A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast. The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 km) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles (435 km) away, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury. The tsunami warning was in effect for roughly an hour. It was issued shortly after the temblor struck and covered nearly 500 miles (805 km) of coastline, from the edge of California’s Monterey Bay north into Oregon. “It was a strong quake, our building shook, we’re fine but I have a mess to clean up right now,” said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store packed with food, wares and souvenirs that is a main attraction in Ferndale. “We lost a lot of stuff. It’s probably worse than two years ago. I have to go, I have to try and salvage something for the holidays because it’s going to be a tough year,” Kreitzer said before hanging up. The region — known for its redwood forests, scenic mountains and the three-county Emerald Triangle’s — was struck by that left thousands of people without power and water. The northwest corner of California is the most seismically active part of the state since it’s where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on the social media platform BlueSky. Shortly after the quake, phones in Northern California buzzed with the tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.” Numerous cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution, including Eureka. In Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach, taping off entrances with police tape. Aerial footage showed cars bumper-to-bumper heading to higher ground Thursday morning on California highways 1 and 92 in the Half Moon Bay area south of San Francisco. “I thought my axles had fallen apart,” said Valerie Starkey, a Del Norte County supervisor representing Crescent City, a town of fewer than 6,000 near the Oregon border. “That’s what I was feeling ... ‘My axles are broken now.’ I did not realize it was an earthquake.” Cindy Vosburg, the executive director for the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce, said she heard alarms sound just before shaking began and the city’s cultural center downtown started to creak. “The earthquake seemed to go on for quite a few seconds. It was a rolling earthquake,” Vosburg said. “Just as it would start to subside, the building would roll again.” Vosburg, a former resident of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley, said it was the strongest earthquake she felt since the struck Northern California. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has signed off on a state of emergency declaration to quickly move state resources to impacted areas along the coast. State officials were concerned about damages in the northern part of the state, Newsom said. White House Spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said President Joe Biden was briefed on the earthquake and that FEMA officials are in touch with their state and local counterparts in California and Oregon. Crews in Eureka, the biggest city in the region, were assessing if there was any major damage from the quake, Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said. Bergel, who works as a resource aid at a middle school, said lights were swaying and everyone got under desks. “The kids were so great and terrified. It seemed to go back and forth for quite a long time,” she said. Some children asked, “Can I call my mom?” The students were later sent home. In nearby Arcata, students and faculty were urged to shelter in place at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The campus in was not in the tsunami hazard zone and after inspections, “all utilities and building systems are normal and operational,” the university said in a statement. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said residents experienced some cracks in their homes’ foundations, as well as broken glass and windows, but nothing severe. There also have been no major infrastructure problems, building collapses or roadway issues, and no major injuries or deaths have been reported, he said. Honsal said he was in his office in the 75-year-old courthouse in downtown Eureka when he felt the quake. “We’re used to it. It is known as ‘earthquake country’ up here,” he said. “It wasn’t a sharp jolt. It was a slow roller, but significant.” Michael Luna, owner of a Grocery Outlet in Eureka, said that besides a few items falling off shelves, the store on Commercial Street was unscathed by the earthquake. “We didn’t have any issues but a couple of deodorants fall off.... I think the way the earthquake rumbled this time, it was a good thing for our store because the last earthquake was a huge mess,” he said. They evacuated customers and closed their doors temporarily until officials lifted the tsunami warning, he said, rushing off the phone to attend to a growing line of customers at check-out. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator for the Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, said the computer models indicated that this was the type of earthquake that was unlikely to cause a tsunami and gauges that monitor waves then confirmed it, so forecasters canceled the warning. This quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, unlike the more vertical types, said National Weather Service tsunami program manager Corina Allen in Washington state. The California Geological Survey says the state’s shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, and while most were minor, some have been destructive and deadly. On March 28, 1964, a tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake in Alaska smashed into Crescent City hours later. Much of the business district was leveled and a dozen people were killed. More recently, a tsunami from a 2011 earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast, much of it in Crescent City.Karnataka is gearing up to set up a SWIFT City in Bengaluru's Sarjapur, focusing on start-ups, workspaces, innovation, finance, and technology. The move will strengthen the state's start-up ecosystem and will be Karnataka's third major industrial hub after Electronic City and ITPL. The project will cover more than 1,000 acres in the Sarjapur Industrial Area, according to Karnataka's Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil . SWIFT City to foster innovation and collaboration The land for the Startup Park in Bengaluru has been identified in Sarjapur. The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has invited Requests for Proposals (RFP) for a consultant to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the area spanning 647.69 acres. The DPR will include economic analysis, layout plan design, surveying, and cost estimates. Strategic location and facilities Sarjapur was selected for its strategic location near National Highways 44 and 48 and its proximity to Bengaluru 's IT hub. "The envisioned city aims to become a start-up hotspot, featuring 8-10 Plug-and-Play infrastructure facilities, each spanning 20-25 acres," said Patil. SWIFT City will offer state-of-the-art offices, residential spaces, and co-working environments for start-ups. It aims to create a structured industrial network fostering collaboration and innovation. SWIFT City to lead in AI, data analytics, fintech Small and medium-sized start-ups will get spaces between 5,000-20,000 sq ft through lease, sale, or investment-sharing models. "SWIFT City is expected to become a leading hub for innovation in AI, data analytics, and fintech," Patil said. The government wants to make Karnataka a "Silicon State," taking Bengaluru's fame as the Silicon City across the whole state. Karnataka's proactive steps to attract investors Patil stressed that "innovative concepts are essential to attract investors," cautioning that if they don't take steps, neighboring states could get an upper hand in attracting investments. The government is determined to ensure investment inflows, employment generation, and economic growth. It plans to develop five Mini KWIN Cities. These include Vijayapura, and Hubballi-Dharwad. More details of these initiatives will be unveiled at Invest Karnataka conclave in February.
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32 Products Under $10 That Are So Fantastic You’ll Feel Like A Genius Just For Owning ThemCHATHAM, N.J. — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It's unclear if it's drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what's behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey's new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. More drone sightings have been reported in New York City, and Mayor Eric Adams says the city is investigating and collaborating with New Jersey and federal officials. And then President-elect Donald Trump posted that he believes the government knows more than it’s saying. “ Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!" he posted on his social media site. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they're looking into what's happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it, has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she's glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn't buy what the governor said, that the drones aren't a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there's the notion that people could misunderstand what they're seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they're looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin's view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That's not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added.Buggs' 15 lead East Tennessee State over Austin Peay 79-57
By KEVIN FREKING WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans teed up a vote this week on bipartisan legislation to gradually expand by 66 the number of federal judgeships across the country. Democrats, though, are having second thoughts now that President-elect Donald Trump has won a second term. The White House said Tuesday that if President Joe Biden were presented with the bill, he would veto it. A Congress closely divided along party lines would be unlikely to overturn a veto, likely dooming the bill’s chances this year. It’s an abrupt reversal for legislation that the Senate passed unanimously in August. But the GOP-led House waited until after the election to act on the measure, which spreads out the establishment of the new district judgeships over about a decade to give three presidential administrations the chance to appoint the new judges. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said the bill was negotiated with the understanding that three unknown, future presidents would have the chance to expand and shape the judiciary. No party would be knowingly given an advantage. He said he begged GOP leadership to take up the measure before the presidential election. But they did not do so. “It was a fair fight and they wanted no part of it,” Nadler said. Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, explained the timing this way: “We just didn’t get to the legislation.” The change of heart about the bill from some Democrats and the new urgency from House Republicans for considering it underscores the contentious politics that surrounded federal judicial vacancies. Senate roll-call votes are required for almost every judicial nominee these days, and most votes for the Supreme Court and appellate courts are now decided largely along party lines. Lawmakers are generally hesitant to hand presidents from the opposing party new opportunities to shape the judiciary. Related Articles National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television National Politics | What will happen to Social Security under Trump’s tax plan? National Politics | Republican-led states are rolling out plans that could aid Trump’s mass deportation effort National Politics | Elon Musk warns Republicans against standing in Trump’s way — or his Nadler said that the bill would give Trump 25 judicial nominations on top of the 100-plus spots that are expected to open up over the next four years. “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to expand the power of the presidency and giving him 25 new judges to appoint gives him one more tool at his disposal to do that,” Nadler said. Nadler said he’s willing to take up comparable legislation in the years ahead and give the additional judicial appointments to “unknown presidents yet to come,” but until then, he was urging colleagues to vote against the bill. Still, few are arguing against the merits. Congress last authorized a new district judgeship more than 20 years ago, while the number of cases being filed continues to increase with litigants often waiting years for a resolution. “I used to be a federal court litigator, and I can tell you it’s desperately needed,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said of the bill. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., first introduced the bill to establish new judgeships in 2020. Last year, the policy-making body for the federal court system, the Judicial Conference of the United States, recommended the creation of several new district and court of appeals judgeships to meet increased workload demands in certain courts. “Judges work tirelessly every day to meet growing demands and resolve cases as quickly as possible, but with the volume we have and the shortage of judges we have, it just makes it a very difficult proposition,” Judge Timothy Corrigan, of the Middle District of Florida, said in a recent blog post on the website of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The blog post states that caseloads are creating delays that will erode public confidence in the judicial process, but the bill would meet many of the federal judiciary’s needs for more judges. Jordan said that as of June 30th, there were nearly 750,000 pending cases in federal district courts nationwide, with each judge handling an average of 554 filings. When asked if House Republicans would have brought the bill up if Vice President Kamala Harris had won the election, Jordan said the bill is “the right thing to do” and that almost half of the first batch of judges will come from states where both senators are Democrats, giving them a chance to provide input on those nominations before Trump makes them. But in its veto threat, the White House Office of Management and Budget said the bill would create new judgeships in states where senators have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies. “These efforts to hold open vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of the law,” the White House said. Shortly before the White House issued the veto threat, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he would be curious to hear Biden’s rationale for such action. “It’s almost inconceivable that a lame-duck president could consider vetoing such an obviously prudential step for any reason other than selfish spite,” McConnell said.This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets. European markets are expected to open lower on Friday, as investors in the region digest the latest political developments in France. > 24/7 San Diego news stream: Watch NBC 7 free wherever you are Following a vote that toppled French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's minority government on Wednesday evening — a motion backed by both left and right-leaning lawmakers after Barnier forced his contested budget through parliament without a vote — the country's President Emmanuel Macron gave a defiant speech criticizing politicians for not thinking about "the voters." He insisted he would see out the remainder of his presidency, which will see him stay in office until 2027. Barnier resigned from his post Thursday morning , but will continue in a caretaker role while Macron selects a replacement. The euro was marginally lower against the dollar before the European opening bell following a rise in the previous session. At 6:21 a.m. London time it was trading around $1.0574. In Asia, markets were mixed , with traders monitoring political instability in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law. Money Report UniCredit's Orcel could still sweeten his bid and take on a double M&A offensive India's central bank revises down economic growth forecast for 2025, keeps interest rate steady Across the Atlantic, investors are looking ahead to the publication of U.S. nonfarm payroll figures, which are expected to have increased in November . Opening calls The FTSE 100 is expected to open 8 points lower at 8,341 on Friday morning, while the German DAX index is slated to lose 24 points at the opening, according to IG, bringing it down to 20,334. Meanwhile, IG is predicting that the CAC 40 will open around 8 points lower at 7,322. — Chloe Taylor CNBC Pro: Top picks for 2025: Stocks from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia among Macquarie's favorites — all with more than 50% upside Macquarie has named several Asian companies as its top picks for 2025, with predicted gains ranging from 50% to over 80% in their share prices. The selection spans multiple sectors including technology, automotive, defense, and power utilities, reflecting the investment bank's positive view on these industries for the coming year. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Ganesh Rao Also on CNBC Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Ulta Beauty, Lululemon and more Stock futures are little changed ahead of key jobs report There's an important jobs report coming Friday. Here's what to expect
Have you ever seen a mother hen clucking to keep her chicks together? That’s a lot like what party leaders in politics do—they try to keep their members from wandering off. But sometimes, politicians, or netas , decide to switch teams. And that’s where the drama begins! In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gave six politicians who had joined them from other parties a big reward: tickets to run in the assembly elections. These six had actually lost to AAP in earlier elections, but now AAP is betting on them to help fight something called “anti-incumbency.” That’s when voters get tired of the leaders currently in power. AAP thinks these fresh faces will help keep their team strong. But here’s the catch: what happens to the AAP members who didn’t get picked? They might feel upset and decide to join another party! In politics, switching sides—called “defection”—is pretty common. Parties often “poach” members from other teams, hoping to weaken their competition. It’s like a game where everyone is trying to grab the best players. But just like in a kitchen, not all eggs come out sunny side up! Some politicians, like Bihar’s Jitan Ram Manjhi, are masters of this game. He’s switched sides many times, jumping between parties but always staying in power for over 40 years. At the end of the day, political parties have to work hard to keep their members happy. If they don’t? Well, those “chicks” might just fly the coop—and come back to cause trouble!
NoneThe first tropical cyclone named Robyn has developed in the Indian Ocean well south west of Cocos Island, which has recorded its warmest-ever year in 72 years of records. or signup to continue reading The previous warmest years at Cocos Island were in 1998 and 1999, which were wet years across much of the nation. Tropical cyclone Robyn is currently moving away from Australia and not recurving back towards Western Australia. The last half of November in our regions was dominated by . Rainfalls from the Maranoa and Warrego district in Queensland right down to northern Tasmania have exceeded the November average at most places. Dew point temperatures have been well above normal from 17 degrees to 23 degrees, with very high humidity. Rutherglen recorded a dew point temperature of 25.7 just before hit the town during the early evening of Tuesday, November 26, delivering 37.8 millimetres rainfall. This took the November rainfall total to 129.8 millimetres, the wettest November at Rutherglen since 138 millimetres in 1946. This extreme dew point temperature reading is actually higher than the normal reading by two degrees at Darwin. Wangaratta had its wettest November, with 128.6 millimetres, since 151 in 1954. Benalla, with 126.6 millimetres, had its wettest November since 131 in 1971. Maximum and minimum temperatures at Wangaratta, Benalla and Rutherglen during November and the first three days of December were a couple of degrees above normal. The first three days of December saw further heavy rain of more than 40 millimetres at these three major towns. More rain and thunderstorms is expected by the next weekend and then another wet spell at midweek just after two hot, humid days of 36 degrees. A very similar weather pattern occurred in 1954; in fact, much of this year has been quite similar to that of 1954. The summer of 1954-55 was notably warmer than usual in Victoria and in the Riverina; very dry from mid-December up to January 28, 1955. There were several hot days of 40 degrees at the end of December and early January and again the fourth week of January 1955. Then came heavy rain and storms, which set in during February 1955. Further north in Coonabarabran, the mean maximum temperature for November of 30.1 degrees was more than two degrees above normal and the warmest since 2014. The mean minimum temperature of 13.7 was three degrees above normal and the warmest since 16.8 in November 1914. The total rainfall of 130 millimetres was more than double the November average and the fourth wettest November of well over 100 millimetres rainfall in succession. There was a sequence of very wet Novembers in Coonabarabran from 1998 to 2001. The wettest day during this month was 68.8 millimetres on November 29, the wettest day since 72 millimetres in 2008. The last day of November was very wet at places in outback Queensland. Mungindi recorded 98 millimetres, the wettest November day since 99 millimetres in November 2000 and the second wettest in 137 years of records. Cunnamulla was swamped by 105 millimetres, its wettest-ever November day in 135 years of records, the previous wettest November day 81.5 millimetres on November 18, 1995. Charleville has had 212.4 millimetres during November, the third wettest behind 229 in 2021 and 301.8 in 2000 over 150 years of records. The month's wettest day was 92.8 millimetres on November 21, just behind the wettest-ever day of 97.4 in November 2000. The heavy November rainfall this year in outback Queensland has been similar to the flood rains of November 2000. This situation also led to a notable warmer than normal summer in our region with the highest temperature near 43 degrees on January 23, 2001, but May to September 2000 was wetter than average in Victoria. 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HE the Minister of Municipality Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah al-Attiyah emphasised that the celebration of Qatar National Day (QND) is a milestone that reflects the ethos of belonging and pride in Qatar's history commenced by the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. HE al-Attiyah extended his greetings to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and to the people of Qatar on this occasion. Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he asserted that QND is a reminiscent of the noble values upon which the state was founded, such as unity, assiduous work and future visions, underlining that it is an opportunity to express gratitude for everyone who contributed to advance this tight-knit burgeoning entity. The Ministry of Municipality (MoM) consistently charges ahead with its efforts to achieve its ambitious vision for pioneering, innovation and sustainability as part of its new strategy 2024-2030, that aligns with the third National Development Strategy, as well as the Qatar National Vision 2030, with the aim of fostering the population's welfare and improving life quality, highlighted HE al-Attiyah. He stated that 2024 has witnessed numerous milestones underscoring the ministry's commitment to offering outstanding services through comprehensive digital transformation, bolstering food security and self-sufficiency, and sustainably optimizing urban environment, managing resources and cities. He said that the ministry has developed the National Food Security Strategy for 2024-2030, incorporating cutting-edge technologies such as hydroponic and vertical farming, highlighting that the cultivation of 3.1mn baby fish has exceeded annual targets. These initiatives have played a pivotal role in significantly enhancing self-sufficiency rates, with vegetable production rising to 39%, compared to just 20% in 2017, dairy products increasing to 96%, up from 28%, and fresh poultry reaching 97%, compared to 50%, he pointed out. He indicated that agricultural infrastructure has been substantially bolstered through the establishment of veterinary centers and producer markets, while vaccination and treatment campaigns have been conducted for over 1mn head of livestock and poultry, with the ministry strengthening local marketing efforts through programmes like Qatari Farms and Mahaseel while optimising agricultural support mechanisms. He emphasised that as part of its overarching strategy to implement the Circular Economy and advance waste management, the Ministry of Municipality has prioritised collaborations with the private sector to outsource sanitation services, waste collection, and the conversion of waste into energy, in addition to deploying intelligent management systems (IMS) statewide, achieving the generation of over 245,000 megawatt-hours of electricity through waste-to-energy processes, with substantial quantities of plastic and metals being effectively separated, and 200,000 tonnes of discarded tires being responsibly processed. HE al-Attiyah elaborated that the ministry has realised a 2.3% increase in green spaces as part of its initiative to plant 10mn trees, while the One Million Tree Initiative was conferred the distinction of best sustainable development initiative, with the Expo 2023 Doha building achieving a new Guinness World Records title for "The Largest Green Roof" in the world. In addition, the city of Doha won the Shanghai Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, he highlighted, indicating that these efforts encompassed the establishment of sustainability park utilizing recycled materials, advancing Hamad International Airport Street with eco-friendly materials, and leveraging solar energy for the illumination of public parks. The Ministry of Municipality has updated the spatial development plans for Al Wakra, Al Khor, and Al Dhakira, aligning them with the national principles of urban development and the national framework for urban development, in addition to establishing new architectural requirements for commercial establishments in residential areas, he added. He highlighted that the Ministry has launched the first phase of the smart cities solutions project in Al Wakra, including the smart waste management system and introduced the unified electronic inspection project, covering 20 types of inspections, along with the rollout of 117 new digital services by the end of September 2024. Furthermore, the city of Doha has won first place in the Excellence Award for Electronic and Smart Transformation within the 14th Arab Towns Organisation (ATO) awards and received a global award for Best visual work for the digital twin project of rainwater measurement stations. Qatar was awarded the 2024 Global Innovation Award at the Cloud Cities Forum in Moscow, and the Doha Municipality was honoured for its significant contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, the Ministry of Municipality was granted the Leadership Award at the Qatar Government Excellence Awards for 2024. These accomplishments exemplify the ministry's unwavering commitment to advancing sustainable development, fostering innovation, and enhancing the quality of life for residents while safeguarding the environment for future generations. HE al-Attiyah noted that the Ministry of Municipality has formulated a comprehensive strategy to achieve leadership, innovation, and sustainability, for the well-being of residents, which is designed to improve life quality for both nationals and residents through sustainable planning, effective policies, superb services, and modern infrastructure. The strategy is grounded in robust institutional values, strategic pillars, and clear-eyed goals, in purist of accomplishing smart technologies, and impactful partnerships. The ministry's mission is to ensure enduring planning and crafting effective policies and providing innovative services, as well as advancing infrastructure to translate the strategy into tangible reality, he highlighted, affirming that it has been charging ahead with the humanisation of cities, and fostering livelihood quality and welfare. Related Story Qatari Composer Dana Al Fardan has made history as the first from the Gulf Region to appear at the 77th Cannes Film Festival Qatar National Library to organize inaugural forum on history educationDAKAR (AP) – For the artistic and cultural elites of Senegal, the month-long Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Arts is a celebratory moment. Every two years, hundreds of artists, curators and art lovers from across the world descend on the West African capital to attend the event, which was founded in 1989 by the Senegalese government and has over the decades become one of the most important showcases on the continent. Pop-up exhibitions are held in hundreds of venues, from stylish five-star hotels to local art galleries. Roads are even more crowded than usual, with traffic jams stretching out for miles along the Corniche, the city’s picturesque seaside boulevard. Every night, there are music concerts, fashion shows, talks with artists and movie screenings held against the backdrop of palm trees. But it wasn’t until this year that the local artisans in the Soumbedioune crafts market, just off the Corniche and at the doorstep on the Medina working-class neighbourhood, realised what the Biennale was. For years, “we saw the OFF signs, but we didn’t know what was going on,” said Ndiouga Dia, a 48-year-old leatherworker from Soumbedioune, referring to a series of events organised in parallel to the official government program, scattered all over the city. “Only the artists knew among themselves what was going on.” ABOVE & BELOW: President of the Soumbedioune craftsmen’s association Ndiouga visits the ‘rebondir’ exhibition in Soubedioune, Senegal; and jeweller Moussa Diop works on a bronze hippopotamus in his workshop. PHOTO: AP PHOTO: AP Woodcarver Papis Kanté sculpts a wooden hippopotamus. PHOTO: AP A woman walks through the Soubedioune craft market in Dakar. PHOTO: AP Craftsmanship is deeply rooted in the country’s culture. Senegal, like most African nations, has little capacity for industrial production and traditionally much of its economy has relied on locally produced goods. For centuries, craftsmen played a central role in Senegalese social life, sculpting religious statues and ceremonial masks, sewing boubous (traditional colourful wide-sleeved robes), moulding pottery and weaving baskets. But these days, their role is in decline. As living costs rise, many Senegalese opt for cheaper, often Asian products. And those that can afford it buy Western clothes and furniture to mark their social status. So when two designers approached Dia, who is also the community leader of the Soumbedioune artisans, with a proposal for a joint exhibition, he didn’t hesitate for a second. It felt good to be noticed and included, Dia said. Designers Kemi Bassène and Khadim Ndiaye asked five artisans – a sculptor, a painter, a jeweller, a leatherworker and a upholsterer – to interpret the theme of ‘hippo’. They chose the theme because it was easily recognisable across Africa, they said, bringing together people from different nations who live next to the water. The exhibition, held in the central square of Soumbedioune, surrounded by artisanal boutiques and restaurants selling thieboudienne, the most famous Senegalese dish, has been a hit among locals. There are hippo earrings and a hippo necklace; a giant wooden sculpture of a sleeping hippo; and a hippo-shaped bag. Papise Kanté, a 45-year-old sculptor who created two wooden hippo statues for the exhibition, said it allowed him to tap into a more creative part of his work, instead of just producing objects that he intended to sell. “I have been sculpting since I was a young child,” said Kanté, who comes from a long line of sculptors. “Every artist wants to get better.” But it also gave his work recognition. “It’s because of the Biennale that people know my work,” he said. If you participate in the Biennale, he added, “you are proud”. Bassène, the curator, grew up in Medina, next to Soumbedioune, but is now based in Paris. He said he wanted to bridge the divide between arts and crafts. “This is the first time in the history that artisans, especially those who are custodians of traditional craftsmanship, are invited to the Biennale,” Bassène said. “For craftsmen in Africa, there is a natural progression towards the world of modern design.” It was “normal”, he said, to include artisans in the Biennale “if we wanted to try to decolonise a little”. This year’s Biennale is being held as Senegal is undergoing profound political change, with the newly elected authorities charting a more self-reliant and pan-African course. Last month, the governing party, PASTEF, secured a resounding victory in legislative elections. Its win granted President Bassirou Diomaye Faye a clear mandate to carry out ambitious reforms promised during the campaign to improve living conditions for ordinary Senegalese – including greater economic self-reliance, revamping the fishing industry and making maximum use of natural resources. The theme of this year’s Biennale has been ‘The Wake’, alluding to the emancipation of the African continent from its remaining dependence on former colonial powers. The new government of Senegal has “a transformational agenda”, said Bassène. “I think that what we have experienced politically will impact all the social sciences and all art.”
In Huntsville elementary schools, boys are struggling with regulating emotions and girls are battling body-image issues. This, according to facilitators at YWCA Muskoka, is why community funding for youth programs is so crucial. Amy Jones, director of youth services at YWCA Muskoka, spoke at the Dec. 11 general committee meeting to share how the organization used Huntsville’s contribution of $8,000. “It’s incredible the amount of things that you do ... I applaud the work that YWCA has been doing and thank you for coming and giving us an update,” Coun. Helena Renwick said. In November 2023, Huntsville council approved directing $8,000 to YWCA Muskoka to use for youth programs in 2024. This helped fund two programs for 16 students at Spruce Glen Public School and V.K. Greer Memorial Public School. Eight students in Girlz Unplugged learned about healthy relationships, using technology safely and building confidence. The Quest program taught eight boys about gender stereotypes, navigating emotions and healthy relationships. All students in the programs spent 11 out of 12 sessions learning about violence prevention, and 9 out of 12 learning about mental health and well-being. A facilitator, giving feedback for the Girlz Unplugged program about how the students struggled with body image, said, “The girls had a hard time grasping the fact that they are beautiful. They know it, but they have a hard time believing it.” A facilitator said boys in the Quest program “opened up about how it is a struggle to control anger and how they do not know how to cope with feeling sadness.” Breakdown of $8,000: In addition to the $8,000 from the Town of Huntsville, local service clubs and community groups gave $2,000 for programming. Outside of Huntsville: For the entire region, YWCA Muskoka also receives funding from other donors, third-party fundraisers, the YWCA legacy fund, sponsorships and more. Read more about programs and ways to give on the website. Megan Hederson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Huntsville and Lake of Bays for . The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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