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bet7 casino The Amazon rainforest endured a devastating year in 2024, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought marking its worst 12 months since 2005. These challenges exacerbated deforestation in a biome vital to combating climate change. Global warming fuelled severe drought, which in turn fed widespread fires. Authorities suspect many fires were deliberately set to clear land for cattle grazing, further compounding the damage. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” Between January and October, more than 37 million acres of Brazil’s Amazon burned — an area larger than the state of Chhattisgarh. Bolivia experienced a record number of fires, while Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw surges. Fires linked to deforestation and pasture management were a key driver of the blazes. Smoke from fires in Brazil’s Amazon, Cerrado savannah, and Pantanal wetland blanketed large areas, a testament to the scale of destruction. For the second consecutive year, the Amazon River reached historic lows, prompting emergency declarations in some countries. One of the river’s main tributaries in Brazil dropped to its lowest level ever recorded, leaving residents in crisis. Despite the destruction, there were some gains. Forest loss in Brazil, which hosts the largest portion of the Amazon, fell by 30.6 per cent compared to the previous year, hitting the lowest levels in nine years. The improvement was attributed to the policies of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has stressed forest protection. This contrasted sharply with his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, under whose administration deforestation surged to a 15-year high. Colombia also reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, but by mid-2024, deforestation had risen again due to dry conditions caused by El Niño. “Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. The year also saw progress in recognising the Amazon’s global significance and the role of Indigenous communities in conservation. At COP16, the United Nations biodiversity conference hosted in Colombia, nations agreed to grant Indigenous groups a greater voice in conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor,” Miller said. The appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as secretary general of the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organisation was seen as another step forward. “If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. With inputs from APSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Yoon Suk Yeol's stunning martial law declaration lasted just hours, but experts say it raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining 2 1/2 years of his term and whether he will abide by democratic principles. The opposition-controlled parliament overturned the edict, and his rivals on Wednesday took steps to impeach him. One analyst called his action "political suicide." Yoon's political fate may depend on whether a large number of people in coming days take to the streets to push for his ouster. Here's a look at the political firestorm caused by the martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years. Why did Yoon impose martial law? Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law on Tuesday night was accompanied by a pledge to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces at a single stroke." He vowed to protect the country from "falling into the depths of national ruin." Yoon, a conservative, cited repeated attempts by his liberal rivals in control of parliament to impeach his top officials and curtail key parts of his budget bill for next year. South Korea's constitution allows a president to impose military rule during "wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states." But a president can't maintain martial law if parliament opposes it with a majority vote. That's what happened Wednesday. And it's why Yoon's move has baffled many experts. Yoon's political fighting with the main opposition Democratic Party is not seen as an emergency requiring military intervention. Experts question why Yoon pushed ahead with the declaration even though the parliament would certainly vote it down. "Conservatives and even moderates would agree with Yoon's criticism and his assessment of progressive lawmakers, but his choice of methods in the 21st century is being seen as the wrong move, miscalculation, and even political suicide," said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. Yoon's decree resulted in the military deploying troops with assault rifles and police officers to the National Assembly to block its entrance. Even so, 190 of the parliament's 300 members managed to enter and later vote down Yoon's martial law edict early Wednesday. Yoon then lifted martial law without any resistance. The sequence of events suggests that his declaration wasn't carefully or thoroughly planned. "His advisers should have tried to dissuade him not to do it, and they likely did so. But I think that didn't work, and Yoon just pressed ahead with his plan," said Hong Sung Gul, a public administration professor at Seoul's Kookmin University. "That shows he isn't capable of governing this country." What political fate awaits Yoon? The Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, demanded Wednesday that Yoon resign. Together with small opposition parties, it submitted a joint motion on Yoon's impeachment and said they aim for a floor vote as early as Friday. Yoon didn't comment on the impeachment bid, but he put off his official schedule Wednesday morning. He hasn't made public appearances since earlier Wednesday, when he announced he was lifting martial law. The opposition parties together hold 192 seats, eight short of the two-thirds needed to impeach Yoon. But Yoon could face trouble from his own camp as 18 legislators from the ruling People Power Party voted to reject his martial law decree. PPP leader Han Dong-hun called his declaration "unconstitutional." "Both his own ruling party and the opposition party want to hold him accountable. For the first time, in a highly polarized country, both sides of the aisle agree that Yoon's choice in declaring martial law was the wrong move," Duyeon Kim, the analyst, said. "It sounds like his own party is opposed to impeachment but still deliberating whether to ask Yoon to leave the party." South Korean conservatives harbor traumatic memories of the 2016 impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, followed by her ouster and arrest the following year. Yoon's martial law declaration may have killed his chances of fully completing his term through May 2027, said Park Sung-min, head of Seoul-based MIN Consulting, a political consulting firm. His early exit would brighten the presidential prospects for Democratic Party chief Lee Jae-myung, who faces corruption and other court trials that have threatened to derail his career. Surveys show Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 election to Yoon, is the favorite to become the next president. If Yoon is impeached, the Constitutional Court would rule on whether to remove him from office. How does the martial law decree affect foreign policy and the economy? The South Korean developments may be troubling for Washington and Tokyo as they try to expand their three-way security cooperation. "In these crucial times, especially with Donald Trump returning to office and the variety of difficult geopolitical challenges facing the region at the moment, political instability in South Korea is something that neither the United States nor Japan would want," said Park Won Gon, a professor at Seoul's Ewha Womans University in Seoul. The White House said the U.S. was "seriously concerned" by the events in Seoul. A spokesperson for the National Security Council said President Joe Biden's administration was not notified in advance of the martial law announcement. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that Tokyo is watching the development with "exceptional and serious interest." North Korea hasn't commented. Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said that North Korea will probably take a wait-and-see approach. The political instability unleashed by Yoon could also make it more difficult for his government to nurse a decaying economy. South Korea's currency, the won, dipped to a two-year low against the U.S. dollar but had recovered by early Wednesday, while the benchmark Kospi stock index was trading 1.8% lower. "There's a growing sentiment that the president himself has become the greatest risk to the Republic of Korea and that things cannot continue as they are," Park said.

Texas spotlights unaccompanied migrant children ahead of Trump deportation push

Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street NEW YORK (AP) — UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been shot and killed in what police say is a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference. The shooting rattled the city and set off a massive dragnet hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting. Police say 50-year-old Brian Thompson was shot around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire. Police have not yet established a motive. UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the US but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare's chief executive on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk Wednesday became a mystery that riveted the nation. Police say it was a targeted killing. Thompson was 50. He had worked at the company for 20 years and had run health care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s insurance business since 2021. It provides health coverage for more than 49 million Americans and brought in $281 billion in revenue last year. Thompson's $10.2 million annual compensation made him one of the company’s highest-paid executives. Supreme Court seems likely to uphold Tennessee's ban on medical treatments for transgender minors WASHINGTON (AP) — Hearing a high-profile culture-war clash, the Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed likely to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people. The Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender healthcare for minors. Hegseth fights to save Pentagon nomination as sources say Trump considers DeSantis WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick, is fighting to hold on to his Cabinet nomination amid growing questions about his personal conduct as the president-elect’s team considers alternatives, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Hegseth says, “We’re not backing down one bit." The Trump transition team is concerned about Hegseth’s path to Senate confirmation and is actively looking at potential replacements, according to a person familiar with the matter. Hegseth is under pressure as senators weigh a series of allegations that have surfaced against him. Beyond DeSantis, there have been discussions about shifting Michael Waltz, who was named by Trump as his national security adviser, to the Defense Department Israeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian health official said Wednesday that at least 21 people were killed in Israeli strikes on a camp housing displaced people in Gaza. The Israeli military said it struck senior Hamas militants. The strikes hit in the Muwasi area, a sprawling coastal camp housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people. It came after Israeli forces struck targets in other areas of Gaza. According to Palestinian medics, strikes in central Gaza killed eight people, including four children. The war in Gaza is nearly 14 months old and showing no end in sight, despite international efforts to revive negotiations toward a ceasefire. South Korean President Yoon's martial law declaration raises questions over his political future SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning martial law declaration lasted just hours, but experts say it raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining 2 1/2 years of his term. The opposition-controlled parliament overturned the edict, and his rivals on Wednesday took steps to impeach him. Yoon's move baffled many experts. One analyst called his action “political suicide.” Yoon’s political fate may depend on whether a large number of people in coming days take to the streets to push for his ouster. Yoon hasn't commented on the impeachment bid. But the political instability he unleashed could make it more difficult for his government to nurse a decaying economy. Police say searchers don’t expect to find woman in Pennsylvania sinkhole alive UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — The search for a woman who is believed to have fallen into a sinkhole in western Pennsylvania has become a recovery effort after two treacherous days of digging through mud and rock produced no signs of life. Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson Trooper Steve Limani said during a news conference Wednesday that authorities no longer believe they will find 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard alive, but that the search for her remains continues. Limani says crews have seen "no signs of any form of life or anything.” Pollard was last seen alive Monday evening when she went out looking for her cat in the village of Marguerite, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. Two students wounded and gunman dead after shooting at Northern California school PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials say two students have been wounded in a shooting at a small religious school in Northern California and the gunman is dead. A Butte County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson says Wednesday the wounded students were taken to hospitals in unknown condition after the shooting at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, north of Sacramento. The spokesperson says the suspect died after apparently shooting himself. A motive is unknown. French lawmakers vote to oust prime minister in the first successful no-confidence vote since 1962 PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers have joined together to vote on a no-confidence motion prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet to resign. The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed. President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027. However, he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July’s legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament. Macron will address the French on Thursday evening, his office said, without providing details. Barnier is expected to formally resign by then. White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered the new details Wednesday about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that a number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow.Area football teams go bowling in Northern California regional bracketLuigi Mangione’s arrest thrust his family into the spotlight. Who are the Mangiones of Baltimore?

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Inauguration of CMA Terminals Khalifa Port Boosts the Port’s Total Container Capacity by 23% to almost 10m TEUs

NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks pulled Wall Street to another record amid mixed trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Monday after closing November at an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared after saying an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or the company’s board. Retailers were mixed coming off Black Friday and heading into what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks are pulling Wall Street toward another record amid mixed trading on Monday. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% in afternoon trading after closing its best month of the year at an all-time high . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 86 points, or 0.2%, with a little more than an hour remaining in trading, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% higher. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared 31.1% to lead the market. Following accusations of misconduct and the resignation of its public auditor , the maker of servers used in artificial-intelligence technology said an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or by the company's board. It also said it doesn’t expect to restate its past financials and that it will find a new chief financial officer, appoint a general counsel and make other moves to strengthen its governance. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up the market. Gains of 1.8% for Microsoft and 2.9% for Meta Platforms were the two strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500. Intel was another propellant during the morning, but it lost an early gain to fall 1.1% after the chip company said CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired and stepped down from the board. Intel is looking for Gelsinger’s replacement, and its chair said it’s “committed to restoring investor confidence.” Intel recently lost its spot in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to Nvidia, which has skyrocketed in Wall Street's frenzy around AI. Stellantis, meanwhile, skidded following the announcement of its CEO’s departure . Carlos Tavares steps down after nearly four years in the top spot of the automaker, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales and an inventory backlog at dealerships. The world’s fourth-largest automaker’s stock fell 6.3% in Milan. The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 likewise fell, including California utility PG&E. It dropped 3.7% after saying it would sell $2.4 billion of stock and preferred shares to raise cash. Retailers were mixed amid what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record and coming off Black Friday . Target, which recently gave a forecast for the holiday season that left investors discouraged , fell 1.6%. Walmart , which gave a more optimistic forecast, rose 0.3%. Amazon, which looks to benefit from online sales from Cyber Monday, climbed 1.3%. The stock market largely took Donald Trump’s latest threat on tariffs in stride. The president-elect on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a group of developing economies if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. Trump said he wants the group, headlined by Brazil, Russia, India and China, to promise it won’t create a new currency or otherwise try to undercut the U.S. dollar. The dollar has long been the currency of choice for global trade. Speculation has also been around a long time that other currencies could knock it off its mantle, but no contender has come close. The U.S. dollar’s value rose Monday against several other currencies, but one of its strongest moves likely had less to do with the tariff threats. The euro fell amid a political battle in Paris over the French government’s budget . The euro sank 0.7% against the U.S. dollar and broke below $1.05. In the bond market, Treasury yields gave up early gains to hold relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed above 4.23% during the morning before falling back to 4.19%. That was just above its level of 4.18% late Friday. A report in the morning showed the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted again last month, but not by as much as economists expected. This upcoming week will bring several big updates on the job market, including the October job openings report, weekly unemployment benefits data and the all-important November jobs report. They could steer the next moves for Federal Reserve, which recently began pulling interest rates lower to give support to the economy. Economists expect Friday's headliner report to show U.S. employers accelerated their hiring in November, coming off October's lackluster growth that was hampered by damaging hurricanes and strikes. “We now find ourselves in the middle of this Goldilocks zone, where economic health supports earnings growth while remaining weak enough to justify potential Fed rate cuts,” according to Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide. In financial markets abroad, Chinese stocks led gains worldwide as monthly surveys showed improving conditions for manufacturing, partly driven by a surge in orders ahead of Trump’s inauguration next month. Both official and private sector surveys of factory managers showed strong new orders and export orders, possibly partly linked to efforts by importers in the U.S. to beat potential tariff hikes by Trump once he takes office. Indexes rose 0.7% in Hong Kong and 1.1% in Shanghai. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.