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Refik Hodzic Keston K Perry As yet another United Nations Climate Change Conference fails to produce a strong commitment to urgent climate action, the climate crisis is on course to get much worse. While its effects, such as unprecedented flooding, devastating droughts, storm surges, biodiversity loss and more intense hurricanes appear novel in the eyes of many in the Global North, these disasters have caused immeasurable destruction for decades across the Global South, especially the Caribbean. Extreme weather events not only threaten the economic viability of these societies, but also call into question the role of the most powerful international economic institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Intervention by these bodies has consistently worsened the economic situation of climate-stricken communities. This is why the World Bank and the IMF need to be abolished to save the planet and human lives. Caribbean island nations know this reality all too well. On July 1, Hurricane Beryl slammed into Grenada. Two of its island territories, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, were flattened, as Beryl damaged or destroyed nearly 100 percent of homes and devastated infrastructure. At least six people were killed. The neighbouring island nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines also suffered widespread destruction due to the hurricane. Across the two countries, as many as 80,000 people were affected, with 20,000 people made homeless and 11 killed. Jamaica was not spared either. The hurricane killed at least four people and affected 160,000. Farming communities suffered devastating losses. It has been now almost five months since the hurricane swept through the Caribbean and these communities are still struggling to recover. This is because these island nations have been taken hostage by disastrous deals with the IMF and the World Bank. Instead of helping a region that is at the epicentre of climate disasters, these two institutions force its nations into borrowing arrangements that prioritise austerity and objectives of global capital, rather than immediate and longer-term relief and recovery. As a result, communities suffer under increased public debt and reduced investment in supporting the social infrastructure necessary to respond to climate disasters and mitigate the effects of climate change. In addition, instead of offering unconditional relief and recovery funding on terms required to truly meet the needs of people, these entities have explicitly supported debt-related financial tools like catastrophe insurance or bonds, debt swaps, and now “disaster clauses” integrated into debt contracts. A disaster or hurricane clause adds to the contractual terms of a debt instrument the ability of a borrower to defer payments of interest and principal in the event of a qualifying natural disaster. The clause sets out the kinds of preconditions for specific events or triggers that would permit the borrower to temporarily defer repayments of interest, principal, or both for a period of one to two years. This mechanism does not reduce or eliminate debt. While it purports to offer “relief”, it brings further misery and onerous costs to climate-devastated governments and communities. Take for example the disaster clause, which has been praised and advocated by Caribbean economist and current climate finance adviser of the Inter-American Development Bank, Avinash Persaud, one of the architects of the “Bridgetown Initiative” for the reform of the international financial system. It can only be triggered when an arbitrary threshold like wind speed or financial cost of destruction during a hurricane has been satisfied or exceeded. In the case of Hurricane Beryl, Grenada was able to trigger this clause, but Jamaica was not able to make use of a similar financial tool. In Grenada’s case, the deferred payments will be added back to the principal in subsequent years. In Jamaica’s case, a catastrophe bond could not be used because the hurricane did not meet the so-called “air pressure” parameter, which means investors’ funds remain safe. A catastrophe bond is a high-yield debt instrument arranged by the World Bank and designed to raise money for insurance corporations in the event of a natural disaster. These investors profit as much as 15 percent returns on these instruments when they fail to pay out. If a payout was triggered, bondholders could have paid as much as $150m. These thresholds do not follow scientific evidence or consider the complicated nature and unpredictability of these disasters. That is because they are determined by financial analysts who pursue higher returns for investors. Without sufficient resources for recovery and relief efforts, Jamaica and Grenada may be forced to request recovery loans from the IMF and the World Bank, therefore increasing debt burdens even further. The long-term effect of these arrangements can be seen in Barbuda, Sint Maarten and Dominica, which were devastated by Category 5 Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. My recent visits to these islands, which have not fully recovered, show that debt-related financial instruments are not just wholly inadequate, but utterly unjust. They cannot ensure the social, economic and environmental recovery of communities. In Dominica, for example, debt has mushroomed after the hurricane disaster as climate financing to help it “recover” came in the form of loans. As a result, the nation of 70,000 people is having to pay $30m per year just to service debt. As one Dominican taxi driver put it to me: “The true hurricane started after the hurricane passed.” The hardship that the IMF and the World Bank heap on climate-devastated communities falls in line with the legacies and realities of colonialism. The logic of their mechanisms can be traced back to the insurance system, capital markets, and financial instruments that fuelled the transatlantic slave trade. During that time, enslaved Africans were viewed as chattel and nonhuman property, ships owned by enslavers were insured by major brokers, and slave-produced commodities received investment from colonial governments and financial corporations. These all aimed to accumulate the wealth that produced metropolitan Europe. The World Bank and the IMF operate today as neocolonial institutions that continue the agenda of Euro-American imperial powers. They do not act to mitigate disasters but perpetuate them through debt bondage imposed on climate-devastated countries in the Caribbean and elsewhere. In this moment of multiple, intersecting crises, they are unsuited for the perils and challenges of the climate crisis. To be sure, the World Bank and the IMF were not intended to serve “The Wretched of the Earth” to borrow Frantz Fanon’s language. They were created to prop up Euro-American supremacy and hegemony and protect the interests of global capital. We therefore cannot expect these bodies to be reformed and operate against the economic and political interests of imperial powers and big capital. We need a global movement that calls for and acts on abolishing these institutions for us to meet the demands of these critical times. We need to do away with the World Bank and the IMF for the sake of human lives and for the sake of the planet. Courtesy: aljazeeraRiding a four-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handled business against the New York Giants on Sunday in a 30-7 drubbing that wasn't as close as the final score indicated inside MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Off poor-performance losses to Baltimore, Atlanta, Kansas City and San Francisco, the Bucs found themselves in a hole in the race for the NFC South, trailing the idle Atlanta Falcons in Week 12. © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images If you want out of a hole, you have to start climbing. And that's exactly what the Bucs did against the Giants on Sunday. Tampa Bay dominated every aspect of the game in a near-perfect performance that featured four touchdown runs from running backs Bucky Irving, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, but maybe none more impressive than that of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield scrambled from pressure in the pocket on a 2nd and Goal with 12 seconds left in the first half and made a bee-line for the goal line. He was hit low by Cor'Dale Flott and low by Dru Phillps at the two-yard line and went airborne across the goal line for a touchdown. The Bucs quarterback sustained a neck stinger in the fourth quarter but came right back after clearing concussion protocol and barely missed a beat. He finished 24 of 30 for 294 yards. Receiver Mike Evans returned after missing three games - all Bucs losses - with a hamstring injury and caught five balls on six targets for 68 yards. The Giants benched then cut their franchise quarterback of six seasons, Daniel Jones, but it did nothing to help the NFL's lowest-scoring offense. His replacement, Tommy Devito, threw for 189 yards in New York's sixth straight loss. The Bucs scored on three of their first four possessions while holding New York to just three first downs and 45 total yards in the first half. Related: Buccaneers Lead Giants 23-0 at Half Behind 3 Rushing TDs Next, the Bucs will head to Charlotte to take on Carolina in an NFC South dual at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday. Bookmark Bucs Country for news, commentary & opinion all season. Follow Timm Hamm on X for all the Buccaneers & NFL news, updates & analysis throughout the season. For more on the Bucs, subscribe to the Buccaneers Daily Blitz Podcast on FanStreamSports.com ! Related: Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield Injured vs. Giants
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NoneBuffZone writer Pat Rooney discusses three topics on CU Buffs athletics as the football team awaits its bowl fate, while both basketball teams settle in at home ... with a rivalry battle on deck for the CU men. The first regular season with a 12-team College Football Playoff as the final destination was a resounding success. In terms of having more games matter in the waning weeks of November, the plan worked wonderfully. Look how many final-week games carried huge postseason implications. Syracuse knocked Miami out of the ACC title game. Michigan did the same to Ohio State in the Big Ten. Even Notre Dame, without a conference title to play for, needed to hold off USC for a road result that could’ve otherwise sent the Irish packing from the 12-team field (or at least relegated them to a road game). The parity across the Big 12 has thinned the odds of two teams getting into the CFP. But it made the race for the two spots in the conference championship game, with an automatic tourney berth for the winner, a dramatic chase until literally the last few minutes of the league’s very last regular season game. One of the primary allures of the NCAA Tournament in basketball is how just about every team has a fighting chance to advance, beginning with the conference tournaments. The new-look CFP hasn’t quite duplicated that, but it’s much closer than it used to be. Many more teams had something to play for — or could play a legitimate spoiler role, like Syracuse and Michigan — in the final week of the regular season. Neither Miami nor Ohio State are eliminated just yet; but their national championship odds grew much longer. The highlight of the nonconference home slate arrives this week with the hoops version of the Rocky Mountain Showdown, as Colorado State visits the CU men’s basketball team on Saturday night (6 p.m., ESPN+). The Rams won an epic battle last year in Fort Collins between teams that eventually reached the NCAA Tournament, jumping to a big lead before holding off a CU rally sparked by KJ Simpson and Cody Williams. After losing star power on both sides of the rivalry, the teams profile similarly at this stage of the season with new-look rosters attempting to remain competitive around key holdovers. For the Rams, one of those holdovers is former Buff Nique Clifford, who will make his competitive return to the Events Center. Like CU’s win last week against UConn, the Rams are coming off one of their best performances of the season, defeating TCU in overtime behind a big game from Clifford. A starter for CU the bulk of two seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23), Clifford surpassed the 1,000-point mark in his career while recording 25 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots against TCU. CSU (4-3) hosts Loyola Marymount on Wednesday before visiting Boulder. It’s been said plenty, but deserves another round: Travis Hunter not being included among the Thorpe Award finalists as the nation’s top defensive back is a travesty. Hunter certainly won’t go hungry during awards season. CU’s two-way star is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award (top receiver), the Bednarik Award (top defensive player) and the Lott Impact Award (most impactful defensive player). How can someone be up for a top overall defensive player award and the most impactful award without being considered among the best at his position group? Good question. Hunter is expected to land his second consecutive Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. And, of course, he’s a leading candidate for the granddaddy of them all, the Heisman Trophy. It was a puzzling omission from the Thorpe, but Hunter’s name is all but certain to be prominent among the forthcoming All-American teams.
The PGA Tour is making the most sweeping changes to its eligibility in more than 40 years by eliminating 25 tour cards, along with shrinking the size of its fields. The all-exempt tour had been in place since 1983, meaning the top 125 players from the official money list — now the FedEx Cup standings — kept a full PGA Tour card the following season. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court voted Friday to hear a potentially far-reaching claim of religious freedom and decide whether church-sponsored charities, programs and businesses may refuse to pay state unemployment taxes for their employees. All states exempt churches and church programs from the taxes if they "operate primarily for religious purposes." But they usually require affiliated schools, colleges, hospitals and other businesses to pay unemployment taxes if they are open to all and do not offer worship services or religious training. In a case from Wisconsin, the justices will reconsider that approach and decide whether instead to require the states to defer to religious authorities. The appeal that will be heard argues the government may not "second-guess the religious decisions" of church authorities who seek an exemption. The dispute began with Black River Industries, Barron County Developmental Services and two other small nonprofit corporations that are funded by state or federal grants to provide services for people with developmental disabilities. They are now controlled by Catholic Charities that sued to seek an exemption from the unemployment taxes. Their lawyers argued those charitable programs are motivated by "sincerely held religious beliefs and to carry out the religious mission" of the church. Therefore, they said, it violates the Constitution to require Catholic Charities to pay unemployment taxes, noting the church has its own program of unemployment coverage. The Wisconsin Supreme Court disagreed in a 4-3 ruling and upheld the state taxes. It said the four programs were "charitable" and "educational," but not primarily religious. Lawyers for Becket Fund for Religious Liberty appealed and urged the court to overturn the Wisconsin ruling. The case comes before a high court that has repeatedly ruled in favor of religious claims over the last decade. In one line of cases, the justices said churches and religious claimants are entitled to equal state benefits, including grants to pay for playgrounds at a church school or tuition grants for parents to send children to religious schools. In another line of cases, they ruled religious organizations are freed from government regulation of their employees. Four years ago, for example, they ruled that two Catholic school teachers in Los Angeles who were fired could not sue alleging they were victims of discrimination. A year later, the court ruled that as a matter of religious freedom, Catholic Social Services had a right to participate in a city-sponsored foster care program in Philadelphia and receive payments for doing so, even though it refused to work with same-sex couples as required by the city. The court also ruled that private businesses such as the Hobby Lobby stores and church-sponsored entities had a religious liberty right to refuse to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees as required by federal law. In the Wisconsin case, a group of religious liberty scholars urged the court to rule the government must "defer" to church authorities in matters involving their organizations. "This case involves severe governmental interference with religious liberty that strikes at the heart of the 1st Amendment's most basic guarantees," they wrote in a friend-of-the-court brief . They said "courts must defer to how the religious group defines its message." The Catholic Conference of Illinois was among the church groups that urged the court to hear the case. Its brief noted that its bishops speak for 949 parishes, 46 Catholic hospitals, 21 health care centers, 11 colleges and universities, 424 schools and 527 Catholic cemeteries. The court is likely to schedule arguments in the Wisconsin case in March or April and issue a ruling by the end of June. "Wisconsin is trying to make sure no good deed goes unpunished," said Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. "Penalizing Catholic Charities for serving Catholics and non-Catholics alike is ridiculous and wrong. We are confident the Supreme Court will reject the Wisconsin Supreme Court's absurd ruling." ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
DrBalcony App Redefines Balcony Inspections with Unparalleled EfficiencyUkraine must be placed in the “strongest possible position for negotiations” to end the war with Russia, Sir Keir Starmer will signal. The Prime Minister will insist the UK will back Ukraine “for as long as it takes” as he makes a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London , but for the first time will acknowledge the conflict could move towards a negotiated end. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has in recent weeks suggested he is open to a possible ceasefire with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Kyiv and its European allies meanwhile fear the advent of Donald Trump’s return to the White House could result in American aid being halted. President-elect Trump has said he would prefer to move towards a peace deal, and has claimed he could end the conflict on “day one” of his time in power. In his speech at London’s Guildhall, Sir Keir will say there is “no question it is right we support Ukraine”, as the UK’s aid to Kyiv is “deeply in our self-interest”. Allowing Russia to win the war would mean “other autocrats would believe they can follow Putin’s example”, he will warn. The Prime Minister will add: “So we must continue to back Ukraine and do what it takes to support their self-defence for as long as it takes. “To put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms that guarantees their security, independence, and right to choose their own future.” Ukrainian leader Mr Zelensky told Sky News over the weekend he would be open to speaking with Mr Putin, but branded the Russian president a “terrorist”. He also suggested Ukrainian territory under his control should be taken under the “Nato umbrella” to try and stop the “hot stage” of the war with Russia. In a banquet speech focused on foreign affairs, the Prime Minister also will say “Britain is back” on the world stage, and will speak of the importance of close relations with both Europe and the United States. He will say it is “plain wrong” to suggest the UK must choose between its allies, adding: “I reject it utterly. “(Clement) Attlee did not choose between allies. (Winston) Churchill did not choose. “The national interest demands that we work with both.” Sir Keir will reveal he told Mr Trump during their meeting in New York in September that the UK “will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come”. He also repeated his commitment to “rebuild our ties with Europe too”. The Prime Minister will say he wants Britain’s role in the world to be that of “a constant and responsible actor in turbulent times”. He will add: “To be the soundest ally and to be determined, always, in everything we do. “Every exchange we have with other nations, every agreement we enter into to deliver for the British people and show, beyond doubt, that Britain is back.”Rams at New Orleans Saints: Who has the edge?Biden’s pardon frays justice system
Buffalo Sabres (11-10-2, in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Islanders (8-10-6, in the Metropolitan Division) Elmont, New York; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Islanders -130, Sabres +110; over/under is 5.5 BOTTOM LINE: The New York Islanders take on the Buffalo Sabres as losers of three straight games. New York has gone 3-5-2 in home games and 8-10-6 overall. The Islanders have gone 6-1-1 in games they score one or more power-play goals. Buffalo is 5-4-1 in road games and 11-10-2 overall. The Sabres have a 4-7-1 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties. Saturday's game is the second time these teams match up this season. The Islanders won the previous meeting 4-3. Simon Holmstrom scored two goals in the victory. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Palmieri has 10 goals and nine assists for the Islanders. Brock Nelson has five goals and five assists over the last 10 games. Tage Thompson has 11 goals and seven assists for the Sabres. Rasmus Dahlin has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Islanders: 2-4-4, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.6 assists, 2.4 penalties and 5.1 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game. Sabres: 6-3-1, averaging three goals, 4.7 assists, 4.3 penalties and 8.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game. INJURIES: Islanders: None listed. Sabres: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated PressNo. 10 Marquette remains undefeated with convincing win over Western CarolinaStruggling with NYT Connections Game #559? Dive into our complete guide for December 21, 2024, featuring hints, clues, and step-by-step tips to master the puzzle. NYT Connections: Game #559 hints and answers for December 21, 2024: Are you having issues with NYT Connexions right now? Don’t worry, here are some tips to help you get through it! For this exercise, you have to select four groups of sixteen words each, each with a different level of difficulty. The procedure is gradual and cautious. Every step you take makes it a little more difficult. Here’s how to make it happen: Therefore, you could begin with the easier stages and progress to the more difficult ones. The green, blue, and purple ones are the hardest, while the yellow one is one of the easiest. Although today’s job isn’t very challenging, it does call for focus and a thorough comprehension of social dynamics. Avoid making rash decisions without giving them enough thought. I won’t go into too much depth, but the following tips should help you get started. Have fun and keep in mind that travelling to a different place for a holiday is quite appropriate. NYT Connections hints today If you think you can handle it, keep reading. Try using one of the following words to start each category: YELLOW – BAND GREEN – CASSEROLE BLUE – BUNK PURPLE – BALONEY NYT Connections Clues for December 21 (#559): Yellow Category: LOOP Green Category: COOKING VESSELS Blue Category: KINDS OF BEDS Purple Category: THINGS CALLED “OSCAR” NYT Connections Hints for December 21 (#559): YELLOW – Words for objects or shapes that form a loop or enclosure. GREEN – Common vessels used for cooking in households or kitchens. BLUE – Names for distinct styles of beds. PURPLE – Things famously or colloquially called “Oscar.” Don’t give up if you’ve tried everything; there’s always another method to find the answers. Examples of contemporary solutions that utilise the NYT Connexions include the following: NYT Connections Answers for December 21 (#559): Yellow Category: BAND, CIRCLE, HOOP, RING Green Category: CASSEROLE, CROCK, PAN, POT Blue Category: BUNK, CANOPY, MURPHY, SLEIGH Purple Category: BALONEY, GROUCH, O, STATUETTE Click for more latest Gaming news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Pragya is an accomplished journalist known for in-depth reporting and a keen eye for detail. Delivers insightful and well-researched content that informs and engages readers.
Zscaler Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Results