knots for fishing
ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is transforming the Philippines' service-driven economy, but it also poses risks to employment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report. In the paper, 2024 Article IV Consultation and Staff Report on the Philippines, the IMF outlined how advancements in AI are increasingly capable of performing tasks traditionally handled by human workers. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.Middle East latest: WHO chief says he was at Yemen airport as Israeli bombs fell nearby
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Elite domination LAHORE: Despite various reforms, Pakistan continues to exhibit traits of an elitist economy, marked by concentrated economic power, inequitable resource allocation, taxation loopholes and industrial cartelisation. Landowners, industrialists and political elites dominate key economic sectors, shaping fiscal policies to their advantage. A narrow tax base with minimal contributions from the wealthiest segments reflects the elite’s influence. Development resources disproportionately target urban and elite-centric projects, leaving rural and underserved regions neglected. Powerful cartels in industries such as sugar, cement, and pharmaceuticals stifle market competition. Efforts to broaden the economic base, such as microfinance initiatives and SME promotion, have had limited impact due to entrenched structural issues and political resistance.An elitist economy refers to a system where policies and benefits disproportionately favour a small, privileged group at the expense of the broader population. Characteristics of such a system include wealth concentration, limited social mobility and restricted access to resources like land, credit and education. Elites benefit from policies designed to protect their interests through subsidies, favourable taxation and monopolies. To transition towards an inclusive economy, Pakistan must address several critical areas: Land reforms: redistribute land to ensure equitable agricultural resource access. Progressive taxation: tax the wealthiest segments effectively and direct revenues toward public welfare projects. Equitable credit access: promote financial inclusion for small businesses, farmers and marginalised groups. Social investments: increase funding for education, healthcare and skill development to empower underprivileged communities. Institutional strengthening: combat corruption and ensure transparency for fair public resource distribution. SME support: enhance entrepreneurial opportunities by reducing market-entry barriers. Dismantling Pakistan’s elitist culture faces significant obstacles. Many elites are entrenched in political structures and resist reforms that threaten their dominance. Weak institutional capacity hampers the implementation and enforcement of inclusive policies. Cultural norms and patronage systems perpetuate inequality, while a large informal economy enables elites to evade taxation and regulation.Achieving inclusivity requires not just policy changes but also a societal shift, strong political will and sustained grassroots movements.India: some states achieved success with land reforms and reservations for marginalised communities, while rural development programmes like MGNREGA provided support to the poorest. However, significant inequality remains, particularly in education and healthcare access. Bangladesh: microfinance initiatives, such as the Grameen Bank, empowered rural women and reduced poverty. Export-led growth in the garment sector created jobs for low-income workers, and investments in health and education improved human development indicators. Sri Lanka: universal free education and healthcare since independence have ensured broader access to essential services. Land redistribution programmes in the mid-20th century reduced rural poverty. However, regional disparities and post-conflict recovery challenges continue to cause income inequality. Among these nations, Sri Lanka appears the least elitist due to its commitment to universal services, which have narrowed disparities. Bangladesh follows closely, driven by grassroots development initiatives and inclusivity in the garment industry. India lags behind, grappling with regional inequalities and a vast population despite notable progress in certain areas.
Syrian rebel forces said on Dec 6 their lightning advance reached the central city of Homs, which could position the insurgents to topple another town strategic to President Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power. “Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and are now on its walls,” the Syrian faction leading the sweeping assault said on Telegram. Reuters could not independently confirm the rebels’ claim. If the rebels capture Homs, they would cut off the capital Damascus from the coast, a longtime redoubt of Mr Assad’s minority Alawite sect and where his Russian allies have a naval base and air base. READ MORE HERE A US federal appeals court on Dec 6 upheld a law requiring Chinese-based ByteDance to divest its popular short video app TikTok in the United States by early next year or face a ban. The decision is a win for the Justice Department and opponents of the Chinese-owned app and a devastating blow to ByteDance. The ruling now increases the possibility of an unprecedented ban in just six weeks on a social media app used by 170 million Americans. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court. READ MORE HERE Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec 6 slammed Russia and its President Vladimir Putin over two aerial attacks that killed at least 11 people. Moscow has ramped up its strikes on Ukraine as winter sets in, and Mr Zelensky said the attacks showed Russia has no interest in striking a deal to end its nearly three-year invasion. Nine were killed in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, while two were killed in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, officials said. READ MORE HERE An alternative healer was jailed on Dec 6 for 10 years in Britain over the death of a diabetic woman who stopped taking insulin and experienced medical complications at his “slapping therapy” workshop. Xiao Hongchi, 61, of Cloudbreak, California, was convicted in July by a jury in Winchester, southern England, of manslaughter by gross negligence after he failed to get medical help for Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71. He was charged in November 2023, following the death during an October 2016 session to help the victim with her diabetes. READ MORE HERE London’s Metropolitan Police force said on Dec 6 that it had used facial recognition technology to make more than 500 arrests in 2024 for offences ranging from shoplifting to rape. The force uses live facial recognition in specific areas of the UK capital, positioning a van equipped with cameras in a pre-agreed location. The cameras capture live footage of passers-by and compare their faces against a pre-approved watchlist, generating an alert if a match is detected. READ MORE HERE
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Sinister tactics Crisis after crisis has been the fate of this hard earned country, which destabilised it politically, socially and economically. Democratic governments have worked for the benefits of the poor but have not allowed to complete their tenures and conspiracies have been hatched to block their way. Today, the same tactics are being repeated to weaken an elected democratic government. This will not only add to the miseries of the common people but also further exacerbate economic problems. The state must tread cautiously and avoid using force against peaceful protesters and must engage them in substantive dialogue and address their genuine issues because democracy has historically always emphasised negotiation. Guldar Ali Khan Wazir ZhobThe party has lodged a series of amendments to the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill looking to reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for the majority of pensioners and set up a tapering mechanism for the highest earners. It comes after leader Anas Sarwar had his group of MSPs vote against a Holyrood motion calling on the UK Government to reverse its cuts to the payments. Only two Scottish Labour MSPs voted with the Government : former Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard and MSP Alex Rowley. READ MORE: Labour's Anas Sarwar named Scottish Politician of the Year Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) has said the "hypocrisy" of Scottish Labour is "staggering". She posted on Twitter/X: "14 Labour MSPs voted AGAINST a motion last month that demanded the UK Gov reverse its Winter Fuel Payment cut. "Now, they want @theSNP to clean up the mess that their own party created down at Westminster . "The shamelessness of their hypocrisy is staggering." SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said the move was "Sarwar announcing to Scotland that he is too weak to persuade Starmer". SNP MP Pete Wishart branded Scottish Labour's U-turn "beyond bizarre" and said: "'Scottish' Labour are now gaslighting a nation." An SNP staffer also said: "This is extraordinary. It was Scottish Labour MPs in Westminster who voted to remove the Winter Fuel Payment in the first place. "In October, the SNP tabled a motion in Holyrood calling on the UK Government to reverse the decision Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour voted against it." Greens activist Iris Duane said: "Your MPs voted to remove it. Every single MP in Glasgow voted to freeze pensioners." She asked: "Have you changed your mind? Or does Scottish Labour think pensioners south of the border are worth less?" Glasgow councillor Christina Cannon also reacted, stating: "Scottish Labour went from ‘vote Labour to stop the Tories ’ to ‘vote Labour to stop Labour’ very quickly." READ MORE: Will voters buy Scottish Labour's screeching U-turn on winter fuel? Another said the move by Labour was "truly disgusting politicking", adding: "Every Scottish Labour MP voted to cut the Winter Fuel Payment at Westminster, resulting in a cut to the Scottish Government budget. "Vote to cut the budget then attempt to force the Scottish Government to pay the Winter Fuel Payment from a smaller budget?" MSPs will vote on Scottish Labour’s proposals during Stage 3 of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday, December 3.Bad Bunny announces a new album, 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos'
Athletics at Northern Arizona University experienced many successes and broken records throughout the year. For the first time since 2017, the football team had a winning record at home and even played in the first round of the FCS playoffs. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. The Northern Arizona women's cross country team huddles around coach Mike Smith during the Big Sky Conference championship meet on Oct. 27, 2023, in Missoula, Montana. Northern Arizona distance runner Nico Young stands on the podium after his second-place finish in the 5,000-meter event at the NCAA championship meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Young competed in the 2024 Paris Games. Northern Arizona women's basketball coach Loree Payne talks to players, from left, Saniyah Neverson (33), Olivia Moran (22) and Taylor Feldman (5) before they sub into a game against Weber State on March 2, 2024, at the Walkup Skydome.Guest Opinion: Trump wants to change the meaning of 'by the people'
Happy holidays from Bad Bunny , who announced Thursday he will release a new album Jan. 5. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” which translates to “I should have taken more photos,” is his sixth studio album and follows in his tradition of releasing new music on unexpected dates. His debut album, 2018’s “X 100PRE," arrived around Christmas and 2020's “El Último Tour del Mundo” near Thanksgiving. The January release date is just before “Día de Reyes,” or Three Kings Day, and is a Sunday — unlike the industry's standard Friday release date. The Puerto Rican musician announced the news on Instagram in a short video featuring filmmaker Jacobo Morales. He also released a new single, “PIToRRO DE COCO.” A day before, Bad Bunny teased a 17-track list on social media, with each song titled “BOMBA,” perhaps in reference to the Puerto Rican musical style and dance. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” follows 2023's “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” (“Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow”), which was met with mixed reviews. On that album, Bad Bunny's reggaeton offerings were limited, returning instead to the Latin trap of “X 100PRE” in songs like “MONACO” and “GRACIAS POR NADA.” The announcement caps a busy year for El Conejo Malo. Bad Bunny made headlines after he threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after a comedian at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally made crude jokes about Latinos and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” He also canvassed North America on his “Most Wanted Tour,” which made The Associated Press' list of the best concerts of the year.Telangana: BRS leader Errolla Srinivas granted bailAdvertisement Elon Musk says a lot of us are doing it wrong when it comes to posting links on X. He says people should write a description in their main post, followed by the link in a reply. Musk says this will stop "lazy linking." If you have any idea what that even means, please let me know! For anyone who posts links to X, it's been intuitively clear that since Elon Musk took over , posts with links don't get the same reach as they used to. On old Twitter, a tweet with a link to a news article would often go viral or get a lot of engagement. Now, with the new "For you" algorithm that prioritizes images and videos, posts with links go almost unnoticed. Advertisement Finally, we now have some confirmation. Over the weekend, Elon Musk responded to Paul Graham, a Y-Combinator founder, about the topic: Just write a description in the main post and put the link in the reply. This just stops lazy linking. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024 What Musk describes — putting the link in a reply instead of in the main tweet — is what savvy posters have already been doing. You've probably seen a variety of workarounds on X lately from people who often post links to articles, such as posting a screenshot of the headline or a multi-tweet thread. Advertisement As you have probably noticed, all of these options are kind of annoying for readers. I can confirm that they're also very annoying for the person posting the article. (I should note that one of the features of the paid version of X is a "Top Articles" feature where you can see the articles your friends are posting.) Initially, it seemed (to me) that the downranking of link posts was partly because of the new emphasis on video on X, and partly about a desire to keep people from leaving X to go anywhere else (in various posts, links to other social platforms have faced some version of a shadowban ). Advertisement Musk says this is meant to stop "lazy linking" — which ... I'm not sure exactly what that is. The term isn't common social media slang like "dirty delete," "subtweeting," or "soft block." (The term is sometimes used in computer programming.) X didn't respond to questions about lazy linking. Graham's response was to ask Musk what was so lazy about putting a link in the main tweet instead of following it up with a reply that contains a link. Musk, so far, has not responded. If I write a new essay and tweet a link to it, that's "lazy linking," but if I tweet that I've written a new essay and then put the link in a reply, that's somehow better? — Paul Graham (@paulg) November 24, 2024 The overall effect here is that X is no longer useful for finding links to interesting articles to read — something that Twitter used to be fantastic at. Bummer!
‘Lost a mentor and a guide’: Rahul Gandhi condoles Manmohan Singh’s deathElon Musk acknowledges something that was obvious about the new Twitter: It’s no longer a good place for links.Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Viktor Gyokeres - but refuses to even say the Sporting Lisbon sensation’s name. The Swedish striker has been in scintillating form since arriving in Portugal from Coventry just under 18 months ago. He has scored 67 goals in just 69 appearances in all competitions for Sporting. And that form has earned admiring glances from elsewhere. Manchester United have been linked and are expected to target him after swooping for his former manager Ruben Amorim . Premier League rivals Manchester City and Arsenal are also among those reportedly interested. And while the Gunners will be aiming to tempt him to the Emirates Stadium in the future, their task is to keep the striker quiet during this week’s Champions League showdown. Arteta has praised Gyokeres but refused to conduct a detailed analysis of his abilities, potentially in an attempt to keep his cards close to his chest. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “I would like to talk about the team, about the coaches and how phenomenal they have been. “The run they are in is incredible. I understand the question but they have a lot of individual qualities. And yes in the specific position they have great players.” Away from Arsenal, there have already been a number of hints dropped regarding a potential move to United in the future. Ahead of his own switch to Old Trafford, Amorim confirmed a swoop for his former star was not on the immediate agenda. Where should Viktor Gyokeres go? Share your thoughts in the comments below He said: “If I start joking about this Gyokeres situation I'll get in trouble. This is my city, this is my country, so I'll respect it. Viktor has to stay until the end of the season and then his life will probably go somewhere else.” Gyokeres has also spoken out on his future. He confirmed that he had not spoken to Amorim regarding a potential reunion in Manchester. Speaking to Fotboll Skanalen, the striker said: “He probably has some strikers there already, so we'll see. 'No, he hasn't [asked me to join him]. It's fun but nothing I attach any importance to because it's talk and nothing concrete.” Gyokeres is not the only current Sporting star that United have been linked with since Amorim’s move. The Red Devils are also eyeing wonderkid Geovany Quenda , while Ousmane Diomande is also reportedly on their shortlist. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports, while the World Health Organization's director-general said the bombardment occurred nearby as he prepared to board a flight in Sanaa, with a crew member injured. “The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X. He added that he and U.N. colleagues were safe. “We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave,” he said, without mentioning the source of the bombardment. The Israeli strikes followed several days of Houthi launches setting off sirens in Israel. The Israeli military said it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa and ports in the cities of Hodeida, Al-Salif and Ras Qantib, along with power stations, asserting they were used to smuggle in Iranian weapons and for the entry of senior Iranian officials. Israel's military didn't immediately respond to questions about Tedros' post but issued a statement saying it had "capabilities to strike very far from Israel’s territory — precisely, powerfully, and repetitively.” The strikes came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the Houthis, too, will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and Assad’s regime and others learned" as his military has battled those more powerful proxies of Iran. The Iran-backed Houthis' media outlet confirmed the strikes in a Telegram post but gave no immediate details. The U.S. military also has targeted the Houthis in Yemen in recent days. The United Nations has noted that the targeted ports are important entryways for humanitarian aid for Yemen, the poorest Arab nation that plunged into a civil war in 2014 . Over the weekend, 16 people were wounded when a Houthi missile hit a playground in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv . Last week, Israeli jets struck Sanaa and Hodeida, killing nine people, calling it a response to previous Houthi attacks. The Houthis also have been targeting shipping on the Red Sea corridor, calling it solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting Monday in response to an Israeli request that the council condemn the Houthi attacks and Iran for supplying weapons to the rebels. Meanwhile, an Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight , the territory's Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said that all were militants posing as reporters. The strike hit a car outside Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The journalists were working for the local news outlet Al-Quds Today, a television channel affiliated with the Islamic Jihad militant group. Islamic Jihad is a smaller and more extreme ally of Hamas and took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel, which ignited the war. The Israeli military identified four of the men as combat propagandists and said that intelligence, including a list of Islamic Jihad operatives found by soldiers in Gaza, had confirmed that all five were affiliated with the group. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups operate political, media and charitable operations in addition to their armed wings. Associated Press footage showed the incinerated shell of a van, with press markings visible on the back doors. Sobbing young men attended the funeral outside the hospital. The bodies were wrapped in shrouds, with blue press vests draped over them. The Committee to Protect Journalists says more than 130 Palestinian reporters have been killed since the start of the war. Israel hasn't allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza except on military embeds. Israel has banned the pan-Arab Al Jazeera network and accused six of its Gaza reporters of being militants . The Qatar-based broadcaster denies the allegations and accuses Israel of trying to silence its war coverage, which has focused heavily on civilian casualties from Israeli military operations. Separately, Israel's military said that a 35-year-old reserve soldier was killed during fighting in central Gaza early Thursday. A total of 389 soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the ground operation more than a year ago. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border in an attack on nearby army bases and farming communities. They killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. About 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead. Israel's air and ground offensive has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry. It says more than half the fatalities have been women and children, but doesn't say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The offensive has caused widespread destruction and driven around 90% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Hundreds of thousands are packed into squalid tent camps along the coast, with little protection from the cold, wet winter. Also Thursday, people mourned eight Palestinians killed by Israeli military operations in and around the city of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said that it opened fire after militants attacked soldiers, and it was aware of uninvolved civilians who were harmed in the raid. Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the name of the local news outlet is Al-Quds Today, not the Quds News Network. Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-warAutomatic Data Processing Inc. stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsInternational News: United Nations warn Haiti is one of the worst places to be a child amid crisis