Akure, the state capital, for investigation. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, who confirmed the incident, stated that the complainant claimed the suspected thieves were around Adegoke’s farm to pick snails and not to steal. According to the police spokesperson, who disclosed that the investigation had begun, it was the wife of Adegoke who called her husband that thieves were on his farm, and he returned to attack them. Related Topics: ondo police Don't Miss Dozens killed in renewed sectarian violence in Pakistan You may like Police arrest man for name-dropping, employment racketeering in Nasarawa Suspected robber killed in Anambra, AK-47 rifle recovered Police arrest suspect for job scam, name-dropping in Nasarawa Nasarawa: Police confirm murder in Mararaba Udege, pursue fleeing suspectss Police recover eight unexploded ordnance in Maiduguri Ogun: Police launch manhunt as suspect flees after killing woman during argument Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media Ltd
UN Resolution 1701 is at the heart of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal. What is it?
W hen the cathedral of Notre Dame went up in flames in 2019, few people believed Emmanuel Macron could fulfill his promise to restore it by the end of this year. Yet he succeeded in mobilising donors, and a small army of restorers and craftsmen to put back together in five years a medieval masterpiece that had taken almost centuries to originally complete. Today’s re-opening ceremony should have been a triumph for Macron comparable only to de Gaulle’s te deum in Notre Dame at the liberation in August, 1944, or Napoleon’s self-crowning there in December, 1804. France’s youngest head of state since Napoleon III expected his own apotheosis today. Instead the former whizz-kid banker finds he has developed a perverse Midas touch: everything he handles these days turns to soot and ashes in his mouth. Over the last six months, Macron has blundered from one set back to another defeat, culminating in the current paralysis in France’s political system. Poor results for his Renaissance Party in the European Parliament elections in June triggered him into calling early elections for France’s own National Assembly. His supporters promptly lost their majority and France. The hard left and the hard right can’t agree on anything except stymieing Macron by voting down his hand-picked prime minister, Michel Barnier , and his austerity measures - which were meant to reignite French entrepreneurship and cut the state’s huge deficit, projected to exceed 6 per cent of GDP. So instead of de Gaulle’s vision of the French president as the guarantor of the Fifth Republic’s stability, Macron has become the embodiment of systemic failure and chaos. France is obviously too important as our major neighbour for its agonies to be ignored - and Britain, or France’s neighbours, like Germany , cannot overlook how much our woes have in common with Emmanuel Macron’s. Across Europe , conventional parties of centre-left and centre-right are no longer able to win enough votes to form a government on their own or at the head of a coherent coalition. Germany’s odd thrupple coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and free market Liberals has just collapsed, in the wake of the roaring success of the nationalist AfD party in recent, regional elections. This was as much a reflection of the country’s sharp economic downturn as the AfD’s playing up anti-immigration policies - and suggests it will be hard for the centre-right Christian Democrats to form a classic coalition in Berlin after next February’s election. Across Europe to the east, Romania’s own political crisis reared after its Constitutional Court cancelled the country’s presidential election as a nationalist, anti-EU, and anti-NATO jack-in-a-box candidate looked likely to win. At first sight, Labour’s thumping majority in our general election in July bucked the trend in the EU. But with the nosedive in Sir Keir Starmer’s personal ratings since then - and Labour’s rapidly sinking poll numbers - post-Brexit Britain seems to align with the EU’s members in a sour public mood about our country’s governance. In fact, all of Western Europe’s once industrialised economies are suffering similar symptoms, including the haemorrhaging highly-skilled jobs at the same time migrations from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East risk their lives to get here. Waning affluence is the key to public attitudes to immigration shifting in the West European states, which still remain magnets for people from the Global South. In reality, Europe, including Britain, is trapped as the world’s third-ranking economic unit between the top two: the USA and China. This is a face evident in the ways we handle the race to decarbonise the global economy. The shift to a net-zero economy is taking a huge toll on German carmakers as well as any other energy-intensive industry. It is one thing for governments to promote “green” alternatives but quite another for European companies to actually design and manufacture cars people want and can afford to buy, for instance. Compare this to China and the US: Whatever Donald Trump’s climate scepticism, his Number One booster, Elon Musk, has made his Tesla into the signature Western-manufactured electric car. China might be pumping vast amounts of CO 2 into the atmosphere but its manufacturers are churning out solar panels and electric vehicles that have cut the swathes through European markets. Meanwhile the EU and Britain remain faithful to the free trade shibboleths of the increasingly redundant Washington Consensus, ahead of threatened tariffs under Trump 2.0. Trying to mix free trade with net zero regulation is a real contradiction which is becoming a living nightmare for European societies squeezed by the kind of external competitive and technological challenges which they haven’t experienced before and still haven’t thought through. The challenges are many, and the paths through unclear. President Macron is today’s high-profile European leader battered by these surging problems besetting France. In some ways his triumphant restoration of Notre Dame is symbolic of our general crisis across Europe . Just as King Charles’ coronation was masterpiece of public theatre so reopening a pristine Notre Dame shows how good we Europeans are at the past! For all that I welcome the return of Notre Dame as the spiritual centre of Paris, its reconstruction is a tribute to former glories rather than a sign that France in particular, or Europe in general, is about to enjoy a renaissance. Today’s ceremonies are a wake for an old France, maybe for old Europe too.MUMBAI: Shashi Ruia , cofounder of the metals-to-technology conglomerate Essar Group , passed away at the age of 81 in Mumbai late on Monday night. Ruia, a first-generation entrepreneur, co-founded Essar with his younger brother Ravi Ruia in 1969. It was a maiden venture to build a breakwater project at the Chennai Port, a first for an Indian company, and since then Essar has delivered infrastructure construction projects across India's major ports. In the following two decades the group moved into the energy sector , steel , power and telecommunications. It built one of India's largest telecom operator with Hutchison , a business that it later exited. Under Ruia's stewardship, Essar withstood significant challenges - when insolvency proceedings were initiated to recover unpaid loans. It sold some of its assets to clear debts and reinvented itself. The group currently manages assets worth $9.6 billion across a string of energy, infrastructure, and technology ventures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote in a message on social media platform X: "Shri Shashikant Ruia Ji was a colossal figure in the world of industry. His visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence transformed the business landscape of India. He also set high benchmarks for innovation and growth." 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