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betfred usa Rackspace Technology to Participate in the UBS Global Technology and AI ConferenceIt has been more than three decades since the final episode of Bread aired It's been over 30 years since the cast of Carla Lane's Bread provided viewers with a unique glimpse into Liverpool life, a perspective only this city could offer. Set in Liverpool during the mid-'80s, the series centers around the devoutly Catholic Boswell family and first aired on May 1, 1986. It didn't take long for the show's iconic ceramic hen from the title sequence and the theme tune sung by the cast to become familiar to millions of viewers. The street featured in the show was Elswick Street in Dingle , and it ran for eight series until 1991. As one of the nation's favorite sitcoms, Bread was created by the late Carla Lane, who sadly passed away in 2016. Viewers will remember many unforgettable moments, including Rita Tushingham’s guest appearance as the neighbor Celia, Liverpool singer Sonia playing Adrian’s girlfriend Ellia, and the family’s holiday to Italy in the 1988 Christmas special, among others. But what have the stars of the show been up to since then? After Bread, the cast has participated in a variety of projects, including Hollywood films, theater tours, and soap operas. Unfortunately, some of the legendary actors are no longer with us. Here, we take a brief look back at what several of the characters have done since the show ended. Jean Boht - Nellie Boswell Jean Boht played Nellie, the matriarch of the family and "tough love" mum to the Boswell clan. Fearsomely protective of her children, Nellie was a fan favourite who demanded respect at the kitchen table from her sons. Wirral-born Jean’s career spanned the years from 1962, seeing her star in Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, Juliet Bravo in the mid-1980s, and Mothers And Daughters, in 2004. She has also visited soapland, with appearances in Casualty, Doctors, Holby City and The Bill. She also appeared on stage with Jeremy Irons in Embers in 2006 and starred in Chris Shepherd's award-winning short film Bad Night for the Blues in 2010.. In her personal life, Jean, now aged 90s, married American conductor Carl Davis in 1970 and together they have three daughters. Boht died aged 91 on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Sharing the news in a statement, her family said: “Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned. She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession.” Ronald Forfar - Freddie Boswell Nellie's adulterous husband Freddie Boswell was played by Ronald Forfar. Recognisable from his shock of untrained white hair and a cheeky comeback, Freddie's affair with Lilo Lil was a constant through. Forfar previously starred in an episode of ITV spy series The New Avengers in 1976 and in TV series Airport Chaplain the following year. And after finishing Bread, he continued to have a prestigious acting career as well as becoming a novelist. He went on to appear in the Chuckle Brother's Chucklevision several times between 1998 and 2002. Forfar lived in Normandy renovating a country cottage between 1996 and 2009, before moving to Paris and Kent in later years, but died aged 81 in September 2020. Eileen Pollock - Lilo Lill Despite not being a Boswell, Eillen Pollock's character Lilo Lill was one of the most recognisable characters on the show. Eileen brought to life Lilo Lil, who was the 'other woman' in Freddie Boswell's marriage to Nellie, between 1986 and 1991. The Belfast actress later appeared in the film version of Frank McCourt's book Angela's Ashes in 1999 and starred in Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman movie Far and Away in 1992, as landlady Molly. And in more recent years, Eileen turned her attention to the theatre, performing in a one-woman show Now I'm Sixty and in 2010 directed The Irish Wake of Paddy McGrath. She also delighted audiences with appearances in numerous pantomimes - which she said fulfilled a childhood dream of hers. But in 2020, her family announced she had sadly died at the age of 73. Jonathon Morris - Adrian Boswell Jonathon played Adrian Boswell, who stood out from his brothers as he looked to pursue a creative career. Best known for his role in Bread as Adrian Boswell, Boswell has continued to act. He presented CBBC game show The Movie Game from 1991 to 1993, replacing Phillip Schofield and made appearances on the popular '90s Channel 5 game show Night Fever. Prior to Bread, he had previously starred in the short-lived ITV sitcom That Beryl Marston! Born in Manchester in 1960, Morris also appeared in Beau Geste, Doctor Who, and The Prisoner of Zenda and in 2005 he competed in the third series of Channel 4 sports-based reality show The Games. In 2012, he revisited the setting of Bread on Elswick Street in Dingle ahead of his appearance in an ECHO Arena production of Sleeping Beauty. Peter Howitt - Joey Boswell Peter Howitt played the oldest of the Boswell children, Joey, until series five when Graham Bickley replaced him. The actor's first notable roles were in the long-running ITV series How We Use To Live and in Emmerdale in 1985. Peter has since gone on to write and direct romantic comedy and box office hit Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998, as well as Johnny English and Dangerous Parking. He now lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his wife and family. The writer and director recently paid tribute to Carla Lane's essential role in shaping the show . He said: "She wrote about five or six hit shows, consistently good, consistently funny. I flew all the way to Liverpool when she died. It was so important to pay my respects to someone who changed my life. It changed all of our lives." Victor McGuire - Jack Boswell Victor McGuire, from Tuebrook, played the loveable Jack Boswell in Bread and has since made notable appearances on both cinema and television screens. He later went on to play Ron Wheatcroft opposite Nicholas Lyndhurst in Goodnight Sweetheart and starred in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Woman in Black, Dalziel And Pascoe, Casualty and 2point4 Children. He has also appeared as security guard Ian in the Sky1 sitcom Trollied, Casualty, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens in 2015, and had a spell as Big Garth on Coronation Street in 2019. More recently, viewers will have spotted him in The Responder and Kate and Koji. In 2020 he appeared as a policeman in an advert for Haribo. He also starred in ITV sitcom Kate & Koji as a customer named Mr. Mulholland, which he later reprised in 2022. Gilly Coman - Aveline Boswell Gilly Coman played Nellie's daughter Aveline, who was rose among the thorns of her brothers in the Boswell family. At the centre of one of Bread's most memorable moments, more than 21m viewers watched her Catholic character marry Protestant vicar Oswald in 1988. The actress also starred in Brookside, Coronation Street and Inspector Morse. Tragically, the mother-of-three died in 2010, of a suspected heart attack, aged 54. Nick Conway - Billy Boswell Youngest son Billy Boswell was played by Nick Conway. In the show, the character seemed to have a battle on his hands just to achieve the most basic of tasks - though not always through any fault of his own. Nick also appeared in Starting Out, Thank You Mrs Clinkscales, When Saturday Comes, Keep On Running and Juliet Bravo. The actor, from Shrewsbury, has starred in episodes of The Bill, Doctors and Coronation Street as recently as 2010. He has featured in many theatre productions and currently runs a theatre school. He currently works as a DJ under the name Nick Campbell. Melanie Hill - Aveline Boswell Actress Melanie Hill replaced Gilly as Aveline on Bread and stayed with the show until it was brought to an end in 1991. In her career, she was had starring roles in The Syndicate, BBC drama Waterloo Road and in the film Stardust. She is known for playing Cathy Matthews in Coronation Street between 2015 and 2022. Nowadays, she can be seen on Casualty where she plays Siobhan McKenzie. What are your favourite memories of Bread? Let us know in the comments section below. Bryan Murray - Cousin Shifty Decades after Bread aired, some of the cast members spoke to the ECHO and reflected on making the programme, their most memorable moments and working with Carla Lane, one of the most celebrated TV writers of her generation. Bryan Murray, now in his seventies played The Boswells' cousin Shifty, a role for which he won a BBC TV Personality of the Year Award. He said: “When you meet Jean, the warmth she gives you is the equivalent of your mother. You’re being welcomed home. Jean was amazing." Bryan has since gone on to star in a variety of television programmes and films such as Fair City and Brookside, Silent Witness and The Tudors.

New Age of Robots! 2025: The Year to WatchDrought, fires and deforestation battered Amazon rainforest in 2024

Unlock Smarter Competitor Analysis with Mavic AI: Enhanced Insights for Business SuccessA psychiatric report will be prepared on a man over a one-day crime spree in Lavington during which he threatened several people, including one with a knife. or signup to continue reading In one incident, Izzac James Williams made his way into a woman's unit in Klose Street, causing her great distress. "No, no, no, you know me," Williams told the woman, throwing his right arm forward as if to shake hands. In fear, she walked backwards as Williams then said: "I'm Michael, you owe me money". The woman screamed at him, warning she'd call the police if he didn't leave, then ran outside from a sliding door in the kitchen and called out: "Please, somebody help me". In a menacing voice, Williams told the woman: "Just shut the f--- up, stop screaming". This was one of four incidents from March 10, 2024, over which Williams was charged with a series of offences. One had him telling a shopper who had parked his vehicle in the Lavington Square car park: "What the f--- are you doing? Get the f--- out of my car. I'm taking the car". The victim, Albury Local Court has heard, realised Williams was making a threat, then noticed he was holding a knife. A Coles supermarket worker approached and warned the man to "be careful, he's got a knife". Ten minutes later, about 4.15pm, Williams approached a couple who had just pulled their MG into a disabled parking space. The man got out and went inside the supermarket, but his wife remained in the car. Moments later, Williams approached the car, opened a door and got in the driver's seat. He grabbed the keys, which had been left in the door, and told the woman to "get out of my car". She refused, replying: "No, it's my car". The woman then reached over and turned off the car, but after hitting the starter button Williams grabbed her forearm and shoved it into the dashboard. The court was told the woman was petrified during the incident, which ended when he got out of the car and walked away. Williams also stole items valued at $41.20 from the Woolworths supermarket at the shopping centre, but was arrested soon after as he walked along Griffith Road while armed with the knife. Williams, 29, of Elwin Street, Narrandera, appeared before magistrate Sally McLaughlin via a video link to jail, where he is being held bail refused. He pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny, common assault, use an offensive weapon with the intention of committing an indictable offence of stealing a car, escape police custody, unlawfully obtain goods, assault with the intention of stealing a car and break and enter a dwelling with the intention of committing a serious indictable offence. The escape custody charge related to Williams not following directions when he was being moved to a bigger cell at the police station late that night. He had just told police he "had drunk too much alcohol". Williams will be sentenced on February 2, 2025. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementLast week saw the San Francisco 49ers eliminated from the playoffs and, for three players on the roster, it also proved to be a costly weekend financially. Fred Warner, Jordan Elliott, and Patrick Taylor Jr. were all hit with fines following the 49ers' Week 16 loss to the Miami Dolphins, which came after the Niners' elimination was confirmed by results in the early window. All-Pro linebacker Warner received the biggest fine, as he was docked $16,883 for a hip drop tackle. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was also punished for the same offense, though his fine was a less punitive $11,774. Meanwhile, running back Patrick Taylor Jr, who struggled in his start at running back in place of Isaac Guerendo, received a fine for a low block. Taylor was docked $5,681, though there was good news for Talanoa Hufanga and Deommodore Lenoir as they avoided fines for roughness penalties, while Elliott was not fined for a late hit in the fourth quarter on top of his hip drop tackle. In fact, none of the 11 plays on which the 49ers were flagged resulted in a fine. The 49ers face the Detroit Lions in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game on Monday, and they will need to show much better discipline if they are to overcome their significant injury adversity and prevail in their final home game of the season. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

A TikToker who went viral teaching science videos predicts short-form video will make its way into the national curriculum after 2024 saw him publish a new book and win a TikTok award. Emanuel Wallace, 27, from east London, is better known as Big Manny by his 1.9 million followers on TikTok, where he shares videos explaining various science experiments from his back garden while using Jamaican Patois phrases and London slang. In early December, Mr Wallace won the Education Creator of the Year award at the TikTok Awards ceremony, which he said is a “symbol that anything that you put your mind to you can achieve”. The content creator began making videos during the coronavirus pandemic when schools turned to online learning but has since expanded his teaching from videos to paper after releasing his debut book Science Is Lit in August. He believes his “unconventional” teaching methods help to make his content relatable for younger audiences by using slang deriving from his Jamaican and British heritage. “The language that I use, it’s a combination between Jamaican Patois and London slang because I have Jamaican heritage,” the TikToker, who holds a bachelors and masters degree in biomedical science, told the PA news agency. “That’s why in my videos sometimes I might say things like ‘Wagwan’ or ‘you dun know’. I just want to connect with the young people more, so I speak in the same way that they speak. “The words that I use, the way that I deliver the lesson as well, I would say that my method of teaching is quite unconventional. I speak in a way that is quite conversational.” Examples of his videos include lithium batteries catching fire after being sandwiched inside a raw chicken breast, as well as mixing gold with gallium to create blue gold, earning millions of views. Mr Wallace hopes his content will help make the science industry more diverse, saying “the scientists that I was taught about, none of them look like me”. “Now me being a scientist is showing young people that they can become one as well, regardless of the background that they come from, the upbringing that they’ve had,” he said. “I just want to make it seem more attainable and possible for them because if I can do it, and I come from the same place as you, there’s no reason why you can’t do it as well.” The TikToker has seen a shift in more young people turning to the app as a learning resource and feels short-form videos will soon become a part of the national curriculum in schools. “I’m seeing (young people) using that a lot more – social media as a resource for education – and I feel like in the future, it’s going to become more and more popular as well,” he said. “I get a lot of comments from students saying that my teacher showed my video in the classroom as a resource, so I feel like these short form videos are going to be integrated within the national curriculum at some point in the near future.” He also uses his platform to raise awareness of different social issues, which he said is “extremely important”. One of his videos highlighted an anti-knife campaign backed by actor Idris Elba, which earned more than 39 million views, while his clip about the banning of disposable vapes was viewed more than 4.6 million times. He said there is some pressure being a teacher with a large following online but hopes he can be a role model for young people. “I’m aware that I am in the public eye and there’s a lot of young people watching me,” he said. “Young people can be impressionable, so I make sure that I conduct myself appropriately, so that I can be a role model. “I always have the same message for young people, specifically. I tell them to stay curious. Always ask questions and look a little bit deeper into things.” His plans for 2025 include publishing a second Science Is Lit book and expanding his teaching to television where he soon hopes to create his own science show.Some companies received something worse than a lump of coal from Santa this Christmas: Hackers attacking their Chrome extensions. Hackers hijacked a number of Chrome extensions this past week, according to a new report from Reuters . The attack was first noticed by cyber security company Cyberhaven , which was one of the companies affected by the hack. In a blog post from Cyberhaven, the company says the cyberattack inserted malicious code into these Chrome extensions in an attempt to steal user data such as web browser cookies and authentication. The hackers appear to have specifically been looking to obtain access to social media advertising accounts, specifically Facebook Ads accounts, and AI platform credentials. According to Cyberhaven, the hackers pushed an updated version of its Chrome extension with the malicious code to users on Christmas Eve. The company became aware of the hack on Christmas Day and immediately pushed out a fix within an hour. The company began informing users of the hack on Friday morning with an email notification. Other Chrome extensions confirmed to have been injected with the malicious code include Internxt VPN, ParrotTalks, Uvoice, and VPNCity. Each of these Chrome extensions has tens of thousands of users, according to the public stats on the Chrome Web Store. The attack began after a hacker successfully targeted a Cyberhaven employee via a phishing email that was sent to Chrome extension developers. The employee, believing the email was an official Google contact, clicked the email and input their login credentials on the phishing page. Cyberhaven doesn't believe the attackers were targeting any specific companies, but rather sending out a mass phishing campaign and then going forward with any recipient that clicked through. At this time, it's unclear as to how many users of these Chrome extensions have been affected.Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An unexpected bond has emerged on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! with viewers clamouring for a podcast featuring the dynamic duo. In an episode aired Monday evening, Loose Women's GK Barry got candid with Reverend Richard Coles in the rugged settings of the jungle. GK probed Richard about the balance between his identity and faith: "Did you find it quite difficult being gay and doing that job?" To which Richard candidly replied: "No, not at all. I've never given it a moment's twinge of anxiety over whether God thought it was alright or not. Whether other people thought it was alright or not, well I'm happy to have that debate." Speaking about his sexuality, he further revealed: "Also, I was not the first. Sometimes I look at documents from the early church, or the church of the middle ages and I just think - so gay," reports the Express . GK, sharing her feelings in the Bush Telegraph, confessed: "I came into this jungle, maybe not knowing who I would gel with or who I would be close with in here and never in a million years if you told me that I would be getting on best with a reverend would I have believed you. But, he is honestly... I think he might be my favourite person in here." During a heartfelt exchange, GK disclosed her past with religion to Richard, reminiscing about her time at a religious camp in her youth and how authority figures advised against premarital sex. Despite their guidance, she recounted thinking even at 13: "Well, that's not gonna happen. I see my future and it involves scissoring now." After GK explained "scissoring" to the Rev, the conversation swiftly moved on to GK asking Richard about the most fascinating person he's encountered. To which Richard responded: "I think I'm looking at her." Social media was abuzz with viewers commenting on the burgeoning friendship, with one drawing parallels to former campmates Georgia Toffolo and Stanley Johnson, remarking: "GK and Richard's friendship reminds me so much of Toff and Stanley." Another viewer expressed their delight: "GK Barry and Rev are fantastic Together." A third echoed the sentiment: "Gk Barry and the rev is giving Toff and Stanley!" Calls for the duo to collaborate post-show were also evident, with a fan suggesting: "We need to get GK Barry and Rev. Richard Coles a video podcast after this." Meanwhile, on the show, eagle-eyed fans detected the latest jungle tension as Dean McCullough disregarded a caution from his co-camper Tulisa Constostavlos. In Sunday's episode of the ITV reality series, there was a significant change in the camp dynamics. Tulisa and Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall relinquished their leadership roles, passing the baton to McFly's Danny Jones and boxing icon Barry McGuigan. This transition meant that the former leaders had to vacate their comfortable beds in the Leaders' Lodge and join the rest of the contestants in the more rustic jungle setting. Tulisa opted for a spot near the campfire but issued a stern warning to Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter Dean McCullogh: steer clear of belting out musical theatre tunes early in the morning, or she wouldn't be pleased. In the latest instalment, Tulisa fancied a lie-inuntil her campmates decided to serenade her awake with a dose of musical theatre. Dean quipped: "Now that she's out of the Leaders' Lodge, Tulisa has warned me that there must be no musical theatre early in the morning, so I made it my mission to make sure the camp woke up this morning with the sound of lovely singing!" As Maura Higgins marked her 34th birthday among her fellow campers, Dean was put through his paces in his sixth Bushtucker Trial dubbed Jack and the Scream Stalk - triumphing with a personal best by nabbing 10 of the 12 available stars. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is on ITV1 and ITVX

China’s ‘Ice City’ welcomes influx of foreign visitors amid winter tourism boomUS President-elect Donald Trump has filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok the day before his January 20 inauguration if it is not sold by its Chinese owner ByteDance. “In light of the novelty and difficulty of this case, the court should consider staying the statutory deadline to grant more breathing space to address these issues,” Trump’s legal team wrote, to give him “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution”. Trump was fiercely opposed to TikTok during his 2017-21 first term, and tried in vain to ban the video app on national security grounds. The Republican voiced concerns – echoed by political rivals – that the Chinese government might tap into US TikTok users’ data or manipulate what they see on the platform. US officials had also voiced alarm over the popularity of the video-sharing app with young people, alleging that its parent company is subservient to Beijing and that the app is used to spread propaganda, claims denied by the company and the Chinese government. Trump called for a US company to buy TikTok, with the government sharing in the sale price, and his successor Joe Biden went one stage further – signing a law to ban the app for the same reasons. Trump has now, however, reversed course. At a press conference last week, Trump said he has “a warm spot” for TikTok and that his administration would take a look at the app and the potential ban. Earlier this month, the president-elect met TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Recently, Trump told Bloomberg he had changed his mind about the app: “Now (that) I’m thinking about it, I’m for TikTok, because you need competition.” “If you don’t have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram – and that’s, you know, that’s Zuckerberg,” he added. Facebook, founded by Mark Zuckerberg and part of his Meta tech empire, was among the social media networks that banned Trump after attacks by his supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The ban was driven by concerns that he would use the platform to promote more violence. Those bans on major social media platforms were later lifted. In the brief filed on Friday, Trump’s lawyer made it clear the president-elect did not take a position on the legal merits of the current case. “President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute,” John Sauer wrote in the amicus curiae – or “friend of the court” – brief. “Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider staying the act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trump’s incoming Administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.” A coalition of free speech groups – including the American Civil Liberties Union – also filed a separate brief to the Supreme Court opposing enforcement of the law, citing censorship concerns. “Such a ban is unprecedented in our country and, if it goes into effect, will cause a far-reaching disruption in Americans’ ability to engage with the content and audiences of their choice online,” the rights groups’ filing read, in part. The US apex court agreed last week to hear TikTok’s appeal against Biden’s move to force its owner to divest from it or face a ban. With oral arguments scheduled for January 10, the case would have to be heard at a breakneck speed. TikTok argues that the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates its First Amendment free speech rights. AFP, among more than a dozen other fact-checking organisations, is paid by TikTok in several countries to verify videos that potentially contain false information. TikTok has more than 170mn US users. Bytedance has previously said the Justice Department has misstated its ties to China, arguing its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the United States on cloud servers operated by Oracle Corp while content moderation decisions that affect US users are made in the United States as well. Related Story Al Majd Law Firm holds workshop on combating counterfeit auto parts Trump scores emphatic victory over Harris

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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20% of the world’s fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organized crime is rising at alarming rates. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organization that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor," Miller said. Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — dropped 30.6% compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula's predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country's environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024's figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It’s impossible to overlook the threat posed by organized crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were draped in smoke in August from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the Amazon River fell to desperate lows , leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River's main tributaries dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon's fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole." But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction.” It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil’s Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don't how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of a voice on nature conservation decisions , a development that builds on a growing movement to recognize Indigenous people's role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organization, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support," Ebus said. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .