MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Connecticut couple has been charged in Minnesota with being part of a shoplifting ring suspected of stealing around $1 million in goods across the country from the upscale athletic wear retailer Lululemon. Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, both of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged this month with one felony count of organized retail theft. Both went free last week after posting bail bonds of $100,000 for him and $30,000 for her, court records show. They're due back in Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul on Dec. 16. According to the criminal complaints, a Lululemon investigator had been tracking the pair even before police first confronted them on Nov. 14 at a store in suburban Roseville. The investigator told police the couple were responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses across the country, the complaints said. They would steal items and make fraudulent returns, it said. Police found suitcases containing more than $50,000 worth of Lululemon clothing when they searched the couple's hotel room in Bloomington, the complaint said. According to the investigator, they were also suspected in thefts from Lululemon stores in Colorado, Utah, New York and Connecticut, the complaint said. Within Minnesota, they were also accused of thefts at stores in Minneapolis and the suburbs of Woodbury, Edina and Minnetonka. The investigator said the two were part of a group that would usually travel to a city and hit Lululemon stores there for two days, return to the East Coast to exchange the items without receipts for new items, take back the new items with the return receipts for credit card refunds, then head back out to commit more thefts, the complaint said. In at least some of the thefts, it said, Richards would enter the store first and buy one or two cheap items. He'd then return to the sales floor where, with help from Lawes-Richards, they would remove a security sensor from another item and put it on one of the items he had just purchased. Lawes-Richards and another woman would then conceal leggings under their clothing. They would then leave together. When the security sensors at the door went off, he would offer staff the bag with the items he had bought, while the women would keep walking out, fooling the staff into thinking it was his sensor that had set off the alarm, the complaint said. Richards' attorney declined comment. Lawes-Richards' public defender did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday. “This outcome continues to underscore our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable,” Tristen Shields, Lululemon's vice president of asset protection, said in a statement. "We remain dedicated to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this industrywide issue.” The two are being prosecuted under a state law enacted last year that seeks to crack down on organized retail theft. One of its chief authors, Sen. Ron Latz, of St. Louis Park, said 34 states already had organized retail crime laws on their books. “I am glad to see it is working as intended to bring down criminal operations," Latz said in a statement. "This type of theft harms retailers in myriad ways, including lost economic activity, job loss, and threats to worker safety when crime goes unaddressed. It also harms consumers through rising costs and compromised products being resold online.” Two Minnesota women were also charged under the new law in August. They were accused of targeting a Lululemon store in Minneapolis.
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SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against WM Technology, Inc. - MAPSIndia on Saturday accorded former premier Manmohan Singh, one of the architects of the country’s economic liberalisation in the early 1990s, a state funeral with full military honours, complete with a gun salute. Singh, who held office from 2004 to 2014, died at the age of 92 on Thursday, after which seven days of state mourning were declared. The honours were led by President Draupadi Murmu with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance, along with the country’s top civilian and military officials. Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck also attended the ceremony. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who called the former prime minister his mentor and guide, joined Singh’s family as they prayed before his cremation. Earlier, mourners gathered to pay their respects to Singh. His coffin, draped in garlands of flowers, was flanked by a guard of honour and carried to his Congress Party headquarters in New Delhi. It was then taken through the capital to the cremation grounds, accompanied by guards of soldiers and accorded full state honours. Modi called Singh one of India’s “most distinguished leaders”. Opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he had lost “a mentor and guide”, adding that Singh had “led India with immense wisdom and integrity”. US President Joe Biden called Singh a “true statesman”, saying that he “charted pathbreaking progress that will continue to strengthen our nations – and the world – for generations to come”. The former prime minister was an understated technocrat who was hailed for overseeing an economic boom in his first term. Singh’s second stint ended with a series of major corruption scandals, slowing growth and high inflation. Singh’s unpopularity in his second term, and lacklustre leadership by Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi, the current opposition leader in the lower house, led to Modi’s first landslide victory in 2014. Born in 1932 in the mud-house village of Gah in what is now Pakistan and was then British-ruled India, Singh studied economics to find a way to eradicate poverty in the vast nation. He won scholarships to attend both Cambridge, where he obtained a first in economics, and Oxford, where he completed his doctorate. Singh worked in a string of senior civil service posts, served as a central bank governor and also held various jobs with global agencies including the United Nations. He was tapped in 1991 by then Congress prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to serve as finance minister and reel India back from the worst financial crisis in its modern history. Though he had never held an elected post, he was declared the National Congress’s candidate for the highest office in 2004. In his first term, Singh steered the economy through a period of nine per cent growth, lending India the international clout it had long sought. He also sealed a landmark nuclear deal with the United States that he said would help India meet its growing energy needs. President Murmu said that Singh would “always be remembered for his service to the nation, his unblemished political life and his utmost humility”.
Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry 's got their own mind. After all, "be your own person" was a lesson their Sister, Sister costar Jackée Harry tried to impart on them early in their career. As the 68-year-old recalled noting to the sisters, "'Twins is nice, but you'll want to be individuals.'" "Because when they see you coming, you want them to call you ," Jackée exclusively told E! News Nov. 20, noting how important it was for her to see Tia and Tamera be recognized by the industry as separate people . "You don't want to be called by her name." She continued, "It matters, especially in this town." (For more from Jackée's interview, tune into E! News tonight, Nov. 21, at 11 p.m.) Since the show, the comedian has kept in touch with her onscreen daughter Tia. In fact, Jackée recently made an appearance on Tia Mowry: My Next Act , a reality series centered around the Family Reunion actress' life after her divorce from Cory Hardrict , with whom she shares sons Cree , 13, and Cairo , 6. "I don't know how it evolved to this, it's not planned," Jackée told E! News of her close relationship with Tia. "I don't want to say daughter—because she's a grown woman—but we're real tight." And it seems Tia has taken Jackée's advice to heart after all these years. On Tia Mowry: My Next Act , the 46-year-old shared how she's forged her own path separate from twin Tamera , including moving away to a different city. "As siblings, we all grow up and we get married, we have kids," she explained of her dynamic with Tamera—who shares kids Aden , 12, and Ariah , 9, with husband Adam Housley —in an October interview with E!. "We take on different roles and responsibilities in life." Since physical distance have made getting together more difficult , Tia continued, "We as siblings are not as accessible to one another, and that is beautiful and challenging at the same time." So, the Instant Mom alum is leaning leaning on her "chose family" in the meantime. "That's why friends and sisterhood is just as important," Tia added, "and that is what I want to spotlight." For more candid confessions from Tia and Tamera, keep reading. Tia Mowry Recalls Losing Her Virginity to Cory Hardrict After finalizing her divorce from Cory Hardrict in April 2023, Tia Mowry reflected on her new single chapter. "I came into this world with a twin," the actress said on the premiere episode of her reality series Tia Mowry: My Next Act , which debuted in October 2024, while referencing sister Tamera Mowry , "and right after that I went into a 22-year relationship. So I have never been alone in my life. It has been quite a journey." Tia and Cory met in 1999 while working on the movie Hollywood Horror . While their relationship started off as platonic, it later turned romantic and Tia noted "Cory was my first everything." "I met Cory when I turned 20, and I lost my virginity at 25. There, I said it," she continued on her We TV series. "And then we got married! Boom!" Tia Shares Why She & Cory Divorced Tia and Cory wed in 2008 and welcomed two children together: son Cree in 2011 and daughter Cairo in 2018. But in 2022, the couple split . While Tia cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their breakup in her divorce filing , she later offered insight into when she knew her marriage to Cory was over. “I knew when I really started to focus on my happiness,” the Sister, Sister alum said on a November 2022 episode of Today . “I feel like women, we tend to focus on everybody else’s happiness, making sure that everybody else is OK—meaning our children, our friends, our family. But at the end of the day, it's about self-love. And when you start to really work on yourself, love yourself, know your value, know your worth, then all of a sudden there's this awakening. And it's not easy. It's a hard journey. But at the end of the day, I feel like it is so, so worth it." After being honest with herself about the dissolution of her marriage, Tia wanted to be upfront with the public, too. "I got tired of not being authentic and living in my truth," she added in Tia Mowry: My Next Act. "I got tired of showing up at events and people thinking everything was perfect when it wasn't." Tia Reveals the Role Her Kids Played in Her Decision to Divorce Tia also considered how the divorce would affect Cree and Cairo. “A part of my decision was also for them,” she explained in a June 2023 interview with HelloBeautiful . “For them seeing their mother walk in truth. I feel like it’s a great lesson for them because it was not an easy decision. It was one of the hardest decisions that I had ever had to make in my entire life. But if they see that mommy can do it, that mommy, no matter what people say, no matter, even if there’s some sort of doubt, whatever, mommy pushed through. [They can say] my mommy is living and chasing her truth." And The Game star hopes her kids can one day carve their own path, too. "I want my children to do that," she added. "That’s the best gift I can give them. I want for them not to live a life that I want them to live, for them not to live a life that everybody else wants them to live or what they think that they should be or live. I want them to see that it is okay to have a bad day. I want them to see that it is okay to chase your joy. I want them to see that it is okay to live your truth.” Tia Reflects on Where She Stands With Twin Sister Tamera Mowry While Tia and Tamera have graced fans' screens for decades, it appears they don't see each other as often as they used to off-screen . "Being alone has been the most challenging part of my divorce," Tia said in a September sneak peek of Tia Mowry: My Next Act . "It's times like this when I feel and wish that my sister and I were still close, and I could pick up the phone and call her. But that's just not where we are right now." Pointing out, "We live in different places. We have our own families. We have our own wants and desires and needs," Tia simply said, "We have different lives now." A source close to the matter told E! in September 2024 "the sisters are close but the quote being referenced was about their physical location—Tamera lives in Napa and Tia lives in Los Angeles." Tia also later clarified her remarks, noting she was referring to proximity when discussing their closeness. “What I meant by that is we as siblings are not as accessible to one another ," she told E! in early October, "and that is beautiful and challenging at the same time.” Tamera Says She Found Out About Tia's New Show "With the Rest of the World" Still, it was a bit of a shock when Tamera said she found out Tia was returning to reality TV when fans did. "I didn't know," she told Entertainment Tonight in May 2024. "I found out with the rest of the world." As for whether Tamera will make a cameo on Tia's series? "She didn't ask me," the former cohost of The Real continued. "So I take that as no." However, Tamera suggested she was fine with not appearing on Tia's series. "She's like, 'This is my story,'" she added. "I can only respect that." And Tia suggested she didn't think it was a big deal that she didn't give Tamera a heads-up about the reality show. "It's normal for you not to tell everyone everything," she told the Associated Press Oct. 11, 2024. "It doesn't mean anything. There's nothing loaded. She's living her life, I'm living my life. We don't have to tell each other everything, and that's very normal." Tamera Remembers Attending Therapy With Tia to Work on Their Communication The siblings have spoken about their ups and downs before. During an episode of their former reality show Tia & Tamera —which ran from 2011 to 2013—they attended a counseling session to work on their communication. "It's because we were so different, and we needed to learn to communicate in a way that was positive for the both of us," Tamera explained on a 2019 episode of The Real . "I'm very sensitive as the world knows, and my sister—she's very assertive and she can handle herself. We had to learn how to communicate properly with each other." Tamera Describes Being Compared to Tia Growing up, Tamera was used to the public drawing comparisons between her and Tia. "Being born as an identical twin, I feel like I had no choice in the matter that people were going to compare. It happens," she said in a January 2024 YouTube video. "You see twins your brain automatically wants to compare and look at the differences: 'Oh, this twin has a fuller face. This twin is thinner. That's how we can tell them apart. One has a mole. One has a more bubbly personality. One is a little bit more shy.'" And after a while, these comparisons took a toll. "As I got older—college, being on TV—I started to take it personal and that's when it became toxic," the actress continued. "And you can Google to see the toxic comparions out there." However, her mother gave her some advice: "Comparison is the thief of joy." "Even though I'm a twin, God made each of us different," Tamera said. "We may have the same DNA, but we have different gifts. And that's OK." Tamera Speaks About Marriage to Adam Housley Just as how Tia has opened up about her time with Cory, Tamera has given fans glimpses inside her relationship with husband Adam Housley . And while she's called him " the love of my life ," like any couple, they experience highs and lows. "Thirteen years, I can't believe it," Tamera, who wed Adam in 2011, told E! News in May 2024 . "It's gone by fast actually. I always say, 'You're gonna have your ups and downs.' Our marriage is not perfect, but I still like him. I like who he is as a human being. And we're actually growing together instead of apart." And they check in on each other. "Every now and then just ask them, 'Are you happy?'" Tamera, who shares kids Aden and Ariah with Adam, continued. "'What things can we do to continue keeping us happy?' Because I don't just want to be married for a long time, I want to be happily married for a long time." Tamera Talks "Sex Goals" After more than a decade of marriage, it seems Tamera and Adam still know how to keep things spicy. "For me, staying happily married is having sex goals," the Twitches alum said on a 2022 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show . "And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with women being vocal about it." As for what those goals include? According to Today , Tamera wrote in her memoir You Should Sit Down for This a list of places she wants to have sex, including on the rooftop of a skyscraper, on a car in the rain and in each room in her house. "I wanted to get rid of all those stereotypes," she told the outlet. "Own your man. Own your sex life and love it! Just because you've been married for over a decade that doesn't mean that you have to dry up." Tamera Looks Back at Her Time on The Real Tamera has gotten real about her first four years on The Real . "It was one of the unhappiest times of my life," she wrote in her memoir while discussing the commute, the grind and public scrutiny . "I suffered horrible anxiety, I'd throw up in my dressing room, I drank way too much." Still, Tamera has many fond memories from her seven years on the show, too—which she reflected on while announcing her departure from cohosting in 2020. "The friendships that I've made there will last a lifetime, and the people that I've had the blessing to interview have changed my life for the better," she wrote in part of an Instagram post at the time. "I'm so proud of what all the ladies and I have accomplished there, including two well-deserved NAACP Image Awards and a Daytime Emmy." Tia & Tamera Reveal If They'd Ever Be Up for a Sister, Sister Reboot With so many '90s shows getting a refresh, fans have wondered if Sister, Sister might be rebooted too. However, Tia and Tamera have noted that the process isn't easy. "My sister and I had been trying for a few months now," Tia said on a 2017 episode of The Real . "We can only do so much." And while some fans may still hold out hope for a revival, Tamera told Us Weekly in May 2024, "It’s not happening."Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with Hezbollah
President-elect Donald Trump entered the fray in a debate over immigration policy that’s dividing his supporters, telling the New York Post he favors a visa program for highly skilled workers that Elon Musk has strongly defended. Musk is among tech leaders stoking a social media storm this week over how to bring top talent to the U.S. — revealing friction between Trump’s Silicon Valley supporters and anti-immigration sentiment that helps fuel his base. “I’ve always been in favor of the visas,” Trump told the Post in a phone interview. “I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times.” Many employees at Trump properties have H-1B visas, which allow companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. “It’s a great program,” Trump told the outlet. Trump’s stance may indicate an emerging alignment with Musk, whose backing for the former and future president made him the largest single donor in the U.S. election. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley,” Musk, who used an H-1B visa to work in the U.S., wrote previously on X. Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tapped along with Musk to run a government efficiency initiative, also weighed in. He drew particular attention for a post arguing that “American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence.” Trump during his first term restricted several visa types including H-1B, citing the need to protect American workers as the COVID-19 pandemic led to job losses in the U.S. President Joe Biden let the measures expire. Trump’s comments on Saturday hint at his malleability on policy specifics and penchant for letting supporters battle over issues before stepping in. The dispute began after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist with longstanding ties to the president-elect, criticized his decision to name Indian-born investor Sriram Krishnan as a senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence. Loomer assailed previous comments by Krishnan advocating for increased access to green cards and skilled worker visas, calling it antithetical to Trump’s “America First” stance. That prompted pushback from Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who argued that U.S. companies needed to recruit top talent from across the world to remain competitive. The clash may frame how the incoming administration approaches immigration, which has long bedeviled U.S. policymakers, including Trump’s first administration. Trump himself offered a more open approach to visas when prompted during a podcast interview with venture capitalists David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis and entrepreneur David Friedberg. “You graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically as part of your diploma a green card to be able to stay in this country and that includes junior colleges too,” Trump said. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.UTICA — The intriguing exhibition “Modern Women | Modern Vision: Photographs from the Bank of America Collection,” is on view through Sunday, Jan. 12 at the Munson Museum of Art, 310 Genesee St. “Modern Women | Modern Vision” highlights the bank’s renowned collection of more than 80 images created exclusively by women artists spanning much of the last century to the present. The exhibition has been well received by museum visitors, receiving comments including “fabulous collection,” “informative and impactful,” and “left me wanting more!” This exhibition has been loaned through the Bank of America Art in our Communities program. Diverse in style, tone, and subject, these legendary images range from spontaneous to composed as well as monumental to intimate in scale. “Modern Women” reveals the bold and dynamic ways women artists have contributed to the development and evolution of photography in the face of discrimination by critics and consumers alike. “I am delighted the Museum of Art was able to share this meaningful exhibition with our visitors,” said Mary Murray, curator of modern and contemporary art at Munson. “It has been the best balance between familiar — even iconic — images by pioneers of photography and thought-provoking, beautiful work by the generations who followed.” “Art and cultural institutions like Munson play a vital role in fostering connection and creativity in Central New York,” said Michael Brunner, president of the Bank of America Central New York. “We look forward to continuing to partner with local museums and cultural institutions as we create new experiences and share important works of art through the Art in Our Communities program.” Female photographers have played a vital role in framing the modern experience through the lens of the camera. They have embraced the art form from its introduction in 1839 through the technological developments of the early 1900s and have used their perspective to produce extraordinary views of the world around them. Women have negotiated waves of social, political, and economic change, increasingly leveraging the camera as a means of creativity, financial independence, and personal freedom. “In this exhibition, there are portraits of people from all walks of life that enable us to see and understand humanity,” Murray said. “Landscapes are framed to underscore our footprint on the earth. Several artists have staged images to unveil the creative artifice of the medium and to reveal how biases are shaped because of photography.” Disrupting the longstanding constraints placed on women’s social behavior and gender roles, early trailblazers helped establish photography as a vital form of creative expression. They also laid the groundwork and served as role models for subsequent generations of artists. The exhibition unfolds through a closer look at six themes within the collection: Modernist Innovators; Documentary Photography and the New Deal; The Photo League; Modern Masters; Exploring the Environment; and The Global Contemporary Lens. Familiar works by Margaret Bourke-White, Imogen Cunningham, Cindy Sherman, and Carrie Mae Weems, as well as iconic portraits by Dorothea Lange and Diane Arbus; street photography by Ruth Orkin and Helen Levitt; and edgy appropriation photo-collages by Barbara Kruger combine to tell a dynamic story of the 20th century in a display rich in history, beauty, poignancy, and power.
New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Aaron Rodgers “absolutely” will remain the team's starting quarterback and start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Rodgers, who turns 41 next Monday, has been hampered at times during the Jets' 3-8 start by various injuries to his left leg, including a sore knee, sprained ankle and balky hamstring. Ulbrich said Monday the quarterback came back from the team's bye-week break ready to go. “All I can say, and you'd have to ask Aaron if he's fully healthy, but he's better off today than he's been as of late,” Ulbrich said. "So he's definitely feeling healthier than he has probably for the past month. A healthy Aaron Rodgers is the Aaron Rodgers we all love. “So, I'm excited about what that looks like.” NFL Network reported on Sunday that Rodgers, who missed all but four snaps last season with a torn left Achilles tendon , has declined having medical scans on his injured leg so he can continue to play. “I have not been informed of that, either way,” Ulbrich said. Rodgers suffered what NFL Network reported was a “significant” hamstring injury against Denver in Week 4. He then sprained his left ankle against Minnesota in London a week later. The four-time MVP has not been able to consistently move around during games as he has in the past, when extending plays and making things happen on the run became such a big part of his game. Rodgers said leading into New York's 28-27 loss to Indianapolis last Sunday that it was the healthiest he felt in a while. But he struggled against the Colts, finishing 22 of 29 for 184 yards after a brutally slow start during which he went 9 of 13 for just 76 yards. The Athletic reported last week that owner Woody Johnson broached the idea during a meeting with the coaching staff of having the banged-up Rodgers sit after the Jets' loss to Denver in Week 4. With Rodgers' struggles and perhaps compromised health the past few games, a hot debate on social media and sports talk shows during the past week has been whether the quarterback should take a seat in favor of Tyrod Taylor. But when asked if there has been any talk of shutting down Rodgers, Ulbrich replied flatly: “There has not.” In a follow-up question, the interim coach was asked if Rodgers will, in fact, be the Jets' starting quarterback at home Sunday against the Seahawks. “Absolutely,” Ulbrich said. He added that he didn't feel the need to sit down with Rodgers and address all the reports and chatter outside the facility. “No, I feel like we are on the same page,” the coach said. Last week, Ulbrich said he and his staff would take “a deep dive” into what the team could do better after losing seven of its past eight and being on the verge of missing the postseason for the 14th consecutive year. Ulbrich opted not to make any changes to the coaching responsibilities of his staff and he will continue to run the defense as the coordinator. He also said there would not be any personnel changes coming out of the bye, barring injuries. “But definitely, we created a really clear vision of where we need to improve and found some things,” Ulbrich said. “Obviously, you find the things that you’re not doing well, you need to improve upon them, but then also found some some things that I think we can really build upon. So I was excited in both ways.” Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas last Tuesday, six weeks after he also dismissed coach Robert Saleh. On Monday, the team announced it would be assisted by The 33rd Team , a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, in its searches for a general manager and coach. Ulbrich insisted that isn't creating an awkward situation for him, in particular, as he and his staff focus on the present while the organization begins planning for the future. “In all honesty, it’s not at all,” Ulbrich said. “My singular focus is just finishing the season off the right way, playing a brand of football we’re all proud of, myself included. And that starts with Seattle.” Injuries LB C.J. Mosley said he's “progressing” in his return from a herniated disk in his neck, but is still uncertain about his availability for Sunday. Mosley said Monday was the first time he put on a helmet since the injury occurred during pregame warmups against New England on Oct. 27. ... Ulbrich said the team is still evaluating LT Tyron Smith, who missed the game against Indianapolis with a neck ailment. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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-basketballNearly 200 countries agreed to triple the amount of money available to help developing countries confront rapidly warming temperatures. But the deal reached at the close of the two-week COP29 summit in Azerbaijan resulted from fractious and at times openly hostile negotiations, producing an agreement that even its supporters may see as insufficient and disappointing. The process of global climate cooperation will lurch forward from here under the weight of heavier existential questions. Rich countries have pledged to provide at least $300 billion annually by 2035, through a wide variety of sources, including public finance as well as bilateral and multilateral deals. The agreement also calls on parties to work toward unleashing a total of $1.3 trillion a year, with most of it expected to come through private financing. Developed and developing countries entered the negotiations far apart on what was necessary yet realistic. At one point on Saturday, the talks even appeared to be on the brink of collapse, before the mood lifted late in the evening following numerous closed-door meetings. “It was hard fought” and the amount of financing “is at the boundary between what is politically achievable today in developed countries and what would make a difference in developing countries,” said Avinash Persaud, special adviser on climate change to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank. Rich nations are grappling with a slew of fiscal and political constraints, including inflation, constrained budgets and rising populism. The election of Donald Trump and his threat to pull the U.S. out of the landmark Paris climate agreement also hung over the COP29 summit early on. Under a compromise to get a deal over the line, rich nations eventually agreed to commit $50 billion more than what a draft agreement on Friday called for. They had also made any agreement contingent on reaffirming last year’s COP28 outcome in Dubai that included a vow to transition away from fossil fuels. A separate text calls on parties to “contribute to the global efforts” toward that landmark agreement, without explicitly naming fossil fuels. ‘Too little’ The promised funding, however, falls short of the trillions of dollars poor and vulnerable nations say they need to climate-proof their economies. They also want more of that money to come in the form of grants and other affordable financial support, since market-based loans risk deepening their debt burdens. The deal’s adoption came over the objections of India, whose delegates had raised their hands in an attempt to intervene, and as the gavel fell, walked up to the stage in a failed bid to get attention. Leena Nandan, India’s secretary of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, called the deal inadequate. “The goal is too little, too distant,” she said, her speech punctuated frequently by applause and cheers. Still, for some the result will likely serve as proof the COP process is still the best approach for coordinating global action to meet the escalating challenges of climate change. “COP29 took place in tough circumstances but multilateralism is alive and more necessary than ever,” Laurence Tubiana, chief executive office of European Climate Foundation, an architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. The new agreement will help inform individual country commitments for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 as well as the next round of U.N. climate talks in Brazil. Many developing nations have emphasized the scale of available climate finance is directly tied to how quickly they can build emission-free energy and how ambitious they can be in setting carbon-reducing targets due in February. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Venezuela opposition adviser holed up in Argentine residence calls it ‘prison’
NoneAlex de Minaur wins but Australia lose United Cup opener to Argentina
A high-speed passenger train collided with a fire engine at a crossing on Saturday in Florida, injuring three firefighters and at least a dozen train passengers, authorities said. The crash happened at 10.45am in crowded downtown Delray Beach, multiple news outlets reported. The Brightline train was stopped on the tracks, its front destroyed, about a block away from the Delray Beach fire rescue truck, its ladder ripped off and strewn in the grass several yards away, The Sun-Sentinel newspaper reported. The Delray Beach Fire Rescue said in a social media post that three Delray Beach firefighters were in stable condition at a hospital. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue took 12 people from the train to the hospital with minor injuries. He saw firefighters climbing out of the window of their damaged truck and pulling injured colleagues away from the tracks. One of their helmets came to rest several hundred feet away from the crash. “The front of that train is completely smashed, and there was even some of the parts to the fire truck stuck in the front of the train, but it split the car right in half. It split the fire truck right in half, and the debris was everywhere,” Mr Amaral said. Brightline officials did not immediately comment on the crash. A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board said it was still gathering information about the crash and had not decided yet whether it will investigate. The NTSB is already investigating two crashes involving Brightline’s high-speed trains that killed three people early this year at the same crossing along the railroad’s route between Miami and Orlando. More than 100 people have died after being hit by trains since Brightline began operations in July 2017 – giving the railroad the worst death rate in the United States. But most of those deaths have been either suicides, pedestrians who tried to run across the tracks ahead of a train or drivers who went around crossing gates instead of waiting for a train to pass. Brightline has not been found to be at fault in those previous deaths.BEIRUT (AP) — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 12 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatieh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday that at least 12 people were killed in the strikes in the Tyre province, adding to the more than 3,700 people in Lebanon who have been killed since Israel launched its invasion two months ago. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians , and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. The latest round of airstrikes came weeks after Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military had previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.” Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were “close to a deal." “It can happen within days,” he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. Two Israeli officials told The Associated Press that Netanyahu’s security Cabinet had scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, but they said it remained unclear whether the Cabinet would vote to approve the deal. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations. Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, told reporters Monday that he expected a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to have stages and to be discussed by leaders Monday or Tuesday. Still, he warned, “it’s not going to happen overnight.” After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force . Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel is demanding the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government has said that such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. A ceasefire could mark a step toward ending the regionwide war that ballooned after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250 . The lack of a ceasefire has emerged as a political liability for Israeli leaders including Netanyahu, particularly while 60,000 Israelis remain away from their homes in the country's north after more than a year of cross-border violence. Hezbollah rockets have reached as far south into Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers died fighting in the ground offensive in Lebanon. The Israeli military said about 250 projectiles were fired Sunday, with some intercepted. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest of Iran’s armed proxies , is expected to significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It’s not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition. While the proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.” If the ceasefire talks fail, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, “it will mean more destruction and more and more animosity and more dehumanization and more hatred and more bitterness.” Speaking at a G7 meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, the last summit of its kind before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office, Safadi said such a failure "will doom the future of the region to more conflict and more killing and more destruction.” Federman reported from Jerusalem and Metz from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Nicole Winfield in Fiuggi, Italy, and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report. Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war