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'Woefully insufficient': Developing nations bash $300bn COP29 climate deal Some delegates gave deal standing ovation in COP29 plenary hall Countries at the COP29 summit in Baku adopted a $300 billion a year global finance target on Sunday to help poorer nations cope with the impacts of climate change, a deal its intended recipients criticised as woefully insufficient, Reuters reported. The agreement, clinched in overtime at the two-week conference in Azerbaijan's capital, was meant to provide momentum for international efforts to curb global warming in a year destined to be the hottest on record. Some delegates gave the deal a standing ovation in the COP29 plenary hall. Others lambasted wealthy nations for not doing more and criticised the Azerbaijan host for hurriedly gavelling through the contentious plan. "I regret to say that this document is nothing more than an optical illusion," Indian delegation representative Chandni Raina told the closing session of the summit, minutes after the deal was gavelled in. "This, in our opinion, will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face. Therefore, we oppose the adoption of this document." United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell acknowledged the difficult negotiations that led to the agreement but hailed the outcome as an insurance policy for humanity against global warming. "It has been a difficult journey, but we've delivered a deal," Stiell said. "This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing and protect billions of lives. "But like any insurance policy, it only works if the premiums are paid in full, and on time." The agreement would provide $300 billion annually by 2035, boosting rich countries' previous commitment to provide $100 billion annually in climate finance by 2020. That earlier goal was met two years late, in 2022, and expires in 2025. The deal also lays the groundwork for next year's climate summit, to be held in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, where countries are meant to map out the next decade of climate action. The summit cut to the heart of the debate over the financial responsibility of industrialised countries - whose historic use of fossil fuels has caused the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions - to compensate others for worsening damage from climate change. It also laid bare divisions between wealthy governments constrained by tight domestic budgets and developing nations reeling from the costs of storms, floods and droughts. Negotiations had been due to finish on Friday but ran into overtime as representatives from nearly 200 countries struggled to reach consensus. Talks were interrupted on Saturday as some developing countries and island nations walked away in frustration. "We are leaving with a small portion of the funding climate-vulnerable countries urgently need. It isn’t nearly enough, but it’s a start," said Tina Stege, Marshall Islands climate envoy. Nations have been seeking financing to deliver on the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels - beyond which catastrophic climate impacts could occur. The world is currently on track for as much as 3.1 C (5.6 F) of warming by the end of this century, according to the 2024 UN Emissions Gap report, with global greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use continuing to rise. Sunday's deal failed to set out detailed steps for how countries will act on last year's UN climate summit pledge to transition away from fossil fuels and triple renewable energy capacity this decade. Some negotiators said Saudi Arabia had attempted to block such a plan during the talks. "There's a challenge in getting greater ambition when you're negotiating with the Saudis," said US climate adviser John Podesta. A Saudi official did not immediately provide comment. The roster of countries required to contribute - about two dozen industrialised countries, including the US, European nations and Canada - dates back to a list decided during UN climate talks in 1992. European governments have demanded others pay in, including China, the world's second-biggest economy, and oil-rich Gulf states. The deal encourages developing countries to make contributions but does not require them. The agreement includes a broader goal of raising $1.3 trillion in climate finance annually by 2035 - which would include funding from all public and private sources and which economists say matches the sum needed to address global warming. Countries also agreed on rules for a global market to buy and sell carbon credits that proponents say could mobilise billions more dollars into new projects to fight global warming, from reforestation to deployment of clean energy technologies. Securing the climate finance deal was a challenge from the start. Donald Trump's US presidential election victory this month has raised doubts among some negotiators that the world's largest economy would pay into any climate finance goal agreed in Baku. Trump, a Republican who takes office in January, has called climate change a hoax and promised to again remove the US from international climate cooperation. President Joe Biden congratulated the COP29 participants for reaching what he called a historic agreement that would help mobilise needed funds but said more work was needed. "While there is still substantial work ahead of us to achieve our climate goals, today’s outcome puts us one significant step closer. On behalf of the American people and future generations, we must continue to accelerate our work to keep a cleaner, safer, healthier planet within our grasp," Biden said in a statement. Western governments have seen global warming slip down the list of national priorities amid surging geopolitical tensions, including Russia’s war in Ukraine expanding conflict in the Middle East, and rising inflation. The showdown over financing for developing countries comes in a year scientists predict will be the hottest on record. Climate woes are stacking up, with widespread flooding killing thousands across Africa, deadly landslides burying villages in Asia, and drought in South America shrinking rivers. Developed countries have not been spared. Torrential rain triggered floods in Valencia, Spain, last month that left more than 200 dead, and the US so far this year has registered 24 billion-dollar disasters — just four fewer than last year. Two dead in clashes sparked by Indian mosque survey Donald Trump eyes Jay Bhattacharya for NIH leadership, says report Trump names Brooke Rollins to be agriculture secretary Rescuers amputate leg of tourist stuck in Tasmanian riverBy Vanessa G. Sánchez, KFF Health News (TNS) LOS ANGELES — President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations and tougher immigration restrictions is deepening mistrust of the health care system among California’s immigrants and clouding the future for providers serving the state’s most impoverished residents. At the same time, immigrants living illegally in Southern California told KFF Health News they thought the economy would improve and their incomes might increase under Trump, and for some that outweighed concerns about health care. Community health workers say fear of deportation is already affecting participation in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program for low-income residents, which was expanded in phases to all immigrants regardless of residency status over the past several years. That could undercut the state’s progress in reducing the uninsured rate, which reached a record low of 6.4% last year. Immigrants lacking legal residency have long worried that participation in government programs could make them targets, and Trump’s election has compounded those concerns, community advocates say. The incoming Trump administration is also expected to target Medicaid with funding cuts and enrollment restrictions , which activists worry could threaten the Medi-Cal expansion and kneecap efforts to extend health insurance subsidies under Covered California to all immigrants. “The fear alone has so many consequences to the health of our communities,” said Mar Velez , director of policy with the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “This is, as they say, not their first rodeo. They understand how the system works. I think this machine is going to be, unfortunately, a lot more harmful to our communities.” Alongside such worries, though, is a strain of optimism that Trump might be a boon to the economy, according to interviews with immigrants in Los Angeles whom health care workers were soliciting to sign up for Medi-Cal. Since Election Day, community health worker Yanet Martinez said, people are more reluctant to hear her pitch for subsidized health insurance or cancer prevention screenings. “They think I’m going to share their information to deport them,” Martinez said. (Vanessa G. Sánchez/KFF Health News/TNS) Clinics and community health workers encourage immigrants to enroll for health coverage through Medi-Cal and Covered California. But workers have noticed that fear of deportation has chilled participation. (Vanessa G. Sánchez/KFF Health News/TNS) Community health workers like Yanet Martinez encourage people to enroll for health benefits. But many California immigrants fear that using subsidized services could hurt their chances of obtaining legal residency. (Vanessa G. Sánchez/KFF Health News/TNS) Since Election Day, community health worker Yanet Martinez said, people are more reluctant to hear her pitch for subsidized health insurance or cancer prevention screenings. “They think I’m going to share their information to deport them,” Martinez said. (Vanessa G. Sánchez/KFF Health News/TNS) Selvin, 39, who, like others interviewed for this article, asked to be identified by only his first name because he’s living here without legal permission, said that even though he believes Trump dislikes people like him, he thinks the new administration could help boost his hours at the food processing facility where he works packing noodles. “I do see how he could improve the economy. From that perspective, I think it’s good that he won.” He became eligible for Medi-Cal this year but decided not to enroll, worrying it could jeopardize his chances of changing his immigration status. “I’ve thought about it,” Selvin said, but “I feel like it could end up hurting me. I won’t deny that, obviously, I’d like to benefit — get my teeth fixed, a physical checkup.” But fear holds him back, he said, and he hasn’t seen a doctor in nine years. It’s not Trump’s mass deportation plan in particular that’s scaring him off, though. “If I’m not committing any crimes or getting a DUI, I think I won’t get deported,” Selvin said. Petrona, 55, came from El Salvador seeking asylum and enrolled in Medi-Cal last year. She said that if her health insurance benefits were cut, she wouldn’t be able to afford her visits to the dentist. A street food vendor, she hears often about Trump’s deportation plan, but she said it will be the criminals the new president pushes out. “I’ve heard people say he’s going to get rid of everyone who’s stealing.” Although she’s afraid she could be deported, she’s also hopeful about Trump. “He says he’s going to give a lot of work to Hispanics because Latinos are the ones who work the hardest,” she said. “That’s good, more work for us, the ones who came here to work.” Newly elected Republican Assembly member Jeff Gonzalez, who flipped a seat long held by Democrats in the Latino-heavy desert region in the southeastern part of the state, said his constituents were anxious to see a new economic direction. “They’re just really kind of fed up with the status quo in California,” Gonzalez said. “People on the ground are saying, ‘I’m hopeful,’ because now we have a different perspective. We have a businessperson who is looking at the very things that we are looking at, which is the price of eggs, the price of gas, the safety.” Gonzalez said he’s not going to comment about potential Medicaid cuts, because Trump has not made any official announcement. Unlike most in his party, Gonzalez said he supports the extension of health care services to all residents regardless of immigration status . Health care providers said they are facing a twin challenge of hesitancy among those they are supposed to serve and the threat of major cuts to Medicaid, the federal program that provides over 60% of the funding for Medi-Cal. Health providers and policy researchers say a loss in federal contributions could lead the state to roll back or downsize some programs, including the expansion to cover those without legal authorization. California and Oregon are the only states that offer comprehensive health insurance to all income-eligible immigrants regardless of status. About 1.5 million people without authorization have enrolled in California, at a cost of over $6 billion a year to state taxpayers. “Everyone wants to put these types of services on the chopping block, which is really unfair,” said state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, a Democrat and chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. “We will do everything we can to ensure that we prioritize this.” Sen. Gonzalez said it will be challenging to expand programs such as Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace, for which immigrants lacking permanent legal status are not eligible. A big concern for immigrants and their advocates is that Trump could reinstate changes to the public charge policy, which can deny green cards or visas based on the use of government benefits. “President Trump’s mass deportation plan will end the financial drain posed by illegal immigrants on our healthcare system, and ensure that our country can care for American citizens who rely on Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security,” Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to KFF Health News. During his first term, in 2019, Trump broadened the policy to include the use of Medicaid, as well as housing and nutrition subsidies. The Biden administration rescinded the change in 2021. KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News, found immigrants use less health care than people born in the United States. And about 1 in 4 likely undocumented immigrant adults said they have avoided applying for assistance with health care, food, and housing because of immigration-related fears, according to a 2023 survey . Another uncertainty is the fate of the Affordable Care Act, which was opened in November to immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and are protected by the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals program. If DACA eligibility for the act’s plans, or even the act itself, were to be reversed under Trump, that would leave roughly 40,000 California DACA recipients, and about 100,000 nationwide , without access to subsidized health insurance. On Dec. 9, a federal court in North Dakota issued an order blocking DACA recipients from accessing Affordable Care Act health plans in 19 states that had challenged the Biden administration’s rule. Clinics and community health workers are encouraging people to continue enrolling in health benefits. But amid the push to spread the message, the chilling effects are already apparent up and down the state. “¿Ya tiene Medi-Cal?” community health worker Yanet Martinez said, asking residents whether they had Medi-Cal as she walked down Pico Boulevard recently in a Los Angeles neighborhood with many Salvadorans. “¡Nosotros podemos ayudarle a solicitar Medi-Cal! ¡Todo gratuito!” she shouted, offering help to sign up, free of charge. “Gracias, pero no,” said one young woman, responding with a no thanks. She shrugged her shoulders and averted her eyes under a cap that covered her from the late-morning sun. Since Election Day, Martinez said, people have been more reluctant to hear her pitch for subsidized health insurance or cancer prevention screenings. “They think I’m going to share their information to deport them,” she said. “They don’t want anything to do with it.” This article was produced by KFF Health News , which publishes California Healthline , an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation . ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Donald Trump has announced Warren Stephens, an investment banker, . Mr Stephens, 67, is a Republican donor who previously campaigned against Mr Trump, before financially backing him at this year’s election. He will replace Jane Hartley, the current ambassador to the UK appointed by Joe Biden, after Mr Trump’s inauguration in January. Mr Stephens is a career investment banker in Arkansas, where he has long supported Mike Huckabee, the former state governor who has been appointed as Mr Trump’s ambassador to Israel. He has not served in any government role, and is currently the CEO and president of the family business, Stephens Inc. Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “I am pleased to announce that Warren A Stephens, one of the most successful businessmen in the country, has been nominated to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Court of St James’s, a role in which he will act as our representative to the United Kingdom. “Over the last 38 years, while serving as the president, chairman, and CEO of his company, Stephens Inc, Warren has built a wonderful financial services firm, while selflessly giving back to his community as a philanthropist. “Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top diplomat, representing the USA to one of America’s most cherished and beloved allies.” His appointment comes at a time for delicate relations between Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister who was accused by the president-elect’s allies of interfering in the presidential election . The two men spoke after Mr Trump’s election victory last month, and have pledged to work together on the “special relationship”. Mr Trump has also pledged to impose blanket tariffs of up to 20 per cent on all foreign imports, including from the UK. British ministers have said they will attempt to persuade him to offer the UK access to American markets. Mr Stephens donated to the Stop Trump movement in 2016, when Mr Trump first ran for president. He then gave more than $3million to super PACs supporting Mr Trump in 2020, before backing the primary campaigns of Asa Hutchinson and . He has also donated to Maga Inc, another Trump-supporting Super PAC.
One thing nearly all former presidents have in common is a love of sports. For Donald Trump, the game was golf. For Barack Obama, the sport was basketball. President George W. Bush owned Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. For Jimmy Carter, the sport was tennis. At the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park is a clay tennis court. The tennis court was installed during Carter’s childhood on the family farm. The farm and his childhood home later became the location for the park in Plains, Georgia. In his 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” Carter described how he would play against his father as a teenager. “My father ... was an excellent tennis player,” Carter wrote. “I could never beat my father. He had a wicked sliced ball which barely bounded at all on the relatively soft dirt court.” RELATED STORY | Former President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100 Carter was able to upgrade his court when he entered the White House in 1977. The complex had a court installed during President Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure. But during his time in the White House, the use of the tennis courts became political fodder. Staffer James Fallows wrote in The Atlantic that Carter would personally sign off on when the White House tennis court could be used, and by which staffers. “The in-house tennis enthusiasts, of whom I was perhaps the most shameless, dispatched brief notes through his secretary asking to use the court on Tuesday afternoons while he was at a congressional briefing, or a Saturday morning, while he was away,” Fallows wrote. “I always provided spaces where he could check Yes or No; Carter would make his decision and send the note back, initialed J.” Carter was asked by Bill Moyers about whether he personally signed off on the tennis court’s use. Carter told Moyers he delegated the task to a secretary. Carter’s love of tennis came home to Plains in 1977 during his first year in the White House. World Team Tennis staged a match in the small Georgia town, which was attended by Carter’s mother Lillian. The competition was between a team of Soviet Union stars against top Americans playing on the Phoenix Racquets.
Unhoused people in Los Angeles' Skid Row last month. Ringo Chiu/AP Homelessness in America reached the highest level on record last year, according to new data released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development—and it will likely only get worse, in light of both a Supreme Court decision issued in June and President-elect Donald Trump’s forthcoming presidency. The annual report —which estimates the number of people staying in shelters, temporary housing, and on the streets on a single night—found more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness on a single night this past January, up 18 percent from a night in January 2023. The increase in the rate of families experiencing homelessness was even steeper, rising 39 percent from 2023 to 2024. And there was a 33 percent increase in children experiencing homelessness, bringing the amount recorded earlier this year to nearly 150,000 kids. (Experts say the numbers are likely an undercount.) HUD attributes this rise to “significant increases in rental costs, as a result of the pandemic and nearly decades of under-building of housing,” as well as natural disasters—such as the deadly August 2023 Maui wildfires —that destroyed housing. Other factors include “rising inflation, stagnating wages among middle- and lower-income households, and the persisting effects of systemic racism [that] have stretched homelessness services systems to their limits,” the report says. (Black people remain overrepresented, accounting for 12 percent of the US population but 32 percent of those experiencing homelessness, according to the report.) California and New York had the highest numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Some of the nationwide increase, the report notes, was also due to “a result of [communities’] work to shelter a rising number of asylum seekers.” In New York City , for example, asylum seekers accounted for almost 88 percent of the increase in sheltered homelessness. HUD points out that the counts were conducted after Republicans in Congress blocked a bipartisan Senate deal that would have funded border security and before President Joe Biden’s border crackdown via executive action—a reference Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) aimed to use to his advantage. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, responded on X that this was a “misdiagnosis of its causes,” adding that he has a report forthcoming on “this easy scapegoating of migrants for the homelessness crisis.” Despite the bleakness of the data, there were some signs of progress: Homelessness among veterans dropped to the lowest number on record: 32,882—an 8 percent decrease from 2023. The report also spotlights a few places ( Dallas , Los Angeles , and Chester County, Pennsylvania) that saw significant decreases in people experiencing homelessness thanks to targeted efforts to increase the availability of housing and other supportive services. Still, it’s hard not to see the data as an indictment of one of the world’s wealthiest nations, where basic necessities— housing , food , and healthcare —are out of reach to many low- and middle-income families. And, as the report intimates, it is likely that people experiencing homelessness will face even greater challenges in light of Grants Pass v. Johnson , the June Supreme Court decision that essentially greenlit the criminalization of homelessness. (As I have reported , domestic violence prevention advocates expect the ruling will be catastrophic for survivors, given the role abusive relationships can play in driving victims to homelessness.) Ann Olivia, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement she hopes the data will spur lawmakers “to advance evidence-based solutions to this crisis.” (Vice President Kamala Harris made new housing construction a key part of her campaign.) Some Democrats agree that politicians have to act—and fast: “As housing prices increase, homelessness increases,” Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) posted in response to the same AP article . “Homelessness is a housing problem.” But don’t hold your breath: Trump’s acolytes have signaled their desires to slash the social safety net and enact mass deportations of undocumented people, which experts have said will likely exacerbate the housing crisis given the role immigrants play in the construction industry. The closest his budding administration has come to offering a solution is VP-elect JD Vance’s claim that mass deportations will solve the housing shortage by freeing up units.Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren't bitterly divided?[Source: Reuters] U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he will travel to Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was gutted by fire over five years ago, in his first foreign trip since winning the election. The Gothic masterpiece, one of the French capital’s most beloved and visited monuments, will reopen its doors later this week to tourists and the Catholic faithful. Major reconstruction works have restored the 12th-century cathedral, its spire, rib vaulting, flying buttresses, stained-glass windows and carved stone gargoyles to their past glory, with the white stone and gold decorations shining brighter than ever. Trump, who won the Nov. 5 election and is due to take office on Jan. 20, praised the government of French President Emmanuel Macron in a post on his social-media platform Truth Social on Monday. he wrote.
The British-Canadian computer scientist often touted as a “godfather” of artificial intelligence has shortened the odds of AI wiping out humanity over the next three decades, warning the pace of change in the technology is “much faster” than expected. Prof Geoffrey Hinton, who this year was awarded the Nobel prize in physics for his work in AI , said there was a “10 to 20” per cent chance that AI would lead to human extinction within the next three decades. Previously Hinton had said there was a 10% chance of the technology triggering a catastrophic outcome for humanity. Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he had changed his analysis of a potential AI apocalypse and the one in 10 chance of it happening, he said: “Not really, 10 to 20 [per cent].” Hinton’s estimate prompted Today’s guest editor, the former chancellor Sajid Javid, to say “you’re going up”, to which Hinton replied: “If anything. You see, we’ve never had to deal with things more intelligent than ourselves before.” He added: “And how many examples do you know of a more intelligent thing being controlled by a less intelligent thing? There are very few examples. There’s a mother and baby. Evolution put a lot of work into allowing the baby to control the mother, but that’s about the only example I know of.” London-born Hinton, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said humans would be like toddlers compared with the intelligence of highly powerful AI systems. “I like to think of it as: imagine yourself and a three-year-old. We’ll be the three-year-olds,” he said. AI can be loosely defined as computer systems performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. Last year, Hinton made headlines after resigning from his job at Google in order to speak more openly about the risks posed by unconstrained AI development, citing concerns that“bad actors” would use the technology to harm others. A key concern of AI safety campaigners is that the creation of artificial general intelligence, or systems that are smarter than humans, could lead to the technology posing an existential threat by evading human control. Reflecting on where he thought the development of AI would have reached when he first started his work on AI, Hinton said: “I didn’t think it would be where we [are] now. I thought at some point in the future we would get here.” Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion He added: “Because the situation we’re in now is that most of the experts in the field think that sometime, within probably the next 20 years, we’re going to develop AIs that are smarter than people. And that’s a very scary thought.” Hinton said the pace of development was “very, very fast, much faster than I expected” and called for government regulation of the technology. “My worry is that the invisible hand is not going to keep us safe. So just leaving it to the profit motive of large companies is not going to be sufficient to make sure they develop it safely,” he said. “The only thing that can force those big companies to do more research on safety is government regulation.” Hinton is one of the three “godfathers of AI” who have won the ACM AM Turing award – the computer science equivalent of the Nobel prize – for their work. However, one of the trio, Yann LeCun, the chief AI scientist at Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, has played down the existential threat and has said AI “could actually save humanity from extinction”.Prime Minister leads tributes to former US president Jimmy Carter
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold glasses during a festive reception of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct. 23. AP-Yonhap President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on the BRICS group nations if they undercut the U.S. dollar. "We require a commitment... that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100 percent Tariffs," Trump wrote on his Truth Social website, referring to the grouping that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and others. The statement comes after a BRICS summit held last month in Kazan, Russia, where the countries discussed boosting non-dollar transactions and strengthening local currencies. The BRICS group has expanded significantly since its inception in 2009, and now includes countries such as Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Altogether the BRICS coalition accounts for a significant minority of the world's economic output. At the Kazan summit in October, Moscow secured a joint declaration encouraging the "strengthening of correspondent banking networks within BRICS and enabling settlements in local currencies in line with BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative." But at the end of the summit Putin indicated that little progress had been made on launching a possible competitor to the Belgium-based SWIFT financial messaging system. "As for SWIFT and any alternatives, we have not created and are not creating any alternatives," Putin told reporters at the end of the summit. He added: "As for a unified BRICS currency, we are not considering that question at the moment." Trump has vowed to pursue a protectionist agenda, threatening hefty tariffs on neighbors and rivals. If BRICS countries continue with their plans, Trump warned, they "should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy," he wrote. "They can go find another 'sucker!' There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the U.S. Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America." (AFP) To remove this article -
Skincare fans are rushing to snap up a Boots Star Gift that saves £55 on a selection of Liz Earle favourites . The health and beauty retailer has launched the discounted gift set ahead of Black Friday, and it’s the perfect gift for anyone who loves a pamper. Worth £93, the Liz Earle Glowing Hydrating Routine 4 Full-Size Piece Gift Set is priced at £38, and is the only Star Gift that Liz Earle will be launching this year. It contains four of the skincare brand’s bestsellers, all of which are full sizes, as well as two of their pure cotton cloths, The Mirror reports. As part of the deal, each product works out at less than £10 each, which is impressive, seeing as the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Face Cleanser 200ml with two cloths would usually set shoppers back £33 on its own. That means you’re essentially paying £5 for the remaining three products. READ MORE: 'Cosy' suede boots shopper claims are 'every bit as good as Uggs' reduced by 71% from £159 READ MORE: John Lewis’ Black Friday Clinique deal that’s 'good value for money’ has 30% off in early deal The cleanser, best known for its creamy consistency and spa-like scent with eucalyptus oil, has earned itself more than 900 five star reviews from skincare enthusiasts. One said: “This is a lovely cleanser, smells gorgeous and really seems to do the job. Skin feels very soft, smooth and no sign of dryness.” Another added: “From day 1 I noticed that my skin felt softer and nourished. After a week my skin was clearer and wrinkles less noticeable. I will be buying this again. The cloths are as stated and softly takes away the dead skin layer leaving lovely clean finish.” Though it’s not been for everyone, with one leaving a two star review, which read: “I didn’t like this. It felt greasy and made my skin spotty. I didn’t feel it cleansed my skin, felt more like a mask.” As a beauty writer I get to try out dozens of different skincare products every year, but I do often find myself returning to this cult-loved cleanser, and find their products to be high quality, gentle and effective. Another thing I love about Liz Earle is that it seems to appeal to women of all ages . The set can be gifted to one person, or you could divide the products into more stocking filler style gifts to spread the Liz Earle love to more people. Equally, we won’t judge if you decide to keep it for yourself to save money on your routine. Here’s everything inside the Liz Earle Glowing Hydrating Routine 4 Full-Size Piece Gift Set: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Face Cleanser 200ml Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion 150ml Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Face Tonic 200ml Liz Earle Hydrating Cream Face Mask 75ml 2 Pure Cotton Cloths Another ageless option, which is always a hit with shoppers, is Soap and Glory, who has released four Star Gifts as part of their Big Pink Drop . One of the sets, It's The Shine Of The Times, is an 11-piece set worth £90 , but it’s been reduced to £44.50 for a limited time. Elsewhere, Charlotte Tilbury has launched several early Black Friday deals, including a discount on its beloved Dewy Pretty Blushed Cheeks Kit . The set contains two of the brand's best-selling products: the viral Hollywood Flawless Filter and a Cheek to Chic blush. Plus, Stacey Solomon's co-owned brand Rehab is offering up to 50% off its hair care heroes, a free mini brush, and a trial of its popular hair oil capsules with every order. Or you can shop the Liz Earle set here at Boots.Zelensky Reveals Date Of Russia's Victory; Slams Ukrainian Generals For 'Disconnect' With Soldiers
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The South Carolina women's basketball team has been defeated for the first time since March 31, 2023. The No. 1 Gamecocks fell Sunday in Los Angeles as Lauren Betts posted a double-double effort to lead No. 5 UCLA to a 77-62 triumph. The Gamecocks (5-1) suffered their first defeat after 43 consecutive victories, dating back to the loss to Iowa 77-73 in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. South Carolina defeated Iowa last season for the national championship. Betts finished with 11 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks to power the Bruins (5-0) to a historic victory. UCLA also got 15 points from Londynn Jones on 5-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, 13 points from Elina Aarnisalo and 11 each from Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jacquez. It's the first time UCLA has beaten South Carolina since 1981. The Bruins lost twice to the Gamecocks in the 2022-23 season, including in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Te-Hina Paopao had 18 points for South Carolina on 4-of-4 3-point shooting, while Tessa Johnson had 14 points. UCLA won the rebounding battle 41-34, marking the second time this season the Gamecocks have been outrebounded. South Carolina also got outscored in the paint 26-18. It's rare that a Dawn Staley-coached team -- units that typically revolve around dominant centers from A'ja Wilson to Aaliyah Boston to Kamilla Cardoso -- gets beat in the paint and on the glass, but with 6-foot-7 Betts, UCLA had the recipe to outmuscle the Gamecocks in those areas of the game. South Carolina never led after UCLA began the game with an 18-5 run, capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jones. The Gamecocks cut the deficit to nine points in the second quarter, but the Bruins responded with a 17-5 run and entered halftime ahead by 21 points. Aarnisalo scored seven points during that run. From there, the Gamecocks never got within single digits of the lead in the second half. It's the first time in 21 tries that UCLA has beaten an AP-ranked No. 1 team. And it's the first time South Carolina lost a true road game since 2021, a streak of 33 games. The schedule doesn't get any easier for South Carolina. While UCLA faces UT Martin next on Friday, the Gamecocks play No. 8 Iowa State on Thursday. --Field Level MediaNew 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire guns