2024’s top 10 climate disasters cost more than 200 billion dollars, charity says
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma will be obtaining mobile counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems detection technology following mystery sightings in other states. Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday announced he had directed Tim Tipton, public safety commissioner and homeland security adviser, to procure the systems to support state and local law enforcement in responding to recent unmanned drone activity. “Drones and unmanned aerial systems are an exciting new industry here in Oklahoma,” Stitt said. “We want to make sure that industry has room to thrive.” Because the technology is new, the state doesn’t have all the measures in place to ensure protection from those who wish to cause harm, Stitt said. “The activity happening in New Jersey and across the country is unsettling,” Tipton said in a statement. “While we’ve only had a few reports of drone activity in Oklahoma, we want to be ready in case the need arises.” Residents in New Jersey and other parts of the eastern United States have reported seeing unexplained drones in the sky recently, sparking concerns over who is operating them. The AP has reported that law enforcement doesn’t believe the drones are a public safety threat, though the FBI has asked residents to share any information, videos or photos they might have. Tipton was not available Monday to answer questions about the announcement, including how much the systems will cost to procure and where the funding will come. Federal law generally prohibits disabling or destroying any unmanned aerial systems because federal rules consider drones to be a form of aircraft. This prevents state and local law enforcement from any activity that would interfere with the flight of a drone, including shooting it down. With the detection systems, DPS can monitor and identify the drones without destroying them and ensure the state’s critical infrastructure is protected, officials said.Dolphins Deep Dive: Win sets up huge game vs. Packers. Perkins, Hyde break down victory over Patriots | VIDEO
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NoneAdele became emotional as she told her fans she will miss them “terribly” during her final Las Vegas residency show. The British singer-songwriter, 36, launched Weekends With Adele at Caesars Palace in November 2022 and performed her 100th show on Saturday. Her run of sell-out shows at the venue, which seats around 4,000 people, has been a success but has also taken its toll. In July, she announced she would be taking a “big break” from music after her current run of shows. A post shared by Adele (@adele) Videos posted online from her concert on Saturday show the singer getting tearful as she bid farewell to Vegas. “It’s been wonderful and I will miss it terribly and I will miss you terribly”, she said. “I don’t know when I next want to perform again.” She also said she got “closure” when Canadian singer Celine Dion came to watch her perform, admitting that she cried for a “whole week” afterwards. “It was just such a full circle moment for me because that’s the only reason I ever even wanted to be in here”, she added. Adele shared an emotional embrace with Dion after she spotted the singer in the audience during her Las Vegas show last month. A post shared by Adele (@adele) In footage shared online, the British star can be seen breaking down in tears as they hug in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which was built for Dion’s residency. The Rolling In The Deep singer has been vocal about her love for Dion over the years, hailing her as “Queen Celine” after attending one of her performances in an Instagram post in 2018. Dion reciprocated the love at the time, sharing a photo to social media of her posing alongside Adele, who was wearing the singer’s merchandise. She wrote: “Wasn’t able to do all my shows, but was thrilled that @Adele came to one of them.... I love her so much!! – Celine xx”. After their encounter at the venue, Adele said in an Instagram post: “Words will never sum up what you mean to me, or what you coming to my show means, let alone how it felt seeing you back in your palace with your beautiful family.”
Deputy Minister Of Communications Visits BEST Inc Malaysia U10 KULHUB And Shah Alam Supply Chain Warehouse Media Outreach Newswire APACThe mystery surrounding at least one of the unexplained drones causing Americans to look toward the night sky in recent days was solved late Saturday evening, when Boston police arrested two men for allegedly flying their unmanned aerial device too close to Logan Airport. According to police, 42-year-old Robert Duffy of Charlestown and 32-year-old Jeremy Folcik of Bridgewater were arrested Saturday on Long Island, after officials noticed the drone on their monitoring systems. “The incident began earlier that evening, at 4:30 p.m., when a Boston Police Officer specializing in real-time crime surveillance detected an Unmanned Aircraft System operating dangerously close to Logan International Airport. Leveraging advanced UAS monitoring technology, the Officer identified the drone’s location, altitude, flight history, and the operators’ position on Long Island,” the Boston Police Department said in a Sunday statement. After rallying officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission, and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control, the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit was dispatched to the Boston Harbor Islands, where they allegedly found Duffy and Folcik, along with another man on the closed Long Island Health campus. All three attempted to flee on foot, according to police, but the arrested pair were caught and a drone found in their possession. The third man, according to police, is “believed to have fled the island in a small vessel.” Police say that all three were engaging in seriously dangerous behavior. “Operators are prohibited from flying drones over people or vehicles and must be aware of airspace restrictions. Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters. Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk,” they said. Both Duffy and Folcik will appear in Dorchester District Court on charges of trespassing, police said. It wasn’t clear what the suspects’ intentions were. This is a developing story and it will be updated.
NEW YORK (AP) — The huge rally for U.S. stocks lost momentum on Thursday as Wall Street counted down to a big jobs report that’s coming on Friday. The crypto market had more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before pulling back. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from the all-time high it had set the day before, its 56th of the year so far, to shave a bit off what’s set to be one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248 points, or 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2% from its own record set the day before. Bitcoin powered above $100,000 for the first time the night before, after President-elect Donald Trump chose Paul Atkins, who's seen as a crypto advocate, as his nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. The cryptocurrency has climbed dramatically from less than $70,000 on Election Day, but it fell back as Thursday progressed toward $99,000, according to CoinDesk. Sharp swings for bitcoin are nothing new, and they took stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto world on a similar ride. After rising as much as 9% in early trading, MicroStrategy, a company that’s been raising cash just to buy bitcoin, swung to a loss of 4.8%. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global fell 3.1% after likewise erasing a big early gain. Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines helped lead the way following the latest bumps up to financial forecasts from carriers. American Airlines Group soared 16.8% after saying it’s making more in revenue during the last three months of 2024 than it expected, and it will likely make a bigger profit than it had earlier forecast. The airline also chose Citi to be its exclusive partner for credit cards that give miles in its loyalty program. That should help its cash coming in from co-branded credit card and other partners grow by about 10% annually. Southwest Airlines climbed 2% after saying it’s seeing stronger demand from leisure travelers than it expected. It also raised its forecast for revenue for the holiday traveling season. On the losing end of Wall Street was Synposys, which tumbled 12.4%. The supplier for the semiconductor industry reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also warned of “continued macro uncertainties” and gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell short of some analysts’ estimates. American Eagle Outfitters fell even more, 14.3%, after the retailer said it’s preparing for “potential choppiness” outside of peak selling periods. It was reminiscent of a warning from Foot Locker earlier in the week and raised more concerns about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain. Solid spending by U.S. consumers has been one of the main reasons the U.S. economy has avoided a recession that earlier seemed inevitable after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to crush inflation. But shoppers are now contending with still-high prices and a slowing job market . This week’s highlight for Wall Street will be Friday’s jobs report from the U.S. government, which will show how many people employers hired and fired last month. A report on Thursday said the number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remains at historically healthy levels. Expectations are high that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again when it meets in two weeks. The Fed began easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high in September, hoping to offer more support for the job market. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.17% from 4.18% late Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 11.38 points to 6,075.11. The Dow sank 248.33 to 44,765.71, and the Nasdaq composite lost 34.86 to 19,700.26. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mostly calm in Europe after far-right and left-wing lawmakers in France joined together to vote on a no-confidence motion that will force Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet to resign. The CAC 40 index in Paris added 0.4%. In South Korea, the Kospi fell 0.9% to compound its 1.4% decline from the day before. President Yoon Suk Yeol was facing possible impeachment after he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday night. He revoked the martial law declaration six hours later. Crude oil prices slipped after eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries decided to put off increasing oil production. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.Elgin News Digest: Dundee-Crown staging encore performance of ‘Deadline’; WGN-TV weather camera installed at Hemmens Center
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Should AI be used to resurrect extinct species like the Neanderthal? | Mohammad HosseiniAdele bids tearful farewell to her Las Vegas residency: I will miss it terriblyAdele became emotional as she told her fans she will miss them “terribly” during her final Las Vegas residency show. The British singer-songwriter, 36, launched Weekends With Adele at Caesars Palace in November 2022 and performed her 100th show on Saturday. Her run of sell-out shows at the venue, which seats around 4,000 people, has been a success but has also taken its toll. In July, she announced she would be taking a “big break” from music after her current run of shows. Videos posted online from her concert on Saturday show the singer getting tearful as she bid farewell to Vegas. “It’s been wonderful and I will miss it terribly and I will miss you terribly”, she said. “I don’t know when I next want to perform again.” She also said she got “closure” when Canadian singer Celine Dion came to watch her perform, admitting that she cried for a “whole week” afterwards. “It was just such a full circle moment for me because that’s the only reason I ever even wanted to be in here”, she added. Adele shared an emotional embrace with Dion after she spotted the singer in the audience during her Las Vegas show last month. In footage shared online, the British star can be seen breaking down in tears as they hug in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which was built for Dion’s residency. The Rolling In The Deep singer has been vocal about her love for Dion over the years, hailing her as “Queen Celine” after attending one of her performances in an Instagram post in 2018. Dion reciprocated the love at the time, sharing a photo to social media of her posing alongside Adele, who was wearing the singer’s merchandise. She wrote: “Wasn’t able to do all my shows, but was thrilled that @Adele came to one of them.... I love her so much!! – Celine xx”. After their encounter at the venue, Adele said in an Instagram post: “Words will never sum up what you mean to me, or what you coming to my show means, let alone how it felt seeing you back in your palace with your beautiful family.”
Pratham Barot Raises International Financial Education Standards Through Global Financial Courses At Zell Education 12-16-2024 08:32 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Brand Push Zell Education, co-founded by Pratham Barot, is setting a new benchmark in financial education by providing world-class training to aspiring finance professionals. The institution was established with a vision to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and industry requirements, empowering students to achieve global career success. At Zell, students have access to top-tier coaching for courses such as ACCA, CFA, and CMA, meticulously designed to prepare them for certification exams and build thriving careers. These programs are complemented by industry-focused courses in Investment Banking, ESG, FRM, and IFRS, which equip students with practical knowledge and skills demanded by the ever-evolving financial sector. By mastering these courses, students not only gain in-depth expertise but also enhance their employability, unlocking career opportunities with global financial giants. Zell Education's commitment to excellence continues to redefine financial education, shaping the next generation of industry leaders. Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2024/12/f8980950130239ddcd3405aa671ca0c3.jpg Zell Education Provides Global Financial Courses for Internationally Recognised Certifications. With over 100 global placement partners, Zell Education equips its students with all the means required to pass certifications like the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) [ https://www.zelleducation.com/blog/what-is-acca/ ], Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA), Certified Management Accountants (CMA), Financial Risk Managers (FRM), Post Graduate Program in ESG, Post Graduate Program in Investment Banking, and Diploma in IFRS to upskill students preparing to join the professional financial community. Through these courses, Pratham aims to empower students by using technology; Zell provides students with a learning platform for self-paced studies. This is set out to ensure that students remain productive by making the courses tailored to their needs which improves the effectiveness of the course. The company continues its commitment to providing 100+ expert faculty in each area of expertise to mentor students to flourish in the competitive financial market. Course Alumni Secured Placements in the Top-ranking Finance Companies. The extensive coursework and resources have trained Zell's students at a professional level to be industrially recognised by major companies. Pratham takes great pride in placing more than 4,500 students and building over 150 placement networks to empower and support the career aspirations of their excelling students. Alumni success rates showcase Zell Education's dedication to providing quality education and enhancing career prospects through student-centric training. With a focus on innovative learning, the institute provides students with a wealth of resources to strengthen their understanding, which includes expertly crafted comprehensive training materials. An ACCA graduate who enrolled himself in Pratham's Zell Education course gave his feedback, "Due to a full-time job, I did not get enough time to prepare but due to the incredible support from Zell Education, I enrolled in the weekend ACCA course [ https://www.zelleducation.com/acca-course/ ] batch and cleared my exams." Another course alumni wrote, "Big thanks to Zell for guiding me through my CMA Course [ https://www.zelleducation.com/finance-courses/cma-course/ ]. The teachers were skilled and helped me a lot throughout the course as I passed on my first attempt." Awards and Recognition The education excellence of Zell Education has been largely recognised by financial associates in the industry. The company was awarded "Edtech of the Year 2024" and "Best Education Brands 2024" to honour Zell Education in their effort to make education of international courses accessible to people throughout the country. Moreover, Zell Education partnered with financial giants, including EY, at the Finance Frontier Conclave to create more opportunities for students in finance and accounting. This focus on theoretical education and professional knowledge is set out to revolutionize the financial education sector in the coming years. For more information about Pratham Barot and Zell Education, [ https://www.zelleducation.com/ ] refer to the details below. Media Contact Company Name: Pratham Barot Contact Person: Shanta Narang Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=pratham-barot-raises-international-financial-education-standards-through-global-financial-courses-at-zell-education ] Country: India Website: https://www.zelleducation.com/ This release was published on openPR.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson on Thursday, signaling their frustration with the state of the franchise's rebuilding project. Chicago has dropped four in a row to fall to an NHL-worst 8-16-2 on the season. It was outscored 41-27 while going 3-9-1 in its last 13 games. Anders Sorensen was elevated to interim coach. Sorensen had been coaching the team's top minor league affiliate in Rockford. “Today I made the difficult decision to move on from Luke as our head coach,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “We thank him for his efforts and contributions to the organization and our community. As we have begun to take steps forward in our rebuilding process, we felt that the results did not match our expectations for a higher level of execution this season and ultimately came to the decision that a change was necessary.” Chicago had expected to be more competitive in Richardson's third season. It signed Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Alec Martinez and Craig Smith on a busy first day of free agency this summer. It also had Connor Bedard coming back for his second season after winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. But Bertuzzi and Teravainen have struggled, and Martinez has been hampered by injuries. Bertuzzi has five goals and five assists in 26 games going into Saturday's matchup with Winnipeg. Teravainen has three goals and two assists in his last 21 games. Of course, the most important player for Chicago is the 19-yeard-old Bedard — and it's his lack of production that likely led to Richardson's dismissal. While the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft has shown some positive developmental signs, the young center has struggled offensively. Bedard stopped a 12-game drought when he scored in a 6-2 victory against Dallas on Nov. 27. He has five goals and 14 assists in 26 games after he had 11 goals and 10 assists at the same point last season. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlThe Los Angeles Galaxy will aim to complete one of the most remarkable transformations in Major League Soccer history on Saturday when they host the New York Red Bulls chasing a record-extending sixth MLS Cup crown. A year ago, the California franchise had hit rock bottom, plummeting to their worst ever regular season record to finish one place off the bottom of the Western Conference. The team that had once been a home to the likes of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were engulfed in crisis, with fans boycotting fixtures after nearly a decade of failure on the field. Moreover, the Galaxy's status as one of MLS's glamour clubs had been diminished by the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, as well as the emergence of city rivals Los Angeles FC, winners of the MLS Cup in 2022. The febrile atmosphere at the Galaxy prompted team ownership to shake up their front office, with Will Kuntz appointed general manager to replace long-time predecessor Chris Klein, who was fired in May 2023. The turnaround since those changes has been dramatic. After winning just eight fixtures in the 2023 season, the Galaxy under head coach Greg Vanney won a record-equalling 19 games this season to finish joint top of the table, second only to leaders LAFC on goal difference. The Galaxy kept up their winning ways in the postseason, swatting aside Colorado 9-1 on aggregate to wrap up their first round series, before thrashing Minnesota United 6-2 and then squeezing past Seattle 1-0 last weekend. Those results have left the club on the threshold of a first MLS Cup title since 2014 and a record sixth championship overall. Victory in Saturday's showpiece in Carson would be especially sweet for Vanney, who appeared in three MLS Cup finals with the Galaxy as a player in 1996, 1999 and 2001 -- and lost all three. Reflecting on his team's journey to this year's final, Vanney said this week his team had thrived under the pressure of being expected to challenge for silverware. More from this section "The expectation is to be in games like this, to win trophies and win championships," Vanney said. "This group has come out and attacked it from day one and hasn't been afraid of it or in awe of it -- and that's one of the beauties of this group. "I'm excited for this group and this opportunity and now the objective is to win it and put the stamp on it, rewriting a new group of players and new legacy for this organisation." Vanney's task has become more complicated by an injury to star midfielder Riqui Puig, who suffered torn knee ligaments in last week's Western Conference final win over Seattle and will miss Saturday's game. "He's the ultimate competitor," Vanney said. "He wants to win, compete, and take responsibility on the field. He drives the team in so many ways. "We're going to have to adapt, and we're going to have to adapt in a collective way." The Galaxy meanwhile will be wary of a New York Red Bulls line-up that have ripped up the form book en route to the final. After finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference -- 27 points behind leaders Inter Miami -- the Red Bulls stunned reigning champions Columbus in the first round of the playoffs before wins on the road over rivals New York City FC and Orlando to book their place in their first MLS Cup since 2008. New York's Scotland international midfielder Lewis Morgan says the team is unfazed by Saturday's assignment in Los Angeles. "For me, it doesn't really matter where it is: it's playoff football," Morgan said this week. "It's not the regular season. These games are more cagey. You go 1-0 up, we defend a little bit deeper and we're relying on guys at the back. There have been massive performances." rcw/bb
A report from the charity on hurricanes, floods, typhoons and storms influenced by climate change warns that the top 10 disasters each cost more than 4 billion US dollars in damage (£3.2 billion). The figures are based mostly on insured losses, so the true costs are likely to be even higher, Christian Aid said, as it called for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance for poor countries to cope with climate change. Politicians who “downplay the urgency of the climate crisis only serve to harm their own people and cause untold suffering around the world”, climate expert Joanna Haigh said. While developed countries feature heavily in the list of costliest weather extremes, as they have higher property values and can afford insurance, the charity also highlighted another 10 disasters which did not rack up such costs but were just as devastating, often hitting poorer countries. Most extreme weather events show “clear fingerprints” of climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events, making them more intense and frequent, experts said. The single most costly event in 2024 was Hurricane Milton, which scientists say was made windier, wetter and more destructive by global warming, and which caused 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion) of damage when it hit the US in October. That is closely followed by Hurricane Helene, which cost 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion) when it hit the US, Mexico and Cuba just two weeks before Milton in late September. The US was hit by so many costly storms throughout the year that even when hurricanes are removed, other storms cost more than 60 billion US dollars in damage, the report said. Three of the costliest 10 climate extremes hit Europe, including the floods from Storm Boris which devastated central European countries in September and deadly flooding in Valencia in October which killed 226 people. In other parts of the world, floods in June and July in China killed 315 people and racked up costs of 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion), while Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia in September, killed more than 800 people and cost 12.6 billion dollars (£10 billion). Events which were not among the most costly in financial terms but which have still been devastating include Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in December and may have killed more than 1,000 people, Christian Aid said. Meanwhile, heatwaves affected 33 million people in Bangladesh and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding affected 6.6 million people in West Africa and the worst drought in living memory affected more than 14 million in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the charity said. Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watt said: “There is nothing natural about the growing severity and frequency of droughts, floods and storms. “Disasters are being supercharged by decisions to keep burning fossil fuels, and to allow emissions to rise. “And they’re being made worse by the consistent failure to deliver on financial commitments to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries. “In 2025 we need to see governments leading, and taking action to accelerate the green transition, reduce emissions, and fund their promises.” Dr Mariam Zachariah, World Weather Attribution researcher who analyses extreme events in near-real time to discern the role of climate change, at Imperial College London, said: “This report is just a snapshot of climate devastation in 2024. “There are many more droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods not included that are becoming more frequent and intense. “Most of these disasters show clear fingerprints of climate change. “Extreme weather is clearly causing incredible suffering in all corners of the world. Behind the billion-dollar figures are lost lives and livelihoods.” And Prof Haigh, emeritus professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College London, said: “The economic impact of these extreme weather events should be a wake-up call. “The good news is that ever-worsening crises doesn’t have to be our long-term future. “The technologies of a clean energy economy exist, but we need leaders to invest in them and roll them out at scale.” The 10 costliest climate disasters of 2024 were: – US storms, December to January, more than 60 billion US dollars; – Hurricane Milton in the US, October 9-13, 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion); – Hurricane Helene in the US, Mexico, Cuba, 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion); – China floods, June 9-July 14, 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion); – Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia from September 1 to 9, 12.6 billion US dollars (£10 billion); – Hurricane Beryl, in the US, Mexico and Caribbean islands from July 1-11, 6.7 billion US dollars (£5.3 billion); – Storm Boris in central Europe, September 12-16, 5.2 billion US dollars (£4.1 billion); – Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, April 28-May 3, 5 billion US dollars (£4 billion); – Bavaria floods, Germany, June 1-7, 4.45 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion); – Valencia floods, Spain, on October 29, 4.22 billion US dollars (£3.4 billion).
2024’s top 10 climate disasters cost more than 200 billion dollars, charity says