Bulls vs. Hornets Prediction & Picks: Line, Spread, Over/Under – December 30
Former Medellin cartel boss Fabio Ochoa deported to Colombia, released upon arrival
BAKU — Countries agreed on Sunday to an annual finance target of $300 billion to help poorer countries deal with impacts of climate change, with rich countries leading the payments, according to a hard fought deal clinched at the COP29 conference in Baku . The new goal is intended to replace developed countries’ previous commitment to provide $100 billion per year in climate finance for poorer nations by 2020. That goal was met two years late, in 2022, and expires in 2025. The agreement was criticized by developing nations, who called it insufficient, but United Nations climate chief Simon Steill hailed it as an insurance policy for humanity. “It has been a difficult journey, but we’ve delivered a deal,” Steill said after the agreement was adopted. “This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing and protect billions of lives. It will help all countries to share in the huge benefits of bold climate action: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all.” “But like any insurance policy — it only works — if the premiums are paid in full, and on time.” The COP29 climate conference in the Azerbaijan capital had been due to finish on Friday, but ran into overtime as negotiators from nearly 200 countries struggled to reach consensus on the climate funding plan for the next decade. At one point delegates from poor and small island nations walked out in frustration over what they called a lack of inclusion, worried that fossil fuel producing countries were seeking to water down aspects of the deal. The COP29 climate conference in the Azerbaijan capital had been due to finish on Friday, but ran into overtime as negotiators from nearly 200 countries struggled to reach consensus on the climate funding plan for the next decade. At one point delegates from poor and small island nations walked out in frustration over what they called a lack of inclusion, worried that fossil fuel producing countries were seeking to water down aspects of the deal. The summit cut to the heart of the debate over financial responsibility of industrialized countries — whose historic use of fossil fuels have caused the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions — to compensate others for worsening damage wrought by climate change. It also laid bare divisions between wealthy governments constrained by tight domestic budgets and developing nations reeling from costs of storms, floods and droughts. Countries also agreed Saturday evening on rules for a global market to buy and sell carbon credits that proponents say could mobilise billions more dollars into new projects to help fight global warming, from reforestation to deployment of clean energy technologies. Countries are seeking financing to deliver on the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels — beyond which catastrophic climate impacts could occur. The world is currently on track for as much as 3.1C (5.6F) of warming by the end of this century, according to the 2024 U.N. Emissions Gap report, with global greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels use continuing to rise. What counts as a developed nation? The roster of countries required to contribute — about two dozen industrialized countries, including the U.S., European nations and Canada — dates back to a list decided during U.N. climate talks in 1992. European governments have demanded others join them in paying in, including China, the world’s second-biggest economy, and oil-rich Gulf states. The deal encourages developing countries to make contributions, but does not require them. The agreement also includes a broader goal of raising $1.3 trillion in climate finance annually by 2035 — which would include funding from all public and private sources and which economists say matches the sum needed to address global warming. Securing the deal was a challenge from the start. Donald Trump’s victory this month has raised doubts among some negotiators that the world’s largest economy would pay into any climate finance goal agreed in Baku. Trump, a Republican who takes office in January, has called climate change a hoax and promised to again remove the U.S. from international climate cooperation. Western governments have seen global warming slip down the list of national priorities amid surging geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and expanding conflict in the Middle East, and rising inflation. The showdown over financing for developing countries comes in a year that scientists say is destined to be the hottest on record. Climate woes are stacking up in the wake of such extreme heat, with widespread flooding killing thousands across Africa, deadly landslides burying villages in Asia, and drought in South America shrinking rivers. Developed countries have not been spared. Torrential rain triggered floods in Valencia, Spain, last month that left more than 200 dead, and the U.S. so far this year has registered 24 billion-dollar disasters — just four fewer than last year.Questioning the decisions of professionals is a time-honored tradition of sports fans and automotive enthusiasts alike. Professional athletes train their entire lives, honing physiques, sharpening minds, studying every aspect of their chosen game, only to have thousands of fans spilling beverages while scrutinizing every move and shouting suggested improvements. While automotive enthusiasts aren't as vocal, we suffer the same angst and spill the occasional beverage when discussing the state of automobiles for which we've developed a passion. One area in particular that gets our blood boiling is news that a beloved model is getting the axe just because some corporate bean counter (no offense intended to those tasked with the counting of beans) placed more beans in the "cons" column than they did in the "pros." We won't include the Nissan MID4 among our lost loves since it was discontinued before it even rolled off the factory floor , but the recently announced discontinuance of the Nissan GT-R has already left a hole in some of our hearts. In addition to the GT-R, the Nissan Titan XD is among the top brand cars and trucks being discontinued in 2025 that we wish would stick around. Other Nissan models we wish were still available include the Xterra, Juke, and Murano CrossCabriolet. If you hurry, you might be able to snag a new Nissan GT-R, but with the beloved model's slated demise following a limited 2025 production run, your opportunity to be the first owner of one of Nissan's most iconic sports cars is slipping away, at least for a while. The suggested prices of the 2024 Nissan GT-R range from $121,090 for the Premium AWD version to $221,090 for the AWD Nismo. Intermediate models include the Skyline Edition and T-spec AWD. In all, these model names are reminiscent of some of the best special edition Nissan GT-Rs ever made . The top-spec 2024 Nissan GT-R Nismo AWD features a specially-tuned 600-horsepower twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6. The Nismo V6 produces 481 pound-feet of torque and gets an estimated 22 mpg on the highway using premium unleaded gas. Power transmits to all four tires through a six-speed auto-shift manual transmission and limited-slip differential system. The final GT-R features independent double wishbone suspension up front and independent multi-link rear suspension with front and rear stabilizer bars. The rack-and-pinion steering mechanism features hydraulic power-assist and speed-sensitive operation. The Titan is another discontinued model you might still find on a dealer lot if you hurry. While the Cummins diesel-powered Nissan Titan XD , discontinued following the 2019 model year, was never particularly well-suited to compete in the heavy-duty pickup truck segment it was often associated with, it served a noble purpose nonetheless. It was the worst truck, the truck that other trucks aspired to be better than. With the Titan XD's absence, other automakers could let their trucks slip into the lowest position and begin to feel comfortable there. The loss of diesel-powered half-ton trucks, and entire V8-engine lineups, are the slippery-slope that the Nissan Titan XD once held firm. While rumors of the Nissan Titan making a comeback in 2025 appear false, the gas-powered 2024 Titan XD is likely still available, although it's also being discontinued. The 2024 Titan XD featured a 400-horsepower 5.6-liter V8 with 413 lb-ft of torque. Its drivetrain consisted of a nine-speed automatic transmission, a two-speed switch-operated transfer case, and Nissan's standard four-wheel drive while the Titan XD PRO-4X trim came with an electronic locking rear differential. However, we wish the 5.0 Cummins diesel-powered Nissan Titan XD was still available. We'll admit that if you peruse the pages of SlashGear you'll find the Nissan Xterra listed among the used Nissan models you should steer clear of at all costs . But that was the 2005 model year that kicked off the Xterra's second generation. Of course, we'd like to see a host of improvements associated with the return of the Xterra, but hopefully with enough of its rugged charm to compete with other off-road-oriented SUVs dominating the market today. Early versions of the Xterra included the XE and SE trims. Engine offerings were divided between a 2.4L inline four-cylinder and a 3.3L V6. We'd expect a returning Nissan Xterra to share drivetrain specs with the ongoing midsize Nissan Frontier pickup truck. For 2024, the Frontier featured a 310-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 delivering up to 281 lb-ft of torque, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and a two-speed transfer case on 4x4 models. Hopefully, if it returns, the Xterra doesn't devolve into another soccer-team-transport vehicle best suited to traversing mall parking lots. It would be nice to see an Xterra equipped to compete with the likes of the Ford Bronco Raptor, or Wildtrak . The Nissan Juke, with its quirky front turn signals perched atop its fenders like raised eyebrows, didn't present a face everyone loved. Nissan introduced the Juke, a compact crossover, in 2010. Inspired by the Qazana concept vehicle that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show the year prior, the innovative Juke featured torque-vectoring technology, the first for a compact car. In the early model Jukes, it was common to find a naturally aspirated 188-horsepower 1.6-liter engine under the hood. However, before the Juke was discontinued in the U.S . and replaced by the Nissan Kicks following the 2017 model year, Nissan changed up the Juke's engine lineup. Starting in 2014, Nissan began offering the Juke with a smaller 1.2-liter DIG-T 115 (Direct Injection Gasoline-Turbo offering 115 ps, or 113 horsepower) and a revised 188-horsepower DIG-T 190 engine for the Juke Nismo with 177 lb-ft of torque. Of course the Nismo RS sits on top of our Nissan Juke wishlist. It not only featured race-inspired seats, an aerodynamic body kit, and Nismo-tuned suspension components, its engine produced 215 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. Up to this point, our wish list for returning Nissan models has included a sports car, a diesel pickup, a rugged off-road vehicle, and a quirky yet sporty compact SUV. For our final wish, provided we can find a genie that grants five wishes, we'd like to see an updated version of the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Sure, maybe the Murano CrossCabriolet, arguably one of the weirdest SUVs ever made , was ahead of its time when it debuted in 2011 as a convertible SUV with soft suspension and odd steering. And its low sales volume suggests that the SUV-buying public didn't warm up to its uniqueness by the time Nissan pulled the plug on it after the 2014 model year. But the world has changed in the 11 years since its departure. The basic Nissan Murano, now in its fourth generation, has proved quite popular with U.S. SUV buyers, although it flopped in other parts of the world. Given the Nissan Murano's staying power and the popularity of convertible SUVs like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, the CrossCabriolet is sure to find some buyers given the proper treatment and an affordable suggested price from Nissan.Grizzlies vs Thunder Game HighlightsTexans claim WR Diontae Johnson off waivers from Ravens
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