Report: WaPo Axes Senior Politics Editor Following Trump's ReelectionNone
By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Related Articles National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department’s operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden’s commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump’s statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump’s rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl’s mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden’s decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:51 p.m. ESTAP Business SummaryBrief at 4:40 p.m. ESTMeredith Gaudreau gets permanent reminder of her late husband
John Stankey to Update Shareholders at UBS Global Media & Communications Conference on December 10
PHILADELPHIA and PERTH, Australia , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadium Lithium plc (NYSE: ALTM, ASX: LTM, "Arcadium Lithium"), a leading global lithium chemicals producer, today announced that it has obtained all requisite shareholder approvals in connection with the proposed acquisition by Rio Tinto previously announced on October 9 , 2024. "Today's vote of support by our shareholders confirms our shared belief that with Rio Tinto, we will be a stronger global leader in lithium chemicals production. Together, we enhance our capabilities to successfully develop and operate our assets while supporting the clean energy transition. We are confident that this transaction will provide future benefit to our customers, employees and the communities in which we operate, and I am excited by the path ahead," said Paul Graves , president and chief executive officer of Arcadium Lithium. The final voting results of Arcadium Lithium's special meetings will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in a Form 8-K and will also be available at https://ir.arcadiumlithium.com . Regulatory Update As of this release, merger control clearance has been satisfied or waived in Australia , Canada , China , the United Kingdom and the United States (Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976). Additionally, investment screening approval has been satisfied in the United Kingdom . The proposed transaction is still expected to close in mid-2025, subject to the receipt of remaining regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Arcadium Lithium Contacts Investors: Daniel Rosen +1 215 299 6208 daniel.rosen@arcadiumlithium.com Phoebe Lee +61 413 557 780 phoebe.lee@arcadiumlithium.com Media: Karen Vizental +54 9 114 414 4702 karen.vizental@arcadiumlithium.com About Arcadium Lithium Arcadium Lithium is a leading global lithium chemicals producer committed to safely and responsibly harnessing the power of lithium to improve people's lives and accelerate the transition to a clean energy future. We collaborate with our customers to drive innovation and power a more sustainable world in which lithium enables exciting possibilities for renewable energy, electric transportation and modern life. Arcadium Lithium is vertically integrated, with industry-leading capabilities across lithium extraction processes, including hard-rock mining, conventional brine extraction and direct lithium extraction (DLE), and in lithium chemicals manufacturing for high performance applications. We have operations around the world, with facilities and projects in Argentina , Australia , Canada , China , Japan , the United Kingdom and the United States . For more information, please visit us at www.ArcadiumLithium.com . Important Information and Legal Disclaimer: Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, we have identified forward-looking statements by such words or phrases as "will likely result," "is confident that," "expect," "expects," "should," "could," "may," "will continue to," "believe," "believes," "anticipates," "predicts," "forecasts," "estimates," "projects," "potential," "intends" or similar expressions identifying "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the negative of those words and phrases. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current views and assumptions regarding future events, future business conditions and the outlook for Arcadium Lithium based on currently available information. There are important factors that could cause Arcadium Lithium's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including the completion of the transaction on anticipated terms and timing, including obtaining required regulatory approvals, and the satisfaction of other conditions to the completion of the transaction; potential litigation relating to the transaction that could be instituted by or against Arcadium Lithium or its affiliates, directors or officers, including the effects of any outcomes related thereto; the risk that disruptions from the transaction will harm Arcadium Lithium's business, including current plans and operations; the ability of Arcadium Lithium to retain and hire key personnel; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or governmental relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the transaction; certain restrictions during the pendency of the transaction that may impact Arcadium Lithium's ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; significant transaction costs associated with the transaction; the possibility that the transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the transaction, including in circumstances requiring Arcadium Lithium to pay a termination fee or other expenses; competitive responses to the transaction; the supply and demand in the market for our products as well as pricing for lithium and high-performance lithium compounds; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the integration of the businesses of Livent and Allkem or of any future acquisitions; our ability to acquire or develop additional reserves that are economically viable; the existence, availability and profitability of mineral resources and mineral and ore reserves; the success of our production expansion efforts, research and development efforts and the development of our facilities; our ability to retain existing customers; the competition that we face in our business; the development and adoption of new battery technologies; additional funding or capital that may be required for our operations and expansion plans; political, financial and operational risks that our lithium extraction and production operations, particularly in Argentina , expose us to; physical and other risks that our operations and suppliers are subject to; our ability to satisfy customer qualification processes or customer or government quality standards; global economic conditions, including inflation, fluctuations in the price of energy and certain raw materials; the ability of our joint ventures, affiliated entities and contract manufacturers to operate according to their business plans and to fulfill their obligations; severe weather events and the effects of climate change; extensive and dynamic environmental and other laws and regulations; our ability to obtain and comply with required licenses, permits and other approvals; and other factors described under the caption entitled "Risk Factors" in Arcadium Lithium's 2023 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024 , as well as Arcadium Lithium's other SEC filings and public communications. Although Arcadium Lithium believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Arcadium Lithium cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither Arcadium Lithium nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Arcadium Lithium is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this news release to conform its prior statements to actual results or revised expectations . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arcadium-lithium-announces-shareholder-approval-of-proposed-rio-tinto-transaction-and-provides-regulatory-update-302338409.html SOURCE Arcadium Lithium PLC
Article content The losses keep piling up for the Toronto Blue Jays. On the field, there were 88 of them during a disastrous and disheartening 2024 to cap off a colossal two-year plunge into the basement of the American League East. Off the field, there was another spectacular swing and miss on a generational free agent, losing out on Juan Soto a year after a similar much-hyped failure in a bid to land Shohei Ohtani. And up next, perhaps the biggest misfire yet for the front office braintrust of general manager Ross Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro, which is truly saying something if it ends up happening. If the Jays let Vlad Guerrero Jr., get to free agency 11 months from now — which seems more like a certainty by the day — the current iteration of the franchise may never recover. Sure, after losing out to Soto — who signed that epic 15-year, $765-million US deal with the New York Mets on Sunday — the Jays can regroup and make re-signing Guerrero a priority. But even if the team did re-sign its star first baseman, who is about to enter his age 26 season, Vladdy would be a fool to accept nothing but an insanely rich offer. And Vlad Guerrero Jr. is no fool. As one of the top young hitters anywhere, he’s well-regarded by superstars around the game and loves being in their company. And watching the frenzy in which owners are spending on free agents these days, he knows it will soon be his turn. The indifference by the Jays to let it get to this point — mixed in with a losing visit to an arbitration hearing a year ago — is as baffling as it is blundering. By shopping at the very top of the market the past two off-seasons while presumably ignoring Guerrero, the Toronto front office is now at acute risk of letting the player long seen as the face of a winning franchise get away for nothing. Think about it: Owner Rogers Communications was reportedly willing to bid more than $1 billion Canadian in its futile bid for Soto while saving the Guerrero business for later. How can it not insultingly erode whatever loyalty Vladdy might have for the team and a city he professes to love? There’s never been any doubt that he will be handsomely paid, but with each passing day, there’s less guarantee it will be by the only big league franchise he’s ever known. Guerrero’s payday isn’t likely to be in the Soto stratosphere, but let’s start the projections with eight figures (likely with a five as the first digit) and a minimum of 10 years. If Jays management had any hope of extending Guerrero before his free-agent showcase season, good luck with that now. Guerrero knows the money is coming, whether it’s from Toronto or a long list of suitors that would woo him a year from now. He also must know that a bet-on-himself season as Soto just did, will be the way to go. Given the tenor of negotiations with the Jays and the money other stars are getting, why would he do otherwise? On one hand, the team’s public stance on Guerrero has been muted. (To be fair, there’s little transparency about much from Atkins, who prefers a vague answer to just about anything regarding his team, so we really don’t know how much the franchise values its star slugger.) On the other, it’s certainly well-known that, for two off-seasons now, the Jays have helped drive up the price for both Ohtani and now Soto after being armed to discharge obscene amounts of Rogers cash. What good is it, though, if you have clearance to spend the dough but can’t get what you want for it? To be fair, now that the Soto deal has mercifully been completed, the doors to free agency 2025 should swing wide open at the winter meetings down in Dallas. Fittingly, Jays fans must be bracing themselves for the next round of well-placed rumours that the team is “in” on (name players X, Y and Z here.) Trouble is, there are plenty of other big-spending teams out there willing to do the same and those players will want to land with franchises that are proven winners, or at least look that way. That, of course, circles back to Guerrero, a player widely regarded as a superstar and the home-grown Toronto talent that the team promised it would build World Series contenders around. With his future uncertain, the attractiveness for other big names to come to Toronto lessens noticeably, especially given the overall dearth of organizational talent. For his part, Guerrero has enthusiastically, and regularly, stated that he would love to be a Blue Jay for life. He might even mean it. But for it to happen, he’s going to get paid and he’s not going to accept a home-town discount. Instead, he continues to see his market grow stronger and the prospect of heading to free agency that much more enticing. So what does all of this mean for the Jays front office now? Unlike last year, when the non-Ohtani options were meek and the returns pitiful in terms of high-end impact, Atkins needs to strike big. Being “in” on the big guns is getting old in a hurry and giving the Jays an unflattering reputation in the marketplace. And each failure to significantly improve the roster via free agency or trade exposes another weakness. In the early days of their tenure, Atkins and Shapiro promised they’d be a successful draft-and-develop team. How has that worked out for them? Worse, they are now in danger of losing one of the true development success stories that remains. rlongley@postmedia.com X: @longleysunsport
At least two high-profile subway crimes rocked the outer boroughs just days after Gov. Kathy Hochul added hundreds more National Guard members to the train system — leaving New Yorkers skeptical of their safety both above and below ground. Get the Full Story Quick-thinking police, along with help from the media and members of the public, arrested a suspect for the depraved killing of a woman who was set on fire as she was on board a Brooklyn F train, burning her to death on Sunday morning. The suspect was charged Monday with first-degree murder. Also on Sunday, a would-be perp was killed after he attempted to rob a stranger who fought back in self- defense by stabbing his attacker to death on board a 7 train in Queens. Several suspects were apprehended in connection with the deadly incident. Both incidents happened after two people were shot at a Q train station in Brooklyn . Two people remained at large as of Monday afternoon. After the horrific arson homicide in Brooklyn on Dec. 22, Hochul doubled down on her decision to add 250 more National Guard members to the subway system and cameras in every subway car on Dec. 18 . “A suspect is now in custody for the horrific incident on the F train, ” she said in a statement on Sunday. “ Our brand-new security cameras helped law enforcement find the suspect and arrest him .” Despite the governor’s efforts to reinforce a sense of safety in the subways, many NYC public transportation users told amNew York Metro Monday remained skeptical about security, and stressed that more must be done to protect them. “I think there needs to be more consequences for violent crimes, ” said Shula Wise, a Queens resident . “ But this is something that has to be done on the City Council and court levels. Nothing can be done to protect the public in the subways if the city is soft on crime. ” Jessica Eitsirhc, who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, does not feel safe when she rides the trains. She would love to see more enforcement on trains to protect riders in addition to the National Guard members on platforms. “I f something happens to me on a train, no one is going to help me, ” she said. “ There needs to be people there to intervene. And if their presence is known, it may also minimize crime on the actual cars not just stations where the National Guard is. They’d just go to a different station to avoid them .” But other New Yorkers do not see the issue solely as one of subway safety. Rather, they say, the answer is to address the city’s other social and economic woes, such as affordable housing, inflation, and high costs of living. Public transportation users felt the effects of some of these issues recently after the MTA board approved both congestion pricing on Nov. 18 and later a subway and bus fare hike, which will likely be $3 come Aug. 2025. One New Yorker, of whom amNewYork Metro obliged her request for anonymity, said having the National Guard on subways does not make her feel safe and also does not see security cameras as a financial priority for reducing crime. She is more concerned with the “ poor quality of life ” in NYC. “T he problem with the city is not the subways being more dangerous. It’s the poor quality of life, limited resources, and rising inflation, ” she said. “ Using our tax dollars to increase patrolling and installing cameras is not where our money should be spent .” Still, others say keeping the city’s trains safe comes down to old-fashioned police patrol. “I honestly never see the National Guard unless I’m at some big station in Manhattan, like Grand Central. I always felt the 7 line was fairly safe until this weekend, ” said Harold, a Queens resident , alluding to Sunday’s fatal stabbing on the train. “ I would like to see more police officers on trains. It’s really the only deterrent .”NORAD’s Santa tracker began in the Cold War. Here’s why it’s still going
PHILADELPHIA and PERTH, Australia , Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcadium Lithium plc (NYSE: ALTM, ASX: LTM, "Arcadium Lithium"), a leading global lithium chemicals producer, today announced that it has obtained all requisite shareholder approvals in connection with the proposed acquisition by Rio Tinto previously announced on October 9 , 2024. "Today's vote of support by our shareholders confirms our shared belief that with Rio Tinto, we will be a stronger global leader in lithium chemicals production. Together, we enhance our capabilities to successfully develop and operate our assets while supporting the clean energy transition. We are confident that this transaction will provide future benefit to our customers, employees and the communities in which we operate, and I am excited by the path ahead," said Paul Graves , president and chief executive officer of Arcadium Lithium. The final voting results of Arcadium Lithium's special meetings will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in a Form 8-K and will also be available at https://ir.arcadiumlithium.com . Regulatory Update As of this release, merger control clearance has been satisfied or waived in Australia , Canada , China , the United Kingdom and the United States (Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976). Additionally, investment screening approval has been satisfied in the United Kingdom . The proposed transaction is still expected to close in mid-2025, subject to the receipt of remaining regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Arcadium Lithium Contacts Investors: Daniel Rosen +1 215 299 6208 daniel.rosen@arcadiumlithium.com Phoebe Lee +61 413 557 780 phoebe.lee@arcadiumlithium.com Media: Karen Vizental +54 9 114 414 4702 karen.vizental@arcadiumlithium.com About Arcadium Lithium Arcadium Lithium is a leading global lithium chemicals producer committed to safely and responsibly harnessing the power of lithium to improve people's lives and accelerate the transition to a clean energy future. We collaborate with our customers to drive innovation and power a more sustainable world in which lithium enables exciting possibilities for renewable energy, electric transportation and modern life. Arcadium Lithium is vertically integrated, with industry-leading capabilities across lithium extraction processes, including hard-rock mining, conventional brine extraction and direct lithium extraction (DLE), and in lithium chemicals manufacturing for high performance applications. We have operations around the world, with facilities and projects in Argentina , Australia , Canada , China , Japan , the United Kingdom and the United States . For more information, please visit us at www.ArcadiumLithium.com . Important Information and Legal Disclaimer: Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, we have identified forward-looking statements by such words or phrases as "will likely result," "is confident that," "expect," "expects," "should," "could," "may," "will continue to," "believe," "believes," "anticipates," "predicts," "forecasts," "estimates," "projects," "potential," "intends" or similar expressions identifying "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the negative of those words and phrases. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current views and assumptions regarding future events, future business conditions and the outlook for Arcadium Lithium based on currently available information. There are important factors that could cause Arcadium Lithium's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including the completion of the transaction on anticipated terms and timing, including obtaining required regulatory approvals, and the satisfaction of other conditions to the completion of the transaction; potential litigation relating to the transaction that could be instituted by or against Arcadium Lithium or its affiliates, directors or officers, including the effects of any outcomes related thereto; the risk that disruptions from the transaction will harm Arcadium Lithium's business, including current plans and operations; the ability of Arcadium Lithium to retain and hire key personnel; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or governmental relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the transaction; certain restrictions during the pendency of the transaction that may impact Arcadium Lithium's ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; significant transaction costs associated with the transaction; the possibility that the transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the transaction, including in circumstances requiring Arcadium Lithium to pay a termination fee or other expenses; competitive responses to the transaction; the supply and demand in the market for our products as well as pricing for lithium and high-performance lithium compounds; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the integration of the businesses of Livent and Allkem or of any future acquisitions; our ability to acquire or develop additional reserves that are economically viable; the existence, availability and profitability of mineral resources and mineral and ore reserves; the success of our production expansion efforts, research and development efforts and the development of our facilities; our ability to retain existing customers; the competition that we face in our business; the development and adoption of new battery technologies; additional funding or capital that may be required for our operations and expansion plans; political, financial and operational risks that our lithium extraction and production operations, particularly in Argentina , expose us to; physical and other risks that our operations and suppliers are subject to; our ability to satisfy customer qualification processes or customer or government quality standards; global economic conditions, including inflation, fluctuations in the price of energy and certain raw materials; the ability of our joint ventures, affiliated entities and contract manufacturers to operate according to their business plans and to fulfill their obligations; severe weather events and the effects of climate change; extensive and dynamic environmental and other laws and regulations; our ability to obtain and comply with required licenses, permits and other approvals; and other factors described under the caption entitled "Risk Factors" in Arcadium Lithium's 2023 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024 , as well as Arcadium Lithium's other SEC filings and public communications. Although Arcadium Lithium believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Arcadium Lithium cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither Arcadium Lithium nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Arcadium Lithium is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this news release to conform its prior statements to actual results or revised expectations . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arcadium-lithium-announces-shareholder-approval-of-proposed-rio-tinto-transaction-and-provides-regulatory-update-302338409.html SOURCE Arcadium Lithium PLCQNA DOHA: In line with Qatar's commitment to developing the human workforce, the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau launched the 'Future Skills Office' under the Institute of Public Administration during the Doha Forum. This initiative aims to prepare a future-ready workforce, capable of keeping pace with the rapid economic and technological developments. Director of the Future Skills Office Fatima Al Fakhri stated that the office aims to contribute to the comprehensive growth of the State of Qatar, as it constitutes a key initiative of the national efforts for developing Qatar's human capital. This initiative constitutes an essential step within Qatar's national strategy to develop the Qatari workforce and equip it with all the necessary skills and knowledge needed to lead future transformations with high efficiency. Al Fakhri pointed out that focusing on future skills and coordinating efforts will contribute to boosting economic resilience, promoting the skills and talents in Qatar, supporting productivity across all sectors, ensuring readiness to face new technological challenges, and fostering continuous learning. "To ensure the success of this initiative, we all need to work hand in hand from policymakers and government authorities to our partners from the private sector, educational institutions, and civil society. This is our opportunity to identify our future needs and empower a workforce that can anticipate any upcoming challenges," she added. The office focuses on four key areas that include discovering and evaluating future skills by foreseeing emerging trends and predicting their impact on talent needs across different sectors, identifying skill gaps and taking action to resolve them, in addition to providing thought leadership in skills development by setting standards that promote life-long learning. The office also aims to strategically coordinate future skills efforts among stakeholders to ensure alignment and focus on meeting needs. The 'Future Skills Office' also announced the beginning of a collaborative initiative with the World Economic Forum, according to a letter of intent signed by Qatar last year to join the Forums Global Skills Accelerator Network. This collaboration provides an opportunity for sharing global expertise and best practices in skill development, which reinforces Qatars position in developing national competencies. Copy 10/12/2024 10