One of the key drivers behind this surge was the release of strong economic indicators, including impressive manufacturing data and GDP growth figures that exceeded market expectations. This positive economic news provided a much-needed boost to investor confidence, fueling a buying frenzy across a wide range of sectors.Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to activate ‘joint task force’ for public securityWith Ben's addition and the promise of two more new members, TES is set to embark on an exciting new chapter filled with opportunities, challenges, and achievements. As the organization continues to grow and evolve, it remains dedicated to its core values of excellence, integrity, and teamwork.
Fake bomb threats were made against a home owned by UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and another owned by his wife after he was murdered Wednesday morning. The two homes, which are less than a mile apart in Maple Grove, Minnesota , were targeted on Wednesday evening, The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. The threat was sent via e-mail to multiple people who then notified the police. However, the threats were not credible and were considered an act of “swatting,” Maple Grove police said. “No devices or suspicious items were located during the investigation,” a police spokesperson said in a statement. ”The case is considered an active investigation, while the incident appears to be a hoax.” The Minneapolis Police Department bomb squad and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office also helped investigate the threats, the Star Tribune reports. As CEO, Thompson worked out of UnitedHealthcare’s offices in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Thompson and his wife, Paulette, had been living in separate homes less than a mile apart in Maple Grove for years, according to The Wall Street Journal . The threats came in just 12 hours after Thompson was shot outside a Manhattan Hilton hotel on Wednesday. The shooting was a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack,” police said late Wednesday morning. Thompson appeared unaware he was in danger and had no security detail near him, police said. Video of the incident shows the shooter calmly walking up behind Thompson before shooting him multiple times, then calmly crossing the street. The footage also showed a bystander who witnessed the shooting and ran away as the suspect fired at Thompson. A massive manhunt is now underway for the unidentified shooter, who fled the scene on a bike. Police searched a hostel in upper Manhattan where they believe the suspect was staying, CNN reported Thursday morning. They since discovered he checked in with a fake New Jersey ID. Thompson’s wife told NBC News her husband received threats prior to Wednesday’s shooting. "There had been some threats," she said. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of [health insurance] coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him." Police also discovered the suspect had written three words on the ammunition he used to shoot Thompson: “Deny,” “defend” and “depose.” The words are similar to a popular phrase in the insurance industry: “Deny, delay, defend.” A 2020 book by Jay Feinman about the insurance industry also bears a similar title: Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It. The book describes itself as an “expose of insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight back.” News of Thompson’s death received a mixed response on social media, with many users airing their frustrations with the insurance industry and sharing stories of how major American insurers had denied them or their loved ones coverage for life-saving medical procedures. "Sympathy denied,” one user wrote. “Greed is considered a pre-existing condition." “Thoughts and prior authorizations,” another wrote. Those sentiments, however, soon prompted a counter-response, with many others labeling such responses inappropriate. “Yet, people are reacting with anger and scorn to the death − not because a husband and father was fatally shot on a Manhattan sidewalk,” USA Today columnist Ingrid Jacques wrote Thursday. “But because of the victim’s job as head of a major health insurance company.” “The callous disregard for a human life is alarming to witness,” she added.
One of the most striking similarities between Mbappe's current status and Neymar's move to Barcelona lies in the astronomical transfer fees involved. When Neymar made the switch from Santos to Barcelona in 2013, the 1.4 billion euros price tag raised eyebrows and set a new benchmark for transfer fees. Similarly, Mbappe's potential move from Paris Saint-Germain to another top European club is expected to shatter transfer records once again, with figures well over the 200 million euros mark being rumored.
SOHAR Port and Freezone is pleased to announce the inauguration of Allied Ondock Container Services LLC, alongside the signing of an expansion agreement valued at approximately 2.6 million USD. The new container depot initially covers 3 hectares, with the contract for this development signed in June 2023. Whilst we inaugurate the first plot, at the same time we sign a contract for an expansion of an additional 2 hectares. This development aims to enhance operational efficiency and capacity, meeting the rising demand for advanced container depot services in the region. Allied Ondock, a subsidiary of the Singapore-based Allied Container Group, aims to optimize logistics operations by offering a range of services, including container depot, repair, inspection, and washing/cleaning facilities. The additional plot will expand the company’s warehousing capacity. Allied Ondock will facilitate the transfer of containers from Hutchison Ports Sohar, unloading cargo in their warehouse before returning the empty containers for further dispatch. This initiative addresses the rising demand for container depot services in the region, supporting over 20 shipping lines that call weekly. The collaboration strengthens SOHAR Port’s integrated logistics capabilities, reinforcing its position as a leading global logistics hub. The inauguration of Allied Ondock’s operations marks a transformative step for Oman’s economy,” said Emile Hoogsteden, Chief Executive Officer of SOHAR Port. “By enhancing our logistics capabilities, we are not only connecting businesses to global markets but positioning Oman as a key player in international trade. This partnership will drive economic diversification, strengthen our role as a vital logistics hub, and ultimately benefit the wider community, supporting Oman’s Vision 2040. This initiative complements SOHAR Port’s impressive growth, with container volumes increasing by 21% in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023. This growth is further supported by the introduction of an innovative land-bridge solution that strengthens the port’s global logistics capabilities. The integration of Allied Containers’ advanced technologies and expertise is expected to significantly enhance SOHAR Port’s operational capacity, reduce turnaround times, and elevate service excellence. ‘This strategic partnership allows us to introduce our advanced container handling solutions to a key logistics hub in the Middle East,’ said Lim Kian Chin, Owner of Allied Ondock Container Services Group. ‘By enhancing our services at SOHAR Port, we are not only contributing to its growth but also providing a competitive edge for its tenants. This superior service will empower shipping lines at SOHAR to optimize their operations and improve efficiency.’ By leveraging the strategic location of the port and the global network of Allied Ondock Group’s services, this agreement represents a significant addition to our offerings, enhancing our position as a competitive and integrated logistics hub. Moreover, the presence of an expert service operator at SOHAR Port will strengthen its advantages and streamline container handling operations. Source: SOHAR Port and Freezone
Title: Li Xiang Shares Daughter's Daily Routine of Getting Her Driver's License, Wang Sicong Practices Driving with a Rolls-Royce, Wang Yue Lun Travels to London to Accompany the Test - Luxury Car Gifts Spark DiscussionFG Constructs Modern, Smart Police Divisional Headquarters in Abuja
Real Madrid, one of the most successful clubs in the history of the Champions League, is set to face their toughest test yet as they take on the formidable Italian side. With a star-studded squad featuring top players such as Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, and Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid boasts a rich history of success in the competition and will be looking to add to their trophy cabinet with another strong performance in this season's tournament.S urging global tourism emissions are driven almost entirely by 20 countries, and efforts to rein in the trend aren’t working. That is the main fi nding of our new research , published in Nature Communications on Dec. 10. It represents the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of tourism emissions yet conducted. The study draws together multiple datasets, including those published directly by 175 governments over 11 years (2009-2020). It uses the United Nations-endorsed “measurement of sustainable tourism” framework and draws on tourism expenditure and emissions intensity data from national accounts. The fi ndings reveal serious challenges ahead, given the wider context. The UN Environment Programme reports a 42% reduction in current global emissions overall is needed by 2030 (and 57% by 2035). If not, the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees will be lost. But global tourism emissions have been growing at double the rate of the global economy. Our study reveals that between 2009 and 2019, emissions increased by 40%, from 3.7 gigatons (7.3% of global emissions) in 2009 to 5.2 gigatons (8.8% of global emissions) in 2019. While global tourism emissions fell dramatically in 2020-2021 due to COVID-19, the rebound to pre-pandemic levels has been rapid. MASSIVE GROWTH WITHOUT A TECHNOLOGICAL FIX Tourism-related emissions increased at a yearly rate of 3.5% from 2009 to 2019. By comparison, global economic growth in general over that period was 1.5% per annum. If this growth rate continues, global tourism emissions will double over the next two decades. The carbon intensity of every dollar of tourist spending is 30% higher than the average for the global economy, and four times higher than the service sector. The primary driver of rising emissions is high growth in tourism demand. The rapidly expanding carbon footprint is predominantly from aviation (21%), use of vehicles powered by petrol and diesel (17%), and utilities such as electricity supply (16%). Slow efficiency gains through technology have been overwhelmed by this growth in demand. Aviation accounted for half of direct tourism emissions, making it the Achilles heel of global tourism emissions. Despite decades of promises , the global air transport system has proved impossible to decarbonize through new technologies. 20 COUNTRIES DOMINATE EMISSIONS Our research revealed alarming inequalities in emissions growth between countries. The United States, China, and India accounted for 60% of the growth in tourism emissions between 2009 and 2019. By 2019, these three countries alone were responsible for 39% of total global tourism emissions. Three-quarters of total global tourism emissions are produced by just 20 countries , with the remaining 25% shared between 155. Remarkably, there is now a hundred-fold difference in per-capita tourism footprints between countries which travel most and those which travel least. Of the top 20, the US (as a foreign destination, as well as its citizens traveling) had the largest tourism carbon footprint in 2019 — nearly 1 gigaton. It was responsible for 19% of the total global tourism carbon footprint, growing at an annual rate of 3.2%. In 2019, the US tourism carbon footprint was equivalent to 3 tons per resident, ranking 12 th globally among countries with the highest per-capita tourism emissions. As a destination, the United Kingdom ranked 7 th globally, at 128 megatons (2.5% of the total). In 2019, UK residents produced 2.8 tons of emissions per person, ranked 15 th globally. Australia’s tourism carbon footprint ranked 14 th globally (82 megatons). Its resident per-capita tourism carbon footprint in 2019 was 3.4 tons (8 th globally). This underscores the high emissions being driven by long-haul air travel for inbound and outbound international trips. In 2019, New Zealand’s per-capita tourism carbon footprint was 3.1 tons per resident (10 th globally). Like Australia, dependence on long-haul international travel is a problem that cannot be ignored. 4 PATHWAYS TO DECARBONIZING TOURISM For the fi rst time ever, this year’s UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP29) included tourism . UN Tourism endorsed our study and acknowledged tourism now contributes 8.8% of total global emissions. It reported that COP29 “marks a turning point, when ambition meets action, and vision transforms into commitment [...] to positive transformation for a better future for our planet.” But our research shows the combination of tourism demand growth on one hand, and the failure of technology efficiency gains on the other, present enormous barriers to tourism carbon mitigation. Despite this, we have identified four pathways towards stabilizing and reducing global tourism emissions: 1. Measure tourism carbon emissions to identify hotspots. Our research provides evidence of the tourism sub-sectors driving high emissions growth, including aviation, energy supply, and vehicle use. These hotspots must move onto a 10% annual emissions reduction pathway to 2050. 2. Avoid excessive tourism development and identify sustainable growth thresholds. National tourism decarbonization strategies must now define and implement sustainable growth goals, most urgently in the 20 highest-emitting tourism destinations. 3. Shift focus to domestic and short-range markets, and discourage long-haul markets. Actively managing growth in demand for air travel is the most obvious first step, which might involve regulating long-haul air travel demand. 4. Address inequality between countries by factoring in the social costs of carbon emissions. Controlling current patterns of relentless growth in long-haul air travel aligns with a more socially equitable approach to tourism, which is needed to address these inequalities. The fundamental purpose of our research is to give policymakers and industry leaders greater clarity about tourism’s impact on global emissions. The challenge then is to develop evidence-based policy and regulation to achieve urgent tourism decarbonization. THE CONVERSATION VIA REUTERS CONNECT The authors acknowledge the contributions of Stefan Gössling, Manfred Lenzen and Futu Faturay who were part of the research team on this project, and who coauthored the Nature Communications paper on which this article is based. James Higham is a professor of Tourism, Griffith University while Ya-Yen Sun is an associate professor at the School of Business, The University of Queensland. Mr. Higham receives funding from the NZ Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Program. Ya-Yen Sun receives funding from the Australian Research Council to support this project.College Football
The live stream began with Xiang Zuo and Xiaohua introducing the idea of changing their hairstyles as a fun and spontaneous activity. As the couple sat down in front of the camera, their eagerness and excitement were palpable. Xiaohua, known for her edgy and bold style, expressed her desire to experiment with a new look, while Xiang Zuo, always up for a challenge, was ready to support her in any way he could.
Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix doc brings renewed attention to JonBenet Ramsey's killing
We know that peppermint-flavored-everything is symbolic of the start of the holiday season (alongside the ), but the "why" is a bit murkier. How did mint become the poster child for the holidays? Why do we get festive, make merry, and stock up on candy canes? The unabridged answer of the peppermint's origin story dates back to the Middle Ages when massive, celebratory winter feasts took place following the harvest of fields and livestock. Those rich, filling meals required a natural digestive to help move things through the system and ward off any potential discomfort from overindulging. Fortunately, mint was plentiful and easily added to teas, sweets, and other post-dinner delicacies. The next notable record of peppermint around the holidays is in Cologne, Germany, in 1670. Legend says that a choirmaster needed something to keep children quiet during a Christmas Eve mass, so he asked a local candymaker to create "sugar sticks" that they could enjoy during the service. The choirmaster asked that the sticks were white to represent the absence of sin and shaped like a "J" to represent Jesus. Centuries later, the "sugar sticks" would take over in America, albeit under a completely different name. Inventing the Candy Cane The showed up in Massachusetts in the early 1800s. During a candy-making contest, someone entered a striped peppermint candy stick with a hook. At this time, candy canes were made by hand in specialty shops, which was labor intensive and expensive. Adding a hook to the stick often resulted in the candy breaking, thus rendering about 20 percent of the canes broken and unusable. But the process was about to improve. In the early 1860s, three brothers, Ferdinand, Gustavus, and Albert Bunte immigrated from Germany to Philadelphia. Stiff competition among candy confectioners on the East coast drove them to Chicago in 1876, where they opened the candy company Bunte Bros & Spoehr with fellow German immigrant, Charles Spoehr. By 1920, Ferdinand's sons, Theodore and Charles, took over operations. The innovative duo worked in tandem: Charles handled sales and advertising; Theodore led operations and new products, including candy canes. In 1921, Theodore Bunte had one of the first-ever patents on a candy-cane-making machine. His invention spurred the sharing of festive holiday candy canes nationwide with wholesalers, grocery stores, and pharmacists. But Theodore wasn't the only man working on a better way to share candy canes with the masses. Peppermint for the People In 1924, Bob McCormack and Bob Mills went into business together making candies at a factory in Albany, Georgia. Bobs Candies, as it was called, became known for its chocolates and candies — including candy canes. In addition to producing quality sweets, Bobs Candies dabbled in process improvement and product preservation. The company invented a packaging to prevent candy canes from breaking while they were being shipped around the country. And in 1957, McCormack's brother-in-law, Father Harding Keller, invented the Keller Machine. This new invention uniformly cut candy canes and twisted them in large batches, thus reducing labor costs and increasing the number of viable canes to sell to the general public. Since then, candy canes have continued to play a special role around the holidays. You'll find them in stockings, hanging on Christmas trees, and even as a novelty garnish with a or crushed on the rim of a chocolate peppermint martini. Now that you know why peppermint is associated with the holiday season, use it as a conversation starter. RecommendedAnthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses decision to put time limit on anesthesia
In the final lap of his career, Liu Shao'ang's decision to embrace his role as a supporting player has paid off in ways he never imagined. By stepping back from the spotlight and focusing on supporting his teammates, he has been able to make a significant impact on their performance. He has become a mentor, a role model, and a source of inspiration for the next generation of Chinese short track skaters.As Alibaba Games continues to grow and expand, the company is poised to make a significant impact on the gaming industry. With a strong focus on original content, strategic partnerships, and innovation, Alibaba Games is setting itself up for success in the competitive world of gaming. Whether you're a casual player or a hardcore gamer, Alibaba Games has something for everyone, and is ready to captivate audiences around the world with its exciting and innovative games. Keep an eye on Alibaba Games, because this is one company that is sure to make waves in the gaming world.