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President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign
Mindful Spending and Saving Apps: Focusing on Intentional Financial ChoicesPresident-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
Low turnout in Chad parliamentary election boycotted by opposition as military rule ends
Indian Share Market Opens Lower, Nifty Below 23,800American Superconductor Co. (NASDAQ:AMSC) Shares Purchased by Geode Capital Management LLC
3D Printing in Automotive Manufacturing Market 2024 - 2031: Trends, Growth, and Opportunities | Exactitude Consultancy
‘A man of principle, faith and humility’Developers will have to show that their project either helps reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste going to landfill, or replaces an older, less efficient incinerator. The move forms part of the Government’s drive to increase recycling rates, which have held at about 45% of household waste since 2015. Environment minister Mary Creagh said: “For far too long, the nation has seen its recycling rates stagnate and relied on burning household waste, rather than supporting communities to keep resources in use for longer. “That ends today, with clear conditions for new energy from waste plants – they must be efficient and support net zero and our economic growth mission, before they can get the backing needed to be built.” Developers will also have to ensure their incinerators are ready for carbon capture technology, and demonstrate how the heat they produce can be used to help cut heating bills for households. The Government expects that its “crackdown” on new incinerators will mean only a limited number are built, while still reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill and enabling the country to process the waste it produces. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the country was almost at the point where it had enough waste facilities to handle non-recyclable rubbish, and so had limited need for new incinerators. But the proposals stop short of the plans included in the Conservatives’ 2024 manifesto, which committed to a complete ban on new incinerators due to their “impact on local communities” and declining demand as recycling increased.
Government to block incinerators that do not contribute to green plansWASHINGTON: Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president and the third American leader to visit India during which a village in Haryana was named Carterpuri in his honour has died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia surrounded by his family, the Carter Centre said. Carter died on Sunday aged 100. He was the longest-lived president in US history. “Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian,” President Joe Biden said in a statement mourning his loss. Carter is survived by his children — Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Rosalynn and one grandchild. “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love. My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs,” Chip Carter said. In his statement, Biden said over six decades, with his compassion and moral clarity, Carter worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among the people. He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe. “He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism. We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism. We will miss them both dearly, but take solace knowing they are reunited once again and will remain forever in our hearts,” said Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden. President-elect Donald Trump said while he "strongly disagreed" with Carter "philosophically and politically", he also realised that he truly loved and respected "our country, and all it stands for". "He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect. He was a truly good man and, of course, will be greatly missed. He was also very consequential, far more than most Presidents, after he left the Oval Office,” Trump said. Carter was considered a friend of India. He was the first American president to visit India after the removal of emergency and victory of the Janata Party in 1977. In his address to the Indian parliament, Carter spoke against authoritarian rule. “India's difficulties, which we often experience ourselves and which are typical of the problems faced in the developing world, remind us of the tasks that lie ahead. Not the Authoritarian Way,” Carter said on January 2, 1978. “But India's successes are just as important because they decisively refute the theory that in order to achieve economic and social progress, a developing country must accept an authoritarian or totalitarian government and all the damage to the health of the human spirit which that kind of rule brings with it,” he told members of parliament. “Is democracy important? Is human freedom valued by all people?... India has given her affirmative answer in a thunderous voice, a voice heard around the world. Something momentous happened here last March, not because any particular party won or lost but rather, I think, because the largest electorate on earth freely and wisely choose its leaders at the polls. In this sense, democracy itself was the victor,” Carter said. A day later at the signing of the Delhi declaration along with then Prime Minister Morarji Desai, Carter said at the heart of the friendship between India and the US is their determination that the moral values of the people must also guide the actions of the states, the governments. “The United States gave the world an illustration of a new form of government, with a new relation between the citizen and the state — a relation in which the state exists to serve the citizen, and not the citizen to serve the state,” he said. “India experimented with creating political unity from overwhelming human diversity, enabling people of different cultures and languages and religions to work together, both in independence and also in freedom. Yours is an experiment whose success the world is celebrating anew,” Carter said in the Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. According to the Carter Centre, on January 3, 1978, Carter and then First Lady Rosalynn Carter travelled to the village of Daulatpur Nasirabad, an hour southwest of New Delhi. He was the third American president to visit India and the only one with a personal connection to the country – his mother, Lillian, had worked there as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps during the late 1960s. “The visit was so successful that shortly after, village residents renamed the area 'Carterpuri' and remained in contact with the White House for the rest of President Carter’s tenure. The trip made a lasting impression: Festivities abounded in the village when President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and January 3 remains a holiday in Carterpuri,” the Carter Centre said, adding that the visit laid the groundwork for an enduring partnership that has greatly benefited both countries. President Carter understood that shared democratic principles formed a strong foundation for a long, fruitful relationship between the US and India. It is, therefore, no surprise that the two nations grew steadily closer in the decades after he left office, it said. “In fact, since the Carter administration, the US and India have worked closely on energy, humanitarian aid, technology, space cooperation, maritime security, disaster relief, counterterrorism, and more. In the mid-2000s, the United States and India struck a landmark agreement to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation, and bilateral trade has since skyrocketed,” the centre said. "In 2010, the first US-India Strategic Dialogue took place in Washington DC, launching what President Barack Obama called 'an unprecedented partnership'. The arc of US-India ties from the Carter administration to the Biden administration is one of increasing cooperation in both depth and breadth. There are many areas of mutual interest — particularly trade and defense — where successful collaboration has fostered interdependency between the two countries,” it said. Ronak D Desai, Partner and India Practice Leader at Paul Hastings law firm, said Carter's presidency marked a pivotal moment in US-India relations. After the strain caused by the Nixon administration's infamous “tilt” toward Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, Carter understood the critical importance of re-engaging with India as a democratic partner in a rapidly evolving global order. His visit to India in 1978 was not merely symbolic but a substantive effort to rebuild trust and establish a framework for dialogue rooted in mutual respect and shared values, he said. “While Carter’s presidency was often viewed through the lens of domestic challenges, his contributions to US-India relations were transformative," Desai said.
Wall Street closed higher today, with all three major indexes posting weekly gains, as investors took comfort from data pointing to robust economic activity in the world’s biggest economy. A measure of business activity raced to a 31-month high in November, boosted by hopes for lower interest rates and more business-friendly policies from President-elect Donald Trump’s administration next year. The domestically focused small-cap Russell 2000 index rose and outperformed large-cap indexes. The index hit its highest in more than a week and was set for weekly advances. Meanwhile, Alphabet fell following Thursday’s 4% drop, as the U.S. Department of Justice argued to a judge the company was monopolizing online search. AI bellwether Nvidia also slipped in choppy trading following its quarterly forecast on Wednesday. An index tracking S&P 500 value stocks rose as investors rotated out of their growth peers. “I’ve been looking for this leadership change to go from technology to everything else. I think we may be in the midst of that shift. Small caps are acting much better, values are acting better,” said Mark Hackett, Chief of Investment Research at Nationwide. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 19.55 points, or 0.33%, to end at 5,968.26 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 26.45 points, or 0.14%, to 18,998.87. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 423.28 points, or 0.96%, to 44,293.63. The S&P and the Dow reached one-week highs. Expectations on the Federal Reserve’s policy move in December have recently swayed between a pause and a cut, as investors weighed the likely impact of Trump’s plans on price pressures. There is a 59.6% probability the central bank will lower borrowing costs by 25 basis points, as per the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool. Geopolitics were top of mind this week as investors monitored a missile exchange between Ukraine and Russia, after Moscow lowered its threshold for a nuclear retaliation. The markets are also awaiting Trump’s Treasury Secretary pick. “The fact that we’ve been calm on a nice, steady stair step pattern higher is very encouraging and reflective of the fact that investors aren’t acting with the emotion that they could be given the amount of uncertainties we’ve faced,” Hackett said. In company news, Gap Inc jumped after the Old Navy parent raised its annual sales forecast and said the holiday season was off to a “strong start”. Intuit fell after the TurboTax parent projected second-quarter revenue and profit below Wall Street estimates on Thursday. Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru.There are some companies whose reputations speak for themselves—Enron, Lehman Brothers , Madoff , Theranos—where the scandals were so dishonorable you'd think there would be zero chance of a comeback. Well, you'd think. On Monday, a "new" Enron released a press release revealing its "relaunch" to "solve the global energy crisis" just in time for the 23rd anniversary of the company's collapse. Related: How Bernie Madoff's Niece Turned a Family Scandal Into a Mission to Fight Against Pay Inequities There's a new Enron.com website that looks spookily legit, with "Who We Are," "Careers," and "Company Store" options. The store is selling merch (T-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweatshirts), and there's even an "employee" portal. They also have new social channels. The website says a "big" announcement is coming in six days. Is Enron Really Back? It's doubtful. The relaunch appears to be an elaborate prank to sell merchandise. Ars Technica suggests the announcement that is coming in six days could be a crypto coin. Publicly available documents found by CNN reveal that an LLC out of Arkansas called The College Company bought the Enron trademark in 2020 for $275. Connor Gaydos, the co-creator of "Birds Aren't Real," a joke that became a Millennial and Gen Z conspiracy theory, is connected to the LLC. Under the terms and conditions , the website says that it is "protected parody" for "entertainment purposes only," per USA Today . When CNN reached out to the press contact on the new website, they received a reply from New York communications firm Stu Loeser & Co that said they'll "have more to share soon," and declined further comment. Related: From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse What Happened to Enron? Formerly based in Houston, Texas, Enron was an energy and commodities company that collapsed in 2001 after executives were found to have majorly overstated earnings and the financial health of the company. Executives, including the CEO as CFO, went to prison after receiving criminal convictions for lying to investors. At the time, Enron held more than $60 billion in assets and the scandal left thousands of victims in its wake. It was one of the biggest bankruptcy filings in the history of the U.S., per Britannica . The corruption also led to the dissolution of Arthur Andersen LLP , which was then one of the largest auditing and accounting companies in the world. Related: From Enron to Bernie Madoff to FTX, This Oil Tycoon Lost Billions to Bad Investments and Ponzi SchemesBristow Group Inc. (NYSE:VTOL) Shares Bought by Barclays PLC
KYIV: Russia launched a record 188 drones at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv said Tuesday, amid growing international tensions after Russia fired a nuclear-capable missile that could reach European cities. The Kremlin declined on Tuesday to confirm that Ukrainian forces had again launched US-provided long-range ATACMS at Russia this week but blamed Washington for escalating the conflict nonetheless. Moscow and Kyiv have been ratcheting up their drone and missile broadsides, with Ukraine recently firing US long-range missiles at Russia and the Kremlin retaliating with an experimental hypersonic missile. The barrage came as ambassadors from Ukraine and NATO’s 32 members were due to meet in Brussels over Russia’s firing last week of the intermediate-range missile on the city of Dnipro. “During the night attack, the enemy launched a record number of Shahed strike unmanned aerial vehicles and unidentified drones,” the air force said Tuesday, referring to Iranian-designed drones and putting the overall number fired at 188. The air force said it had shot down 76 Russian drones in 17 regions, while another 95 were either lost from their radars or downed by electronic jamming defensive systems. It did not specify what happened to the remainder. Moscow also fired four Iskander-M ballistic missiles, the air force said. “Unfortunately, critical infrastructure facilities were hit, private and apartment buildings were damaged in several regions,” a statement said. Explosions in Kyiv AFP journalists heard explosions ring out over the capital, while Kyiv city officials said the air alert had lasted five hours and 10 Russian drones were shot down there. In the western Ternopil region, which is among those spared the worst of the fighting, authorities said drones had damaged a “critical infrastructure facility,” without elaborating. They said however that the attack had disrupted electricity in the city of Ternopil and surrounding towns, and that engineers were working to stabilize supplies. Putin had said the new missile attack last week was in response to Ukraine firing weapons supplied by the United States and Britain into Russia. The Kremlin leader warned that Moscow felt it had the right to hit military facilities in countries that allow Ukraine to use their weapons against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week called the strike “the latest bout of Russian madness” and appealed for updated air-defence systems to meet the new threat. Kyiv says it hopes to get “concrete and meaningful outcomes” after calling the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. But diplomats and officials at NATO have played down expectations for any major results from the consultations on Tuesday afternoon at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters. The most that is expected is a reiteration of NATO’s earlier insistence that Moscow’s deployment of the new weaponry will not “deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine”. Russian forces advance The meeting “provides an opportunity to discuss the current security situation in Ukraine and will include briefings from Ukrainian officials via video link,” a NATO official said. The Kremlin dismissed the meeting saying it was unlikely any significant decisions would be taken. On the battlefield, Ukraine’s fatigued troops are struggling to halt advances by Russian forces in the east of the country. Russia said Tuesday its troops had captured another village in the Kharkiv region, in an area where the front line had been relatively stable until recently. The defense ministry said its units had “liberated” the settlement of Kopanky,” a village near the Ukrainian-held city of Kupiansk that was previously captured by Russian forces at the start of the 2022 offensive before being re-taken by Ukraine later that year. Moscow also on Tuesday confirmed it had detained a British man it captured fighting for Ukraine in Kyiv’s offensive into Russia’s western Kursk region. A court in the region said it had on Monday ordered James Scott Rhys Anderson be remanded in custody, alleging he had “participated in armed hostilities on the territory of the Kursk region”. ‘Genocidal activities’ Russia is carrying out “genocidal activities” by laying landmines on Ukraine’s territory, an official from Kyiv’s defense ministry told a landmine conference in Cambodia on Tuesday. Russian forces were planting landmines “in cities, farming households, public transport stations, remotely by means of artillery, helicopters, multiple rocket launch systems and drones”, said Oleksandr Riabtsev of Kyiv’s defense ministry. These “genocidal activities” had affected areas home to six million Ukrainians, he told a landmine conference in Cambodia’s Siem Reap. Another Ukrainian defense official told the conference Kyiv will not fulfil a commitment to destroy a stockpile of around six million landmines left over from the Soviet Union because of Russia’s invasion. The commitment made in connection with the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention’s Oslo Action Plan is “currently not possible” due to Russia’s invasion, Yevhenii Kivshyk said. Arsenals and other sites where anti-personnel mines are stored “have been under constant air and missile strikes by the armed forces of the Russian Federation”, he said. “In addition, some of them are in the territories that are currently under occupation by the Russian armed forces,” Kivshyk said. Therefore there was “no possibility whatsoever to conduct audit and verification of the anti-personnel mine stocks”. Ukraine is a signatory of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and has committed to destroying its stockpile of landmines. But it has previously missed deadlines to destroy its stockpile. Last week Washington announced that it would send anti-personnel landmines to Kyiv to help its forces battle Russian troops, a decision immediately criticised by human rights campaigners. The United States and Russia are not signatories to the anti-landmine convention. Kivshyk made no mention of the US offer to Ukraine during his speech to the conference in Siem Reap. - AFP
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is warranted because of the extraordinary circumstances of his impending return to the White House. “Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts,” the attorneys continued, before citing the “overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024.” Related Articles Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse the conviction, which involved efforts to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels, whose affair allegations threatened to disrupt his 2016 campaign. He has denied any wrongdoing. Trump takes office Jan. 20. Merchan hasn’t set a timetable for a decision. A dismissal would erase Trump’s historic conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Merchan could also decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option.Name a hot topic, and chances are good there's a new law about it taking effect in 2025 in one state or another. Many of the laws launching in January are a result of legislation passed this year. Others stem from ballot measures approved by voters. Some face legal challenges. Here's a look at some of the most notable state laws taking effect: Hollywood stars and child influencers California, home to Hollywood and some of the largest technology companies, is seeking to rein in the artificial intelligence industry and put some parameters around social media stars. New laws seek to prevent the use of digital replicas of Hollywood actors and performers without permission and allow the estates of dead performers to sue over unauthorized AI use. Parents who profit from social media posts featuring their children will be required to set aside some earnings for their young influencers. A new law also allows children to sue their parents for failing to do so. Social media limits New social media restrictions in several states face court challenges. A Florida law bans children under 14 from having social media accounts and requires parental consent for ages 14 and 15. But enforcement is being delayed because of a lawsuit filed by two associations for online companies, with a hearing scheduled for late February. A new Tennessee law also requires parental consent for minors to open accounts on social media. NetChoice, an industry group for online businesses, is challenging the law. Another new state law requires porn websites to verify that visitors are at least 18 years old. But the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, has filed a challenge. Several new California measures aimed at combating political deepfakes are also being challenged, including one requiring large social media platforms to remove deceptive content related to elections and another allowing any individual to sue for damages over the use of AI to create fabricated images or videos in political ads. School rules on gender In a first nationally, California will start enforcing a law prohibiting school districts from adopting policies that require staff to notify parents if their children change their gender identification. The law was a priority for Democratic lawmakers who wanted to halt such policies passed by several districts. Abortion coverage Many states have passed laws limiting or protecting abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide right to the procedure in 2022. One of the latest is the Democratic-led state of Delaware. A law there will require the state employee health plan and Medicaid plans for lower-income residents to cover abortions with no deductible, copayments or other cost-sharing requirements. Gun control A new Minnesota law prohibits guns with "binary triggers" that allow for more rapid fire, causing a weapon to fire one round when the trigger is pulled and another when it is released. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts In Delaware, a law adds colleges and universities to a list of school zones where guns are prohibited, with exceptions for those working in their official capacity such as law officers and commissioned security guards. Medical marijuana Kentucky is becoming the latest state to let people use marijuana for medical purposes. To apply for a state medical cannabis card, people must get written certification from a medical provider of a qualifying condition, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea or post-traumatic stress disorder. Nearly four-fifths of U.S. states have now legalized medical marijuana. Minimum wages Minimum wage workers in more than 20 states are due to receive raises in January. The highest minimum wages will be in Washington, California and Connecticut, all of which will top $16 an hour after modest increases. The largest increases are scheduled in Delaware, where the minimum wage will rise by $1.75 to $15 an hour, and in Nebraska, where a ballot measure approved by voters in 2022 will add $1.50 to the current minimum of $12 an hour. Twenty other states still follow the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Safer traveling In Oregon, using drugs on public transit will be considered a misdemeanor crime of interfering with public transportation. While the measure worked its way through the legislature, multiple transportation officials said drug use on buses and trains, and at transit stops and stations, was making passengers and drivers feel less safe. In Missouri, law enforcement officers have spent the past 16 months issuing warnings to motorists that handheld cellphone use is illegal. Starting with the new year, penalties will kick in: a $150 fine for the first violation, progressing to $500 for third and subsequent offenses and up to 15 years imprisonment if a driver using a cellphone cause an injury or death. But police must notice a primary violation, such as speeding or weaving across lanes, to cite motorists for violating the cellphone law. Montana is the only state that hasn't banned texting while driving, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tax breaks Tenants in Arizona will no longer have to pay tax on their monthly rent, thanks to the repeal of a law that had allowed cities and towns to impose such taxes. While a victory for renters, the new law is a financial loss for governments. An analysis by Arizona's nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee estimated that $230 million would be lost in municipal tax revenue during the first full fiscal year of implementation. Meanwhile Alabama will offer tax credits to businesses that help employees with child care costs. Kansas is eliminating its 2% sales tax on groceries. It also is cutting individual income taxes by dropping the top tax rate, increasing a credit for child care expenses and exempting all Social Security income from taxes, among other things. Taxpayers are expected to save about $320 million a year going forward. Voting rights An Oklahoma law expands voting privileges to people who have been convicted of felonies but had their sentences discharged or commuted, including commutations for crimes that have been reclassified from felonies to misdemeanors. Former state Sen. George Young, an Oklahoma City Democrat, carried the bill in the Senate. "I think it's very important that people who have gone through trials and tribulations in their life, that we have a system that brings them back and allows them to participate as contributing citizens," Young said. Associated Press writers Trân Nguyễn in Sacramento, California; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Kentucky; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri; Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas; and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed.