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In Final Plea, Amnesty International Urges Biden To Free Leonard Peltier
AP Trending SummaryBrief at 5:37 p.m. ESTRupert Murdoch's audacious bid to cement his eldest son's control over one of the world's most influential media empires has failed, a US report said Monday. The first family of news -- commanding a stable that includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and a host of British and Australian media -- had been the inspiration for the hit TV series "Succession." Like the fictional version, this real-life fight pitted the children of a powerful patriarch against each other for who should be the face and the voice of the empire after the old man dies. Murdoch, now 93, had long intended that his children inherit the empire, and jointly decide its direction. The eldest daughter, Prudence, has had little involvement in the family business, but at various times the other three -- Lachlan, James and Elisabeth -- have all been considered as successors. But in recent years Murdoch senior had reportedly grown concerned that Fox News -- the crown jewels of the collection -- might drift away from its lucrative right-wing moorings after his death, to reflect the more centrist views of James and Elisabeth. He had therefore sought to designate Lachlan -- who currently heads Fox News and News Corp -- as the controlling player in the wider business. That had required rewriting the terms of an irrevocable trust that passed power to the four siblings jointly, stripping three of them of voting power, while allowing them to continue to benefit financially. Rupert Murdoch had argued that giving control to Lachlan -- who is understood to share his father's worldview -- was in the financial interests of the whole brood. - 'Carefully crafted charade' - The family intrigue played out behind closed doors in a Nevada courtroom, where Murdoch senior and his four children were understood to have given several days' evidence in September. In a decision filed at the weekend, probate commissioner Edmund J. Gorman Jr. said the father and son had acted in "bad faith" in trying to rewrite the rules, The New York Times reported, citing a copy of the sealed court document. The plan to alter the trust's structure was a "carefully crafted charade" to "permanently cement Lachlan Murdoch's executive roles." "The effort was an attempt to stack the deck in Lachlan Murdoch's favor after Rupert Murdoch's passing so that his succession would be immutable," the Times cited the ruling as saying. "The play might have worked; but an evidentiary hearing, like a showdown in a game of poker, is where gamesmanship collides with the facts and at its conclusion, all the bluffs are called and the cards lie face up. "The court, after considering the facts of this case in the light of the law, sees the cards for what they are and concludes this raw deal will not, over the signature of this probate commissioner, prevail." Murdoch's lawyer, Adam Streisand, did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment. The ruling is not final, and must now be ratified or rejected by a district judge. That ruling could be challenged, perhaps provoking another round of legal arguments. The complicated structure of the irrevocable trust reflects the colourful familial relationships that shaped Rupert Murdoch's life as he built the multibillion-dollar empire. The trust was reported to have been the result of a deal agreed with his second wife -- mother of Lachlan, Elisabeth and James -- who wanted to ensure her offspring would not be disenfranchised by children Murdoch had with his third wife, Wendi Deng. The Murdoch empire has transformed tabloid newspapers, cable TV and satellite broadcasting over the last few decades while facing accusations of stoking populism across the English-speaking world. Brexit in Britain and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States are credited at least partly to Murdoch and his outlets. hg/nro
Outokumpu, the global leader in sustainable stainless steel, is constantly looking for ways to further reduce climate impact throughout its value chain. Efforts to replace fossil raw materials with economically viable alternatives is a key element in this journey. The company has decided to invest EUR 40 million for building up a high quality biocarbon production plant in Germany. Approximately EUR 10 million of the capital expenditure is included in the CAPEX frame related to Outokumpu’s second strategy phase and the company remains committed to maintaining the maximum CAPEX frame of EUR 600 million between 2023–2025. The plant will be built in the city of Sassnitz in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Northeastern Germany, utilizing existing infrastructure and buildings at the Mukran Port. The planned annual production capacity is 15,000 tonnes of biocarbon(1 using waste wood as raw material. The commissioning of the site is scheduled for the first half of 2026. The new plant will provide feedstock material for biocoke to Outokumpu’s pelletizing plant in Tornio, Finland, which is on schedule and expected to be completed mid-2025. Biocoke is used as a reductant in Outokumpu’s ferrochrome production. Approximately 50% of Outokumpu’s direct emissions could be reduced by replacing fossil coke with biocoke. Investments towards cutting these emissions are essential to prepare Outokumpu to reduce future costs as the free carbon allowances in the European Emissions Trading System are potentially phased out in the future. “We are proud that our stainless steel has the lowest carbon footprint in the industry(2, and we are progressing steadily towards our target to reduce our emission intensity across our direct, indirect and supply chain emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2016 base year. Currently, biocoke represents the best available technology to decrease our direct emissions and we are investigating also other innovations as well as the use of carbon capture technology to achieve further reductions,” says Stefan Erdmann, Chief Technology Officer at Outokumpu. Outokumpu has established a roadmap to build up future supply for biocoke and it consists of a mixture of own production, external sourcing, and partnerships. With our pilot plants in Mukran Port, Germany and Tornio, Finland, Outokumpu can further develop the production process, side stream gas utilization and end-product. In addition to biocarbon, side stream gases will be used at the plant in the Mukran Port to generate heat and electricity which offers a financially attractive business case and higher value use for the biomass. “Biomass-based raw materials offer exciting possibilities for Outokumpu to cut direct emissions. I’m proud of our team’s innovative thinking in developing an industrial concept that ensures technical readiness and financial viability for the new investment, driving progress in the green transition today. We want to take an active role in developing the biocoke market which will give us scale-up and new business opportunities also going forward, says Timo Huhtala, General Manager, Outokumpu EvoCarbon, unit responsible for building up biocoke supply and investigating new technologies and investments opportunities in carbon capture and new energy projects at Outokumpu. Source: Outokumpu Corporation
By CHRIS MEGERIAN and COLLEEN LONG WASHINGTON (AP) — In the two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidency, he’s tried to demonstrate his dominance by naming loyalists for top administration positions, even though many lack expertise and some face sexual misconduct accusations. It often seems like he’s daring Congress to oppose his decisions. But on Thursday, Trump’s attempt to act with impunity showed a crack as Matt Gaetz , his choice for attorney general, withdrew from consideration. Trump had named Gaetz, a Florida congressman, to be the country’s top law enforcement official even though he was widely disliked by his colleagues, has little legal experience and was accused of having sex with an underage girl, an allegation he denied. After being plagued by investigations during his first presidency, Trump wanted a devoted ally in charge of the Justice Department during his second. However, it was never obvious that Gaetz could win enough support from lawmakers to get confirmed as attorney general. Trump chose for a replacement Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who defended him during his first impeachment trial and supported his false claims of voter fraud. Now the question is whether Gaetz was uniquely unpalatable, or if Trump’s other picks might exceed his party’s willingness to overlook concerns that would have sunk nominees in a prior political era. The next test will likely be Pete Hegseth, who Trump wants to lead the Pentagon despite an allegation of sexual assault that he’s denied. So far, Republicans are rallying around Hegseth , an Army veteran and former Fox News host. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the controversy over Gaetz would have little bearing on Trump’s other choices. He said they would be considered “one at a time.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, suggested otherwise, claiming “the dominoes are falling.” “The drip drip of evidence and truth is going to eventually doom some others,” he said. Trump’s election victory was a sign that there may not be many red lines left in American politics. He won the presidential race despite authoritarian, racist and misogynist rhetoric, not to mention years of lies about election fraud and his role in sparking the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was also criminally convicted of falsifying business records to pay hush money, and he was found liable for sexual abuse in a civil case. Empowered by voters who looked past his misconduct and saw him as a powerful agent of change, Trump has shown no deference to Washington norms while working to fill his second administration . The transition team hasn’t pursued federal background checks for Trump’s personnel choices. While some of his selections have extensive experience in the areas they’ve been chosen to lead, others are personal friends and Fox News personalities who have impressed and flattered Trump over the years. Several have faced allegations involving sexual misconduct . Hegseth is facing the most scrutiny after Gaetz. Once Trump announced Hegseth as his nominee for Pentagon chief, allegations emerged that he sexually assaulted a woman in California in 2017. The woman said he took her phone, blocked the door to the hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a police report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. However, he paid the woman a confidential settlement in 2023. Hegseth’s lawyer said the payment was made to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit. Trump’s choice for secretary of health and human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has faced allegations of misconduct too. A woman who babysat for him and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine that Kennedy groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23. Kennedy did not deny the allegation and texted an apology to the woman after the article was published. That isn’t the only hurdle for Kennedy; he’s spent years spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines, raising fears about making him a top health official in the new administration. Linda McMahon, chosen by Trump to be education secretary, is fighting a lawsuit connected to her former company, World Wrestling Entertainment. She’s accused of knowingly enabling sexual exploitation of children by an employee as early as the 1980s, and she denies the allegations. Tulsi Gabbard is another person who could face a difficult confirmation battle, but for very different reasons. The former Democratic representative from Hawaii has been a vocal Trump ally, and he chose her to be national intelligence director. But there’s grave concern by lawmakers and national security officials over Gabbard’s history of echoing Russian propaganda. Critics said she would endanger relationships with U.S. allies. Gaetz was investigated by federal law enforcement for sex trafficking, but the case was closed without charges and Republicans have blocked the release of a related report from the House Ethics Committee. However, some allegations leaked out, including that Gaetz paid women for sex. One of the women testified to the committee that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl, according to a lawyer for the woman. As Gaetz met with senators this week, it became clear that he would face stubborn resistance from lawmakers who were concerned about his behavior and believed he was unqualified to run the Justice Department. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction,” Gaetz wrote on social media when announcing his withdrawal. Sen. Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican, said he believed there were four to six members of the caucus who would have voted against Gaetz, likely dooming his nomination, and “the math got too hard.” He said some of the issues and allegations around Gaetz were “maybe beyond the pale.” “I think there were just too many things, it was like a leaky dike, and you know, it broke,” Braun said. Trump thanked Gaetz in a post on Truth Social, his social media website, without addressing the substance of the allegations against him. “He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves and Lisa Macaro contributed from Washington. Jill Colvin in New York and Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also contributed.
Syroco has developed and sells a software platform based on artificial intelligence, dedicated to weather routing (optimisation of routes by taking into account weather and sea conditions) and optimisation of vessel settings. It reduces the fuel consumption of merchant ships by more than 10% on average and up to 25% in certain situatiC’est ons. The ROI for customers is attained in a few months. The impact of the solution is very high in terms of CO2 emissions avoided. Current users already include Socatra, Knutsen OAS Shipping, Geogas, Marfret, Odfjell. This €7.5m Series A round of equity will allow Syroco to intensify efforts in Research & Development in order to offer even more intuitive and efficient solutions and to accelerate international commercial deployment. Decarbonisation of maritime transportation Maritime transportation represents 90% of the volume of global merchandise trade and is responsible for approximately 3% of carbon emissions globally, more than a billion tonnes each year. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in the absence of robust measures, the environmental footprint of maritime transportation could generate 17% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Binding regulations, including European carbon quotas or IMO commitment to reduce emissions by 50%, are gradually coming into force and requiring ship operators to adopt strong measures to improve their energy efficiency. Through this funding round, Syroco is strengthening its position as a key player in the decarbonisation of maritime transportation. The Syroco solution has been highlighted by several institutions selecting the most effective solutions in terms of energy transition, including The Arch. Syroco is also part of the French Blue Tech Index and was recognized as one of the 150 most innovative companies in maritime. Digital twin, data and artificial intelligence The solution offered by Syroco is based on accurate weather and sea data. It uses a digital twin (virtual representation mimicking the characteristics and behaviour of the ship), based on data and artificial intelligence, to calculate an optimised trajectory. The suggested route, constantly updated, takes into account operating constraints, including arrival time, seakeeping, navigation safety and cargo-specific operational parameters. The accuracy and performance of the solution, as well as its user-friendly and intuitive interface, drive the confidence of captains. Alex Caizergues, CEO and co-founder of Syroco, explained: “Thanks to this round of funding, we will continue our investments in Research & Development to provide our users with an always more intuitive solution and always more relevant recommendations, in order to reduce the consumption and emissions of their vessels. We will also accelerate the deployment of our global commercial operations in major shipping regions.” Fanny Picard, President of alter equity, added: “Syroco appears to have developed the best energy efficiency tool for maritime transportation in terms of both the accuracy of their technology and its use by ship captains. We are convinced by the huge potential of the platform for CO2 emissions avoidance, which should quickly reach several million tonnes. We are proud to support the team through our 29th investment and the very first of our third fund.” Isabelle de Cremoux, Chairman of the Board of Seventure Partners, concluded: “We are convinced that technological innovation is a powerful lever to accelerate transition to a sustainable economy and fight against climate change. By supporting Syroco, we are investing in a solution with a high environmental impact, which allows maritime transportation to significantly reduce their carbon footprint thanks to a reduction in fuel consumption. Support for Syroco’s development illustrates the commitment of Blue Forward FundTM as an investor: combine economic performance and environmental benefits through immediately actionable solutions for a more efficient and sustainable maritime industry.” Source: SyrocoSophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland's snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country's skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland. Hediger, 26, competed at the Beijing Games in the women’s snowboard cross and the mixed team version of the same event. Hediger achieved her first two World Cup podium finishes in the 2023-24 season. Her best result was a second place in St. Moritz in January. “We are shocked and our thoughts are with Sophie’s family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences,” said Swiss-Ski CEO Walter Reusser in a statement. “(She lost her life) tragically, brutally and far too soon.” AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
While Russom is now able to tell them apart without any assistance, the twins certainly haven’t made it any easier. This season, Macie and Summer decided to wear matching, mismatching shoes. The duo has an orange and a bright blue pair of Puma LaMelo Ball basketball shoes. Macie wears the orange shoe on her left foot, and the blue shoe on her right – and vice versa for Summer. The Broadalbin-Perth Perry twins are wearing matching, mismatching shoes this season. The duo has an orange and a bright blue pair of Puma LaMelo Ball basketball shoes. Macie wears the orange shoe on her left foot, and the blue shoe on her right — and vice versa for Summer. “It’s great,” Russom said of the twins’ mismatching shoes. “What’s funny, when they were younger, I couldn’t tell them apart. When I first started coaching them, I’d have to look at their shoes because the shoes were different colors. I was joking with them, ‘What am I supposed to do now?’” “In the beginning of the season we wanted to do matching shoes, then we decided to do a mismatch,” Summer Perry said. “We thought it would look super cool with the flashy colors.” While the shoes aren’t Broadalbin-Perth colors, they do match the colors of SUNY New Paltz, where the Perry twins announced they will both be continuing their college basketball careers next season. “After our first visit with New Paltz, we fell in love with it. We kind of knew,” Macie Perry said. “It wasn’t our plan to play in college together. In the beginning of our search, we totally didn’t want to go together. It just works out better for our family, and after playing AAU with each other, it was better to stay together.” “The beginning of summer I believe is when the coach reached out, and everything he said was super positive,” Summer Perry added. “It’s everything we want to do in college. It was all about transition and getting fast buckets. It was just everything that we’re about. It was perfect for us.” Even though New Paltz will certainly be a change of pace from the farm the twins grew up on, their current plan is to have separate dorm rooms once they arrive on campus. “We’re not going to be roommates,” Macie said. “We’ve shared a room our whole lives, so we need to be apart, at least a little bit.” “I think it made the most sense for them,” Russom said of the Perry sisters playing together at the next level. “I think they’re better together, and for them, it was a great opportunity to play college basketball with your sister. They’ve worked so well together, they always have, and they’re great teammates.” The twins have begun their final season with the Patriots with four straight wins. After opening the year on Dec. 2 with a 68-29 victory over South Glens Falls, Broadalbin-Perth won a hard-fought game over Queensbury 38-33 on Dec. 5. Over the weekend, the Patriots came in first place at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Tip-Off Classic. On Friday they defeated Troy 62-39, and then topped the Spartans 66-30 on Saturday. Quite often, opposing teams’ first impression for Broadalbin-Perth is seeing the twins, who both stand at 6-foot, on defense together at the top of the key. “We have two twins up top, with their length,” Russom said. “And we have length behind them, and a quick girl in the middle. It disrupts a lot of teams.” “That is definitely our favorite defense,” Macie Perry said. “Coach put it in two years ago and it works so well. Especially with our team in the back, we get deflections and come in with the steals.” “They get steals and we run up for transition buckets every single time,” Summer Perry added. The Patriots, who posted a 16-6 overall record last season, have some high expectations for this year and a ton of experience. Joining the Perry twins is Molly Russom, who also stands at 6-foot, and is committed to play college basketball at Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham. Overall, the 10-player roster includes eight seniors, a junior and a sophomore. “We just want to win,” Summer Perry said. “We want to win the Foothills, and then go on to sectionals and win there too. I think we can with our strengths.” “We’ve been playing together for three years now, and most of us are seniors,” Macie added. “This is the year to do it.” Broadalbin-Perth's Summer Perry competes for possession during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Molly Russom goes up for a layup during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Molly Russom passes to a teammate during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Summer Perry brings up the ball during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Shea Holloway makes her way to the basket during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Summer Perry is greeted by head coach Casey Russom during a timeout of a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Summer Perry goes in for a layup during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth’s Macie Perry, left, and Summer Perry, right, on defense during a game against Troy last Friday at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Macie Perry drives to the basket during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Macie Perry drives to the basket during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth’s Macie Perry shoots a free throw during a game against Troy on Friday at Broadalbin-Perth. Broadalbin-Perth’s Summer Perry goes in for a layup during a game against Troy on Friday at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Bella Bartman brings up the ball during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth's Emily Siiss shoots a free throw during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. Broadalbin-Perth’s Summer Perry looks for an open teammate against Troy. Broadalbin-Perth's Macie Perry passes to a teammate during a game against Troy on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 at Broadalbin-Perth High School. The Broadalbin-Perth Perry twins are wearing matching, mismatching shoes this season. The duo has an orange and a bright blue pair of Puma LaMelo Ball basketball shoes. Macie wears the orange shoe on her left foot, and the blue shoe on her right — and vice versa for Summer.
Court challenge over vote to extend post-Brexit trading arrangements dismissed
Murdoch loses 'Succession' battle for son's control of media empire: report
What began as a dismal, doom-like kickoff to the 2024-25 NBA season for the Milwaukee Bucks has recently turned into an impressive turnaround throughout the last few weeks. With the Bucks climbing from the bottom of the East to sixth place, they look like a completely different team. What does this say about their leader , Giannis Antetokounmpo ? Is MVP consideration back in the frame? He’s certainly playing like it should be. Bucks Season Shift Puts the Greek Freak in MVP Talks Does the Bucks Resurgence Put Giannis Antetokounmpo in MVP Consideration? At one point early on, the Bucks had won just two games in their first 10. The heat was coming down as hard as torrential rainfall on Milwaukee, with Giannis and Doc Rivers at the center. Rivers’ postgame media sessions showed his frustrations many times over. As for Giannis, he seemed calmer and even keel despite expressing his own frustrations with how things were going. However, slowly, the Bucks began to win some games. The tides appeared to shift as they hit a seven-game win streak to close out the month of November. Milwaukee has managed to climb their way to the sixth seed in the East with a 12-11 record. It’s not a great record, but considering where they’ve come from, it’s a breath of fresh air. With this recent development, it’s only fair to turn our attention to Giannis. The Greek Freak is having a sensational season to date. Even while his team was taking on water, he still poured in the points nightly. The only thing was that the Bucks were falling while he was scoring. If they were winning from the start, Giannis would assuredly be in top consideration for MVP. Now that Milwaukee is winning and has seemingly bailed out most of their water, it’s only fair that Giannis enters into the conversation. His season averages and offensive production call for it. There are those around the NBA media who back this opinion. Giannis is averaging 32.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while shooting 60% from the field. According to... If you ask ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and his podcast colleagues, Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon, about Milwaukee’s recent change of direction, it’s enough to put Gianni’s name in MVP conversations . The trio discussed where Milwaukee could land at the end of the season, provided their winning ways continue. That discussion gave way to Giannis . “Giannis is gonna have an MVP case if they’re a top four team in the East,” McMahon said, “Especially with the Nuggets struggling, the MVP is back to being wide open...you cannot give MVP to a guy in the play-in scenario...” Bontemps jumped in by stating that even if Milwaukee ends up as a play-in team, Giannis might still have a chance. Nevertheless, currently, Giannis has a case for MVP, and if he keeps up the numbers he’s putting up, you can’t remove him. The only scenario that could call for that would be if Milwaukee begins to slip again and slip drastically, to the point where they’re completely outside of the playoff picture and back in the bottom of the East. That said, I think it’s safe to say that the Bucks are heading up, not down, and will continue on that trajectory. This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.