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here is no doubt that the dirty war that arises from politics knows no limits and transcends and permeates the spheres that allow it, and one of the most susceptible and obvious are social networks, the personal profiles of the 'protagonists' of certain stories that have their origin in issues beyond their control. These are the characteristics of a case that has scandalized the whole of Colombia, although the matter has many edges A content creator named Aida Victoria Merlano is the protagonist of a delirious story after her mother, congresswoman Aida Merlano, was accused and detained on charges of criminal association, electoral offenses and possession of weapons The mother's political background Merlano made world news when she escaped from El Buen Pastor prison in Bogota in 2019 while attending a dental appointment, and four months later she was recaptured in Maracaibo, Venezuela. She was then prosecuted on charges of false identity, use of false documents and criminal association, and was deported to her country on March 10, 2023. Merlano's case is noteworthy because, since her imprisonment, she claims to have information implicating powerful people in Colombian politics in corruption scandals and crimes, and because her own daughter is accused of having helped her escape. The plot against the influencer And now, the batteries of an alleged plot that would seek to sink the Merlano family are focused on the daughter, Aida Victoria, influencer and content creator well known in the country and with a considerable fan base. Aida Victoria had a romance for a while with another influencer, named Luis Villa, better known as Westcol, whose followers today leaked some alleged photographs in which a woman - who they claim is Aida Victoria - appears holding bestiality with a horse, which would be a gift from her current partner, whose phone number was leaked, as well as that of the influencer. Of course, Merlano came out to deny these images: "Of course it's not me. Look, I love my number, I'm not going to change it, I don't have a problem. They wanted to put me in jail, my mom flew out of a jail, they parked motorcycles in front of me, they put guns on my back, I mean, those things don't scare me." However, the damage is done and this smear campaign has found an echo in different social networks and of course in media around the world.
For those who made their money on PayPal, Venmo, Cash App or another third-party payment app last year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has some new rules that you will need to follow when you file your tax return next year. If you earned more than $5,000 in untaxed income in 2024 and were paid via a third-party payment app, you will need to complete tax form 1099-K. This is not the first time this rule has been mentioned, but the IRS confirmed that it will be applicable to 2024 taxes. This number will then drop to $2,500 in 2025 and then $600 in 2026. The reasoning is to bridge the gap between the current and the future reporting requirements form these apps. As Mark Steber, chief tax information officer for Jackson Hewitt explains , “The US Department of the Treasury are still moving forward on the 2024 rules that came from the Inflation Reduction Act. Prior to 2024, the earnings threshold was $20,000 and 200 transactions to receive a 1099-K tax document and in 2025 the income threshold earned from a third-party platform will be $600.” Self-employed individuals are required to report their total income for tax purposes, even if they don’t receive a 1099 form for all earnings. This long-standing rule is now supported by a tax reporting change, with the IRS shifting the focus to third-party payment apps to track unreported transactions. A 1099-K tax form is issued for income received through platforms like Venmo or Cash App from side jobs, freelance work, or contractor roles where taxes aren’t withheld. Currently, these apps must issue a 1099-K if a user earns over $20,000 in commercial payments across more than 200 transactions in a year. The American Rescue Plan announced the new $600 earnings limit, but the rollout has been a bit slower than anticipated to reduce the risk of inaccuracies and give the agency time to work out how the penalties will be discovered and implemented. As Steber continues “The taxation and tax treatment requirements for taxpayers has not changed. This taxable income has always been considered by the IRS to be taxable and should be reported on a tax return. The new change requires the online platforms to provide 1099-Ks to both their users and the IRS at a lower threshold than in prior years.” The reason for this delay is the fact that with this new technology widely available, distinguishing between taxable and nontaxable transactions through third-party apps isn’t always easy. With PayPal, Venmo, Cash App or Zelle being part of every day friendly transactions, it is hard to see if the money has been exchanged for rent or for an art commission, and people lie on the reason for the transactions all the time not because they have anything to hide, but because there is no need to tell the truth between friends. An active user may just be someone who values financial transparency with their friends and not a business. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in a November 2023 statement showed that the agency is working on solving the problem “We spent many months gathering feedback from third-party groups and others, and it became increasingly clear we need additional time to effectively implement the new reporting requirements.” For the avid users, Steber cautions that “This is only for self-employment income. You should not receive a 1099-K for personal transactions but be aware that some platforms could accidently include personal transactions in the 1099-K and that will need to be corrected on the users tax return .” The most common ones are PayPal, Venmo, Zelle and Cash App, but the agency will also work with freelance platforms like Fivver or Upwork to report payments that freelancers receive throughout the year. If you are a user, keeping separate business and personal accounts will be useful and will make IRS reporting easier, although if in those apps you click the “sending money to family or friends” option, it will not be included in the money you need to report to the IRS.Efforts to reduce the nation’s persistently high maternal mortality rates involve state panels of experts that investigate and learn from each mother’s death. The panels — called maternal mortality review committees — usually do their work quietly and out of the public eye. But that’s not been the case recently in three states with strict abortion laws. Georgia dismissed all members of its committee in November after information about deaths being reviewed leaked to the news organization ProPublica. Days later, The Washington Post reported that Texas’ committee won’t review cases from 2022 and 2023, the first two years after the state banned nearly all abortions. In Idaho, the state let its panel disband in 2023 only to reinstate it earlier this year. “They’ve become more of a lightning rod than they were before,” said epidemiologist Michael Kramer, director of the Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities at Mercer University in Georgia. Here’s what maternal mortality review committees across the nation do and what might happen next: What are they? “Maternal mortality review committees are important because they are the most comprehensive source of information about maternal mortality that we have,” said David Goodman, who leads the maternal mortality prevention team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The panels review deaths that occur during pregnancy or within a year after it ends, whether directly related to the pregnancy or not. Causes of death can range from hemorrhage during childbirth to drug overdoses to traffic accidents. The goal, Kramer said, is to examine maternal deaths and help “decide what we can do about them.” All states, a few cities and Puerto Rico have these committees. Their membership varies and may include OB-GYNs, maternal-fetal medicine doctors, nurses, midwives, mental and public health experts and members of patient advocacy groups. Most have representatives from several areas of expertise, which the CDC recommends. How members are selected also varies; people may apply, submit letters of interest or be invited to serve. The selection shouldn’t be politically motivated, Kramer said, because “if there’s a systematic exclusion of certain data or certain perspectives” it’s difficult to truly understand what’s happening. How do they look at deaths? First, the panels work with state vital statistics offices and epidemiologists to identify deaths associated with pregnancy by examining death certificates and looking for a pregnancy checkbox or a related cause of death. They may also search for links to birth and fetal death records, or delve into hospital discharge data, media reports and obituaries. Once they identify cases, they collect as much information as possible, such as prenatal care records, hospital and social service records, autopsy reports and interviews with family members. Professional “abstractors” distill all this into case narratives, which committee members pore over. Most use a standardized review process developed by the CDC — and all panels can get help and guidance from the agency. They consider questions such as: Was the death pregnancy-related? What was the underlying cause? Was it preventable? What factors contributed? States generally have privacy rules that protect committee members and people who provide information on the deaths. The groups then issue public reports that don’t name moms or hospitals but include overall findings, trends and recommendations. Some come out a couple of years or more after the deaths. Across the nation in 2023, Goodman said, 151 recommendations from those reports were implemented by communities, hospitals, medical professionals and policymakers. What about Georgia, Texas and Idaho? Georgia will rebuild its committee through a new application process, the state public health commissioner said. Texas’ committee has been reviewing 2021 deaths and will start on 2024 cases at its next meeting, Texas Department of State Health Services spokesperson Lara Anton said in an email to The Associated Press. “Reviewing cases is a lengthy process and legislators have asked for more recent data. Starting the next review cycle with 2024 cases will allow us to provide that in the next report,” Anton said, adding that maternal and child health epidemiologists will continue to analyze and publish data for 2022 and 2023. In Idaho, the reconstituted review committee now falls under the state board of medicine, which licenses doctors, instead of the state’s health and welfare department. It will operate like it always has, said Bob McLaughlin, spokesperson for the medical board. Members met for the first time in November and plan to issue a report by Jan. 31. Because the legislature wanted the most up-to-date information, McLaughlin said the first report will cover only 2023 cases, and the group will review 2022 deaths next. Goodman said he’s encouraged that every state has a review committee now — only 20 had them in 2015.
The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media AgainUHealth and construction firm Robins & Morton marked the opening of UHealth Doral with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 21. The six-story, 160,000-square-foot medical center at 8375 NW 53rd Terrace is part of the larger Downtown Doral mixed-use community in Miami-Dade County. The facility includes 33 exam rooms, eight operating rooms, three endoscopy suites, 33 cancer treatment units, comprehensive radiology services, a lab, an onsite pharmacy, a seven-story parking garage, and a central energy plant to support operations. Specialty services offered at UHealth Doral include care from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the Desai Sethi Urology Institute, and UHealth’s neurology program, among other specialty service lines. “The biggest advantage for patients in Doral is that they now have local access in their community to the providers and services that adhere to the mission of UHealth’s academic medicine practices,” said David Kerman, M.D., chief medical director for UHealth Doral. “Our physicians are providing cutting-edge care and leading technology compassionately to the people living in the Doral community.” Robins & Morton served as the project’s general contractor, with Arcadis as the architect. “We’re incredibly excited to celebrate the completion of UHealth Doral,” said Johnathan Peavy, operations manager at Robins & Morton. “This facility will have a lasting, positive impact on our community for decades to come, bringing transformative care to Doral.” The newly completed facility aims to enhance healthcare access for the Doral community, providing a wide range of specialized services within a state-of-the-art environment. to YIMBY’s daily e-mail YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates YIMBY on Facebook YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
'Useful idiot' could help release captured AustralianMasterChef bosses ‘plot to ERASE’ Gregg Wallace from new series after filming last month in bid to salvage showData Warehouse Market Size, Regional Outlook, Valuable Growth Factors, Business Strategies and Future Demand 2031
Indiana State Parks offering free admission Nov. 29
Review: The Anker Solix C300 rewrites the compact portable power station rule bookGREGG Wallace may be entirely edited out of the next series of MasterChef to ensure it can be broadcast. It's been a tumultuous week for the greengrocer, 60, who quit the BBC show as he is investigated for a barrage of off-screen misconduct complaints. But Gregg completed filming the upcoming installment alongside his co-host John Torode , 59, just last month. While The Professionals spin-off continues to air, MasterChef Celebrity's Christmas specials have been canned. The Beeb has stated its future will depend on the results of an ongoing investigation. And a production insider has claimed removing Gregg from the episodes is a viable option. read more on Gregg Wallace The source told MailOnline , "John and Gregg were always shot with separate cameras. "Any two-shots or wide angles featuring both presenters can be edited. Removing Gregg entirely is a challenging but achievable task." John has continued filming abroad, with Irish chef Anna Haugh stepping in to replace Gregg. Anna, a familiar face to the show’s audience, joined John to provide feedback to contestants in Gregg’s absence. Most read in Reality Filming for the upcoming season concluded earlier this week. The series had been scheduled for a Spring 2025 release, but its air date is now uncertain. Despite the sudden change, production sources praised the smooth transition. Another source said, "It couldn’t have gone better given the circumstances. Anna Haugh was brilliant, and the team worked hard to keep the atmosphere calm for the amateur finalists." Editing Gregg out of pre-recorded material is not without precedent for the BBC. In past instances, individuals accused of misconduct have been removed from shows before broadcast. A contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race was removed from an entire season following accusations of inappropriate behavior. And TV presenter Jay Blades , who was charged last month with physically and emotionally abusing his wife, has not been featured in episodes of The Repair Shop that were pre-recorded. Representatives for Banijay and Gregg have been contacted for comment. Tonight, The Sun revealed John repeatedly raised concerns about Gregg's behaviour on MasterChef — but no action was taken. The chef was unhappy about some of Wallace’s on-set language and was aware of his bullish reputation, pals say. The Aussie is understood to have spoken to officials at production firm Banijay about his co-host. He and actress wife Lisa Faulkner are now keen to publicly distance themselves from the scandal, viewing it as a PR disaster. Last night, a source said: “John is not stupid — of course, he was aware of some of Gregg’s less savoury behaviour . He did not condone it, and nor did he engage with it. He does not have a machismo sense of humour and when he made that comment about the pair of them not being friends in real life , he knew what he was doing. “It was his way of distancing himself when attempts to do it otherwise failed. “He repeatedly flagged his behaviour and poor-taste remarks to execs on set and made clear he wasn’t happy. It was never a formal complaint, rather a series of spoken concerns raised. “He does not know whether any formal record was ever made but the sense he got was that bosses needed to protect the MasterChef brand at all costs and that meant turning a blind eye. “He and Lisa are mortified with the fall-out, and are considering hiring a PR to help handle the situation and extract themselves as quickly as possible.” Wallace is accused of making sexual remarks to staff and guests across multiple programmes over 17 years, as well as allegations of groping colleagues and contestants . He denies any behaviour of a sexually harassing nature and has stepped back from MasterChef while Banijay UK investigates. This week, John wrote on Instagram: “I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it. “The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear and I have found the recent Press reports truly upsetting. John is not stupid — of course, he was aware of some of Gregg’s less savoury behaviour. He did not condone it, and nor did he engage with it “But as I hope everyone appreciates, there is an investigation under way, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage, and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.” His wife Lisa, 52, whom he met on Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, reposted his message. They and Wallace, 60, no longer follow each other on Instagram — a move the Londoner prompted as he is reportedly devastated that his co-presenter did not back him. John was best man at his co-host’s fourth wedding in 2016. READ MORE SUN STORIES But in an interview the following year, he said pair “weren’t really friends” — which Wallace later claimed earned him a “telling off” from BBC bosses. A spokesperson for John, who has presented MasterChef with Wallace since 2005, did not respond to requests for comment. Gregg Wallace has been a familiar face on TV for years now thanks to his role as a judge on MasterChef - but let's take a closer look at his career so far... Gregg Wallace left school at 15 and started his career working on a fruit and veg stall in London. In 1989, he started George Allan's Greengrocers, a company that grew to a turnover of £7.5 million. Gregg's experience in the world of fruit and veg lead to him co-hosting Veg Talk on BBC Radio 4 with Charlie Hicks for seven years. He then became the first host of Saturday Kitchen in 2002, a role he held for a year before being replaced by Antony Worrall Thompson in 2003. At the same time, Gregg presented a number of food-related TV specials, including Veg Out for the Discovery Channel. Gregg landed his most notable TV role as a co-presenter and judge on BBC's competitive cooking show MasterChef in 2005. He stars alongside John Torode . In 2010 Gregg pursued another life-long dream of opening a restaurant. He opened the establishment Wallace & Co. in Putney. Then, in 2012, he opened Gregg's Bar & Grill in a joint venture with the Bermondsey Square Hotel. Gregg then scored a hosting gig with the BBC, presenting the documentary Supermarket Secrets in August 2013. Unfortunately, times were tough for Gregg, and in the same month, it was reported that one of his companies, West Veg Limited, had folded, owing more than £500,000. In 2014, both of his restaurants folded, with Wallace & Co owing suppliers £150,000. However, his TV career continued to thrive, and in 2015 became the regularly host of the award-winning documentary food series Eat Well for Less? Gregg helmed the show for eight years before stepping away. He also competed on Strictly Come Dancing . Gregg then made Telly history again when he revived the BBC's historical game show Time Commanders. More recently, the celebrity chef has presented a number of travel programmes such as Big Weekends with Gregg Wallace, South Africa with Gregg Wallace, and the food mockumentary, Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat .
THOOTHUKUDI : Employment crisis looms large in the district as several downstream industries have been hit following the closure of the Vedanta Group company Sterlite Copper power plant, said INTUC General Secretary P Kathirvel. According to Kathirvel, the shutdown of the Sterlite Copper plant has led to the closure of thermal power plants, salt pans, textile mills and numerous small and large industries in the district leading to significant job losses. "The closure of the Sterlite Copper plant alone directly displaced over 1,500 workers and disrupted the livelihoods of approximately 40,000 individuals who depended on it directly. Additionally, the halt in other industries has rendered nearly one million daily wage workers unemployed," he said in a statement on Saturday. He pointed out that Thoothukudi DMK MP Kanimozhi has appealed to the central government to establish semiconductor manufacturing units as such facilities would create employment for 30,000 people and be a catalyst in economic recovery in the region. Traditional spinning mills with a history spanning 125 years have struggled to modernise and adapt to contemporary technologies, Kathirvel, who is also the senior vice president at the Indian National Port and Dock Workers Federation, New Delhi, said. The reopening of Sterlite Copper Plant would generate employment opportunities for approximately 3,000 truck drivers engaged in raw material transportation and over 4,000 daily wage workers per shift in material handling, he said. Many truck owners were forced to sell their trucks for being unable to repay the loans following the closure of the plant, he added.NoneNone
International students urged to return to US before Trump inaugurationICC, PCB reportedly agree on hybrid model for 2025 Champions TrophyOn paper, Luigi Mangione had it all: wealth, intellect, athleticism, good looks. But the child of a prominent Maryland family may have spurned it all in a spasm of violence, in a killing that has mesmerized Americans. The 26-year-old was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, a health insurance chief executive and father of two who was gunned down in Manhattan last week by someone who, evidence suggests, has endured his own debilitating health crises and grew angry with the privatized US medical system. The cold-blooded killing has laid bare the deep frustration many Americans feel toward the country's labyrinthine health care system: while many have condemned the shooting, others have praised Mangione as a hero. It has also prompted considerable interest in how a young engineer with an Ivy League education could have gone off the rails to commit murder. News of his capture at a Pennsylvania McDonald's triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media tried to understand who he is. As Americans have looked for clues about a political ideology or potential motive, a photo on his X account (formerly Twitter) includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine. Mangione lived in Hawaii in 2022 and, according to his former roommate R.J. Martin, suffered from back pain, and was hoping to strengthen his back. After a surfing lesson, Mangione was "in bed for about a week" because of the pain, Martin told CNN. Earlier this year, Martin said, Mangione confirmed he'd had back surgery and sent him photos of the X-rays. Police said the suspect carried a hand-written manifesto of grievances in which he slammed America's "most expensive health care system in the world." "He was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America and in particular the health care industry," New York police chief detective Joseph Kenny told ABC. According to CNN, a document recovered when Mangione was arrested included the phrase "these parasites had it coming." Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." video game character Luigi. Many expressed at least partial sympathy, having had their own harrowing experiences with the US health care system. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. Mangione hails from the Baltimore area. His wealthy Italian-American family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, according to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, and cousin Nino Mangione is a Maryland state delegate. A standout student, Luigi graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. A former student who knew Mangione at the elite Gilman School told AFP the suspect struck him as "a normal guy, nice kid." "There was nothing about him that was off, at least from my perception," the person said. Mangione attended the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage. On Instagram Mangione shared snapshots of his travels, and shirtless images of himself flaunting a six-pack. X users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo includes an X-ray of a spine with bolts attached. Finding a political ideology that fits neatly onto the right-left divide has proved elusive, though he had written a review of Ted Kaczynski's manifesto on online site Goodreads, calling it "prescient." Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, carried out multiple bombings in the United States from 1978 to 1995, in a campaign he said was aimed at halting the advance of modern society and technology. Mangione has also linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline, and retweeted posts on the impact mobile phones and social media have on mental health. ia/abo-mlm/nro
India News | Arunachal Made Remarkable Progress in Reducing Poverty: GuvAlmost 200 people were rescued after a metal support structure on a ski resort gondola in Colorado cracked, reports say. The gondola at Winter Park Resort shut down after detecting “ a significant malfunction ” around 12:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, several news outlets reported. About 174 skiers and snowboarders were trapped on the gondola for roughly five hours while ski patrol lowered them 30 to 50 feet to the ground via ropes, KDVR reported. During that time, photos began circulating on social media showing a huge crack in a metal support structure on one of the towers. “Rough situation for everyone,” someone wrote with a photo they posted of the crack on Reddit. Winter Park Resort spokesperson Jen Miller told Sky-Hi News the crack was “ the source of the malfunction .” “We’re not sure why the part failed and are investigating that,” she told the outlet. Miller and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for information on Dec. 23. Another person posted a video of ski patrol setting up a rope system for those inside a gondola to lower safely to the ground . A post shared by SnowGlobe (@mynameislennon) “Never seen this before,” Lennon Sarfati said in the caption on the post. Evacuating the gondola called for ski patrol members “climbing the gondola towers, shimmying down the cable, entering the car from the top and using a rope system to lower passengers to a team on the ground,” The Denver Post reported. There were no injuries reported during the evacuation, the outlet reported. Winter Park is about a 70-mile drive west from Denver.
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A study of hot spots for collisions between ships and whales around the world, including Canadian waters, offers a map for measures to prevent the deadly strikes that could drive some species to extinction, one of the British Columbia-based authors says. Chloe Robinson said reported strikes represent a fraction of their true extent, and a lack of protection measures leaves whales vulnerable as global shipping expands. The study found shipping takes place across 92 per cent of the ranges for humpback, blue, fin and sperm whales worldwide, but measures to reduce vessel strikes have been implemented in less than seven per cent of high-risk areas. "That could really spell, you know, potential extinction for some of these species," said Robinson, director of whales for Ocean Wise, a B.C.-based organization that provided data for the paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science. "A recent study estimated anything up to 20,000 whales are killed a year through ship strikes, globally, and that's just an estimate, a best-case estimate." Robinson said she was surprised to see Swiftsure Bank, off the west coast of Vancouver Island, emerge as a risk hot spot for strikes of fin, blue and humpback whales. The area is a "migration highway" for humpbacks, she noted. The study also identified a hot spot for the same three species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. "This is something that Ocean Wise has been looking into because a lot of the management measures occur offshore and not sort of within the Gulf of St. Lawrence itself and even the St. Lawrence Seaway, (which) leads down to the Great Lakes," she said. "That was a huge hot spot, which was really interesting for me." Robinson said there have been smaller studies on the risk of ship strikes in different regions, but the study published Thursday is the first to map the distribution of the four whale species, using a variety of data sources, then compare it with the Automatic Identification System, a tool used for tracking vessels worldwide. "This was really the first of its kind to map these two on top of each other," she said. The researchers found the highest levels of risk in the Indian, western North Pacific and Mediterranean, while it also identified high-risk areas in the eastern North Pacific, North and South Atlantic Ocean along with the South China Sea. The Southern Ocean was the only region that did not contain any ship-strike hot spots due to low levels of shipping, despite high use by whales, the study found. Robinson said the findings support a strong case for maritime authorities to adopt measures such as whale alert systems, speed limits and no-go zones. "We know where there are areas where there are lots of whales and lots of ships, so this is where we need to target for management," she said in an interview. Robinson said Canada is home to many "eyes on the water" and researchers exploring innovative techniques for monitoring whales. But the country lacks mandatory mitigation measures, and it's not alone. "Next to none of the measures globally are mandatory. So, having voluntary measures (is) great, provided people comply," Robinson said. Ocean Wise launched an alert system in 2018 that notifies large vessels of the presence of whales in Pacific Northwest waters, and Robinson said about 80 per cent of mariners from Washington state up to Alaska have signed up. The WhaleReport alert system mainly functions in what she describes as "inshore" waters around busy ports in Seattle, Vancouver and Prince Rupert. The Port of Vancouver has also seen a high rate of compliance for its ECHO program, Robinson noted. The program encourages vessels to take voluntary steps, such as slowing down or staying farther away from whales, in order to reduce underwater noise and the potential for strikes in busy shipping areas. Robinson favours a multi-pronged approach to reducing ship strikes, but she said one single measure she believes could have a big impact would be equipping vessels with an infrared camera to detect whales within several kilometres. "Maybe some mariners ... respond better to knowing there 100 per cent is a whale 200 metres in front of your vessel, versus, 'slow down, there might be a whale here.'" Robinson said such cameras can cost between US$50,000 and $75,000. But the cost was a "drop in the bucket" of major companies' profits, she said. The cameras also present a public-relations opportunity for businesses to advertise themselves as operating in a more whale-friendly manner, Robinson said. "I know people who have had to go and have therapy after killing a humpback whilst at the helm," she added. "I think there's a lot to be said (for) the long-term benefits of this kind of technology." The study also found areas with lower traffic that could provide refuge for whales, especially with added protections. It shows the Arctic Ocean, for example, has very few high-risk areas for vessel strikes, and Robinson said some researchers view it as potential sanctuary. But without protections, Robinson said Arctic waters could become the next high-risk hot spot as sea ice melts with climate change, opening up shipping routes. "Knowing the plans to expand shipping routes into these areas to cut shipping time, make things faster, right through prime whale habitat, I think this is a really good opportunity to get ahead of the issue before it becomes an issue," she said. Whales play crucial roles in their ecosystems, including cycling nutrients that support other species, and they're a boon for tourism, Robinson said. They're also "magical" creatures that people feel connected to, she said, and they remain vulnerable after many species were hunted to the brink of extinction. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024. Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press
International students urged to return to US before Trump inauguration
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From Visionary Talks to Futuristic Robots: VAP Group’s Global Blockchain Show Dazzles Dubai