In December of this year, more than 190 nations will gather in Paris to negotiate a global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, laying the foundation to save the planet from what many believe will be a catastrophic and irreversible change in the Earth’s climate.

PBOT leaders say they’ve already addressed many of the auditor’s recommendations. They also say the scale of Portland’s traffic violence crisis is too big for just one bureau to address. by Taylor Griggs

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) adopted its Vision Zero Action Plan in December 2016, with the goal of eliminating traffic crash deaths and injuries in the city. But in recent years, Portland has seen its highest numbers of traffic injuries and fatalities in decades. Pedestrians have faced a heightened risk of traffic violence in recent years, and parts of Portland with higher low-income populations and communities of color are also disproportionately impacted. 

The daylight between PBOT’s stated Vision Zero goals and the increase in recent traffic crash deaths prompted scrutiny from the Portland Auditor’s Office. A new report from the Auditor’s Office, released Wednesday, says PBOT “partially completed” safety projects identified in its Vision Zero plan, but notes the bureau doesn’t adequately evaluate the outcomes of the safety projects it completes. 

The Auditor’s Office recommends PBOT create a plan to evaluate its projects “to determine which get the desired outcomes and where Vision Zero efforts are most needed.” The office also asks the bureau to install promised speed cameras to help with traffic safety enforcement and recommends PBOT “revisit its equity methodology to ensure it accounts for smaller scale improvements that could have positive equity impacts.” 

“These efforts to collect data, analyze, evaluate, and carefully track which safety projects have the most desired outcomes could help move toward Vision Zero’s goal of zero fatal and serious injury traffic crashes,” the audit report states. 

The audit report highlights concerns about the Vision Zero program that many transportation and safe streets activists have raised for years—though the Auditor’s Office didn’t issue as harsh an indictment of PBOT as some critics may want. Earlier this year, when PBOT leaders presented their 2023 Vision Zero report to City Council, some Portland advocates didn’t mince words about their thoughts on the city’s implementation of the program. 

“There is no question that Portland's Vision Zero Program has been an abject failure,” Sarah Risser, a local transportation safety activist, wrote in public testimony to City Council in April. “Given its abysmal track record, it is reasonable to conclude that it will continue to be a failure.”

The Portland Auditor’s Office didn’t mark PBOT’s Vision Zero plan as a failure in its report, and PBOT leaders ultimately agreed with its recommendations, some of which the bureau says it has already implemented on its own. 

PBOT, too, acknowledges that larger structural changes are needed to save lives on the streets. Bureau leaders say they will continue working on their Vision Zero plans, but they hope the city government transition will break down silos and encourage more involvement in solving the problem of traffic violence on Portland’s streets. 

The year PBOT adopted the Vision Zero plan, 42 people died in traffic crashes on Portland’s streets. In 2019, when the bureau updated the plan to emphasize transportation system safety and focus more on actions within PBOT’s control, 48 people were the victims of traffic violence. In the last three years, more than 60 people have died in traffic crashes in Portland each year, with 69 fatalities in 2023. 

When PBOT leaders presented the 2023 Vision Zero report to City Council earlier this year, they acknowledged the rise in traffic fatalities since the program was adopted. But they said the program is successful in areas PBOT has been able to invest in, and said the bureau’s budget woes have curtailed its progress. The audit report suggests PBOT could get more out of the projects it does complete by improving its evaluation processes, which have historically been lacking. 

“Without systemic evaluation of safety outcomes, the Bureau is missing the opportunity to create more alignment between the work they do on safety projects and the overall goal of Vision Zero,” the report states. “A more systematic approach would allow trends to be identified and analyzed to better understand the outcomes of completed projects, and which may need to be altered or dropped. As traffic deaths continue to increase it is vital that the Bureau consistently evaluate completed safety projects so they can see which are working best at shifting the trend towards the intended goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries.” 

The second major recommendation the audit report suggests is that PBOT “do more to enforce speed limits” by following through on its promise to install more speed cameras throughout the city. Despite research showing the effectiveness of enforcement cameras as a way to reduce speeds and increase traffic safety—without involving the police—PBOT has been slow to install them. The bureau has blamed its camera vendor for the lag in speed camera implementation, but says it now has 37 cameras in operation or construction, and current contracted cameras will be online early next year. (By March 2023, PBOT had only installed nine cameras in the prior eight years.) 

The report also states despite PBOT’s attempt to prioritize and fund safety projects equitably—based on both crash data and neighborhood demographics—it may be missing “smaller safety projects with possible equitable outcomes” if they aren’t located on high-crash corridors. The Auditor’s Office recommends PBOT use more qualitative data to determine the projects it carries out. 

In response to the auditor’s recommendations, Public Works Service Area Deputy City Administrator Priya Dhanapal and PBOT Director Millicent Williams said while they “largely agree with the recommendations in the audit,” it’s a bit outdated. Last year, PBOT issued a Vision Zero Action Plan update for 2024 and 2025, which addresses many of the issues outlined in the audit report. 

“Our current Vision Zero Action Plan includes priorities directly tied to evaluation, delivery of the camera program and speed management as well as equity objectives,” Dhanapal and Williams wrote. “The audit was conducted on work and commitments outlined 3-5 years ago and work that took place during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Dhanapal and Williams also said PBOT needs help from other city bureaus to solve the crisis of traffic violence. 

“Eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries in Portland is possible [and] PBOT can lead the way,” Dhanapal and Williams wrote in a letter responding to the auditor’s report. “However, Portland will not reach Vision Zero with street design alone…. A societal commitment to meet basic human needs and implement strategies to change current conditions are necessary to reach many of our shared goals, including Vision Zero. These changes require leadership, investment, and commitment from partners beyond PBOT.”

PBOT leaders say they hope that collaboration and commitment will be easier due to the upcoming changes in Portland’s government. 

“Eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries is a City commitment and goal, but as a City we have focused the discussion on what PBOT does to change streets,” Dhanapal and Williams wrote. “We believe the City transition provides an opportunity to reengage City bureaus in Portland’s Vision Zero commitment and integrate the Safe System approach to traffic safety as a comprehensive prevention strategy to save lives.” 

May 1, 2015

Show title from A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, 1964.

The figure of Saint Michael, or Michael the Archangel, is one of the most powerful and revered beings in religious history. Known as the protector of the faithful and a warrior against evil, Archangel Michael is venerated across Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

New entrance at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. ; Credit: Tim Street-Porter/The Huntington

For years, I’d feared the worst. Behind that intrusive belt of chain link and green canvas fence, with all the hidden noise of power digging machines, smashing jackhammers and growling tractors going on behind it, and heaps of dirt piled high, I dreaded that something terrible was going on in the dark, hidden heart of our dear old Huntington.

We were promised a new visitor center, a new store, a new cafe and restaurant. I imagined the Disney-fied worst: Henry Huntington’s Roller Coaster Red Car Ride; Pinky’s Pinkberry Parlor. The Blue Boy Fashion Center. Maybe even a giant Rem Koolhaas-LACMA style amoeba of purple reinforced concrete sprawling all over the lawns between the library and the old gallery.

My fears were groundless. The $68 million (not much more than the Getty paid for its new Manet) 52,000 square foot Education and Visitor Center addition is in perfect harmony with the early 20th Century original library and art gallery, perhaps more so than some previous increments, such as the nearby and blankly imposing Munger Research Center. 

The addition is named after outgoing Huntington chief Steven S. Koblik, who engineered much of the funding and planning for the facility. He’s got something to be proud of in his retirement: a new garden-centered segment of new facilities that founder, pioneer transit tycoon Henry Huntington, would probably have enthused over.

(The Huntington Store at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Photo: Tim Porter-Street/The Huntington)

With its mighty $400 million endowment and the muscular fundraising power that enticed squillionaire Charlie Munger to donate hugely to this project (not to mention that research center), the venerable Huntington institution could have easily erected something expensively and grandiloquently modern.  

But its directorate and patrons seem to understand an important fact about the place: Most visitors don’t go there to be dazzled. We go there to be enthralled, even comforted by the century-old institution’s enduring and deeply reassuring ambiance that we are privileged to inhabit during our visits to its galleries of great art, its acreage of exquisite gardens and Arcadian vistas.

The Huntington possesses what designer Sheryl Barton, who co-created the new landscaping with the Huntington’s Jim Folsom, spoke of at the opening press conference as “the choreography of experience.”

That experience includes the new California-Mediterranean groves and gardens and the low-lying new structure that includes an expanded store, new classrooms, courts, cafes and an auditorium. With its simple, Tuscan-columned loggias and red-tiled roofs (and, oh, yes, even that showy glass dome on the Rose Hills Foundation Garden Court), it all effortlessly blends into the traditional whole.

Although the Huntington doesn’t seem to be planning on a new influx of visitors, it’s hard to see this new, more user-friendly front office isn’t going to attract more people to its San Marino location than the current 600,000 per year.

Particularly considering how regional museum attendance in general has boomed over recent decades. Will this abate the quiet private experience many of us Huntington fans have shared and treasured over the years?

(The Huntington will be installing this Alexander Calder sculpture, the  Jerusalem Stabile, this spring. Here, it's seen at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Calder Foundation; gift of the Philip & Muriel Berman Foundation to the Calder Foundation. Copyright © 2015 Calder Foundation /Artists Rights Society (ARS) Used with permission of The Huntington)

Probably. But there will also be important new things to see — like  Alexander Calder’s 12-by-20-foot Jerusalem Stabile, which beckons you into the new addition, and two powerful, newly acquired murals by the great 20th Century California artists Millard Sheets and Doyle Lane. Plus a new and glorious vista from the cafe’s terrace over to the original old Huntington villa — now gallery — where all this began, over a century ago.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Campbell Soup Co. plans to reorganize its businesses into three divisions, each headed by a president. In addition, Irene Chang Britt, president–Pepperidge Farm and senior vice president–Global Baking and Snacking, will leave the company.

Get ready for some very hard, yet rewarding, work. Being an agent of change for the better is always rewarding, no matter what the industry, profession or hobby. Anything worth accomplishing is going to take a lot of work—just look at what we have seen at the recent Summer Olympics.

TyreGo.ie is now offering excellent value with their new Tyre Changer & Wheel Balancer packages.

Just like in Mac OS X, you can change the DNS servers on your iPhone. This can significantly speed up Safari and other iPhone apps that use the Internet. For a general introduction to DNS, and to learn why you would want to change the DNS servers on your iPhone, see How to Change Your Mac's DNS Servers.

Before we start, you should know a couple things about how iOS handles DNS. First, these instructions only work for Wi-Fi connections - iOS does not allow you to change the DNS servers when connected to cellular networks. Also, the changes are network specific, so you'll need to change the DNS servers every time you connect to a new wireless network. The good news is that iOS remembers the settings, so you won't have to do anything the second time you connect to a network.

Here's how to change your iPhone's DNS servers:

1. From the iPhone's home screen, tap Settings.
   
   
2. Tap Wi-Fi. The screen shown below appears. The available wireless networks in range of your iPhone appear, as shown below.
   
   
3. Find your wireless network in the list, and then click the arrow. The screen shown below appears.
   
   
4. Tap the DNS field.
   
   
5. Delete the current DNS servers, and enter the new DNS servers. (If you enter more than one DNS server, be sure sure to separate the servers with commas.)
   • To use OpenDNS, enter 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
   • To use Google DNS, enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
6. Test your new DNS servers to make sure they're working.
   • If you're using OpenDNS, visit the OpenDNS test page.
   • If you're using Google Public DNS, follow these testing instructions.

That's it! You've updated your iPhone's DNS servers!

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Meet Your Macinstructor

Matt Cone, the author of Master Your Mac, has been a Mac user for over 20 years. A former ghost writer for some of Apple's most notable instructors, Cone founded Macinstruct in 1999, a site with OS X tutorials that boasts hundreds of thousands of unique visitors per month. You can email him at: matt@macinstruct.com.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 4:00pm
Location: Hatcher Graduate Library
Organized By: University Library

Talk about books with other book lovers while enjoying free cider and donuts! Whether you have a well-loved book that you would like to share with others, want to discuss different authors, or just want to trade for something new, please join us!

Sponsored by student Jack Lado, as a class project, and U-M Library.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 12:00pm
Location: North Quad
Organized By: School of Information

UMSI Semester Exchange Program: Meet & Greet Lunches

This lunchtime event is intended for student who have or will participate in a UMSI Semester Exchange Program. Students will have the opportunity to share their experiences, ask and answer questions, and network with other UMSI students who have already or will soon study abroad!


Lunch will be provided to those that register. Register here! - https://umsi.info/elo-register

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 9:00am
Location: Dana Natural Resources Building
Organized By: Institute for Global Change Biology IGCB

Join Us for the Institute for Global Change Biology Mini-Symposium!

Explore the cutting-edge research advancing our understanding of public health, sustainability, and ecology at the Institute for Global Change Biology's upcoming mini-symposium. This event will highlight diverse and impactful projects led by our postdoctoral research fellows, showcasing insights that address pressing global challenges. Enjoy a day of science, discussion, and discovery—with snacks and lunch provided!


09:00 Coffee/Tea

09:30 Khandaker Jafor Ahmed: Exploring climate, health, and environment in
coastal vs. Lake Victoria regions of Kenya

09:45 Stephanie Schmiege: Living at the edge: Physiological controls of the
northern limits of treeline

10:00 Leo Ohyama: Macroecological dynamics of ant colony sizes

10:15 Hengxing Zou: Functional shifts of North American avian communities over
half a century

10:30 Kirby Mills: Fire and drought conditions reshape habitat suitability for large
mammals in the American West

10:45 Sarah Raubenheimer: Competition and functional traits mediate CO2
fertilization of plant growth

11:00 Coffee/Tea Snacks

11:20 Wenqi Luo: Continental-scale evaluation of soil fungal biodiversity under
future climate and land-use changes

11:35 Liting Zheng: Plant functional trait responses to long-term elevated CO2
and nitrogen enrichment, and consequences for outcomes of species
interactions

11:50 Tsun Fung Au: Tree growth responses to drought, CO2, and nitrogen
deposition

12:05 Thiago Gonçalves Souza: Increasing species turnover does not alleviate
biodiversity loss in fragmented landscapes

12:20 Kara Dobson: A global meta-analysis of passive experimental warming
effects on plant traits and community properties

12:35 Katie Rocci: Integrating microbial community data into ecosystem-scale
models in the face of climate change

12:50 Lunch

The Chicago Transit Board today approved an amendment to an agreement with JRTC Holdings, the firm tasked with redeveloping the former James R. Thompson Center, which will result in major changes for the Clark/Lake Loop Elevated station.

(Thu, Nov 14 2024 2:05 AM to TBD) Blue Line service running w/delays due to a track condition near Cicero; board all trains on the Forest Park-bound side at Pulaski, Cicero and Austin.

FSX 2025 is designed as a platform for knowledge-sharing, professional growth, and collaboration among key stakeholders in the food industry.

The October jobs report from Australia was not as strong as we have become accustomed to:

• Australian October unemployment rate 4.1% (vs. 4.1% expected)

It was not a poor report, just not another blockbuster!

AUD/USD is not a lot changed. Earlier we had Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Bullock sounding not dovish:

• RBA Bullock says rates are restrictive enough, staying there until confident on inflation

Fundamental Overview

The US CPI yesterday came in line with expectations leading to a bit of a “sell the fact” reaction in the US Dollar.

The bullish momentum picked up a bit later though as Fed’s Logan delivered a hawkish comment saying that “models show that Fed funds could be very close to neutral” basically implying a lot more cautious approach on rate cuts in 2025.

The market is viewing all of this in light of the recent US election as Trump’s policies are likely to spur growth and potentially keep inflation above target for longer, making the Fed’s job of bringing inflation back to target a bit harder.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – Daily Timeframe

On the daily chart, we can see that USDJPY finally extended the rally into new highs helped by a hawkish comment from Fed’s Logan. There’s no strong technical resistance now at least until the 160.00 handle.

If we get a pullback, the buyers will likely lean on the trendline with a defined risk below it to position for a rally into the 160.00 handle. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to start targeting a drop back into the 152.00 support.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – 4 hour Timeframe

On the 4 hour chart, we can see that we have a minor upward trendline defining the current bullish momentum. If we get a pullback, the buyers will likely lean on it to position for new highs, while the sellers will look for a break lower to target a break below the major trendline.

USDJPY Technical Analysis – 1 hour Timeframe

On the 1 hour chart, there’s not much else we can add as from a risk management perspective, the buyers will have a better setup around the trendline, while the sellers are better to wait for a technical break lower instead of trying to catch the top. The red lines define the average daily range for today.

Upcoming Catalysts

Today we have the US PPI and the US Jobless Claims figures. Tomorrow, we conclude the week with the US Retail Sales data.

See the video below

ULAANBAATAR, 30 June 2016 – Election day was orderly and followed a competitive campaign. This, however, did not offset the impact of late fundamental changes to election laws on Mongolia’s democratic development, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. While the June 29 parliamentary elections were highly contested and freedoms of assembly and association were respected, restrictive campaign provisions, coupled with the media’s subservience to political interests, limited impartial and comprehensive information available to voters, the statement says.

“We were pleased to see that voting took place in a calm and peaceful manner. This was a genuinely competitive contest, with high turnout and no certainty as to which party would win. We applaud the fact Mongolia is a functioning democracy,” said Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Head of the European Parliament delegation. “There were, however, some elements which cause concern, including significant last-minute changes to the election laws, which, among other things, prevented 150,000 Mongolian citizens living outside the country, including diplomats, from voting.”

The observers said the consolidation of election legislation into a new law adopted on 25 December 2015, following an inclusive process, was a positive development toward establishing a cohesive electoral framework. However, changes in May 2016 – from a mixed electoral system to a solely majoritarian one, establishing 76 single-mandate constituencies and approving their boundaries – were introduced by parliament in a process that lacked transparency, public consultation and adherence to established criteria, the observers said. This resulted in profound population discrepancies among constituencies.

A total of 498 candidates, including 69 independents, was registered in a process that was largely inclusive and provided voters with a range of political choices. Contrary to OSCE commitments and other international obligations, however, there are disproportionate restrictions on candidacy rights the statement says. While there was general confidence in the accuracy and inclusiveness of the voting register, the May changes to the election laws also effectively disenfranchised 150,000 citizens living abroad for the parliamentary elections.

“For an election to be meaningful, voters first have to be offered a genuine choice, and voters were given that choice here. That choice also has to be between candidates competing on a level playing field and who have equal access to independent media to explain their platforms. In this, there is still work to do,” said Ambassador Audrey Glover, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission. “Elections are about voters, and the main problem for voters was understanding the significant last-minute changes to election laws, which affected the rules of the game profoundly and raised questions about political motivation.” 

Despite undue campaign restrictions, the freedoms of assembly and association were respected and candidates were generally able to convey their messages to the electorate. At times the lines were blurred between parties and the administration at both the national and local levels, the observers said. There were multiple instances of alleged vote-buying, which resulted in a number of formal complaints and the deregistration of two candidates.

The GEC received some 50 pre-election complaints. Courts reviewed 21 cases regarding candidate registration, and the police handled more than 1,000 campaign-related complaints. Although legislation clarifies the complaints and appeals process to some extent, a general lack of formalization and transparency in the process within the election administration and the protracted handling of disputes in courts undermined the right to effective remedy.

The media offered extensive election coverage, but abandoned their journalistic role, for the most part simply granting direct access to the politicians. Paid political advertisements and free airtime overshadowed editorial content, and campaign material prepared by political parties was also included in news programming, undercutting the credibility of the media. Consequently, voters were deprived of independent and analytical reporting, the observers said.

In preparation for election day, the General Election Commission met key operational deadlines and fulfilled its mandate. At the same time, the observers said, it lacked transparency and accountability to stakeholders, diminishing trust in the credibility of the process. The testing of vote-counting machines was conducted professionally by the Commission in the presence of stakeholders and, to address concerns over the machines’ accuracy and integrity, the law was amended stipulate that up to 50 per cent of polling stations would be subject to manual recounts. The procedures stipulating the manual re-count, however, were only finalized two days prior to the elections.

All parties and coalitions complied with the 20 per cent gender quota provided for by law, and 26 per cent of contestants were women. There were, however, no women candidates in more than one-third of the constituencies. While there is only one woman member of the General Election Commission, women were better represented in lower-level election commissions. Overall, women remain underrepresented in political life.

Election day proceeded in an orderly manner in most of the country and, while the right to vote was respected, the secrecy of the vote was not consistently ensured. The observers’ assessment of the counting and tabulation of votes was a notable exception to the overall positive assessment of voting, mostly as a result of significant procedural errors or omissions. A number of civil society organizations monitored the pre-election environment, including campaign finance and the media, and issued timely statements highlighting key shortcomings.

For further information, contact:
Thomas Rymer, OSCE/ODIHR, +976 95 14 1635 or +48 609 522 266, thomas.rymer@odihr.pl

Tim Boden, European Parliament, +976 99 976294 or +32 473 844431, timothy.boden@europarl.europa.eu

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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/opinion/climate-change-politics-trump-cop29.html By David Wallace-Wells When the COP29 climate conference comes to an end next week, it will have concluded without an appearance by President Biden. This is not because Donald Trump just won the election, supplanting the outgoing American head of state on the world stage. The president-elect isn’t attending, either. Neither is Vice President […]

Scientific theories are integrated with art during "Transformation Theory", which is running at West Eden Gallery until Dec 22.

Deadpool and Wolverine took a while to get off the ground because Ryan Reynolds was attempting to fold Deadpool into every MCU movie.

US concerned by Russia-North Korea ties and technology exchanges  Reuters

MEPs debate future EU-US relations against backdrop of US administration change

November 12 saw 10,150 shares trade on the Bermuda Stock Exchange, valued at $370,475.00 BD. 10,150 shares were traded by Bank of N.T. Butterfield Ltd, closing up even at $36.50 per share. The BSX finished at 2,526.08, even on the day. There were 0 advances, 0 declines, and 53 remained unchanged. The full report for […]

Former Vice President Pence's adviser Marc Short said Wednesday on MSNBC's "José Díaz-Balart Reports" that President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, should not be underestimated.

The post Marc Short: Don’t ‘Underestimate’ Hegseth as Sec of Defense, He’s a ‘Welcome Change for Many’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Colorado legislators questioned Gov. Jared Polis about what he has described as his "belt-tightening" budget proposal.

The International Olympic Committee has approved the change of nationality for figure skater Vanessa James, with James now be able to compete for Canada at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The report on the Inside The Games website said, “James will be eligible to represent Canada at the Games with her new skating partner, […]

The United States foreign food aid program can be a big help when extreme weather fueled by climate change hammers communities

Here are some of the women who've transformed television, from Betty White and Lynda Carter to Oprah Winfrey and Quinta Brunson.

Climate change is affecting the way in which we’re producing food and how polluted the water we drink and the air we breathe are, but only about one in three governments pointed out the impact of climate change on their citizens’ health.

Leadership at the beleaguered Boeing Company forced a major shakeup shortly before President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Election Day, hinting the aerospace giant will have new priorities under the incoming […]

The post Boeing Made a Huge Move Days Before Trump's Victory, Major Change Underway appeared first on The Western Journal.

The incoming Trump administration is reportedly planning to add more pro-MAGA outlets into the small White House press briefing room, which may mean some traditional establishment outlets getting the bump […]

The post Report: Trump Administration Planning a Major Press Briefing Change That Will Infuriate Mainstream Media Outlets appeared first on The Western Journal.

Bruno Fernandes hopes new manager Ruben Amorim can "change the energy" at struggling Manchester United after the Portuguese coach checked in at the Premier League club.

The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Grigori Denisenko from the Henderson Silver Knights and have sent down Jonas Rondbjerg.

Advocates are working to improve youth voter turnout in this provincial election. The last time Nova Scotians went to the polls in 2021, young people aged 18-34 had the lowest voter turnout.

Treasury has proposed the implementation of a floor price below which alcoholic beverages cannot be sold.

"I would basically eat everything and anything under the sun that is unhealthy," Sunaina Roshan reveals in her latest social media post.

World Diabetes Day 2024 reminds us of the importance of breaking barriers and bridging gaps to ensure that everyone with diabetes has access to the resources and care they need.

Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset was launched by Qualcomm at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii last month as a successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The rumour mill now suggests that its successor, the purported Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC, might offer an even bigger jump in single and multi-core performance, despite recent changes suggested in its development plans.

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been in space since June, has put an end to swirling "rumours" about her health, saying she weighs the same as she did when she arrived at the International Space Station (ISS).

BAKU, Azerbaijan — When more than two dozen world leaders deliver remarks at the United Nations' annual climate conference on Wednesday, many have detailed their nations' firsthand experience with the catastrophic weather that has come with climate change. “Over the past year, catastrophic floods in Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as well as in southern Croatia have shown the devastating impact of rising temperatures,” said Croatia's prime minister, Andrej Plenkovic. “The Mediterranean, one of the most vulnerable regions, calls for urgent action.” The Greek prime minister said Europe and the world needs to be “more honest” about the trade-offs needed to keep global temperatures down. “We need to ask hard questions about a path that goes very fast, at the expense of our competitiveness, and a path that goes some much slower, but allows our industry to adapt and to thrive,” he said. His nation this summer was hammered by successive heat waves after three years of below-average rainfall. In Greece, the misery included water shortages, dried-up lakes and the death of wild horses. Other speakers on the list include Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose nation has seen deadly flooding this year from monsoon rains that scientists say have become heavier with climate change. Just two years ago, more than 1,700 people died in widespread flooding. Pakistan has also suffered from dangerous heat, with thousands of people hospitalized with heatstroke this spring as temperatures soared to 47 degrees Celsius. Also on the list of speakers Wednesday is Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis. Like many other countries in the Global South, the Bahamas has piled up debt from warming-connected weather disasters it did little to cause, including Hurricanes Dorian in 2019 and Matthew in 2016. Leaders have been seeking help and money from the Global North and oil companies. Early on Wednesday, ministers and officials from African nations called for initiatives to advance green development on the continent and strengthen resilience to extreme weather events — from floods to droughts — across the region. Plenty of big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent from COP29 this year. That includes the 13 largest carbon dioxide-polluting countries — a group responsible for more than than 70% of the heat-trapping gases emitted last year — were missing. The world’s biggest polluters and strongest economies — China and the United States — didn't send their No. 1s. Neither did India and Indonesia. But U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was there, and he announced an 81% emissions reduction target on 1990 levels by 2035, in line with the Paris Agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. That’s up from the 78% the U.K. had already pledged. The main focus of this year’s talks is climate finance — wealthier nations compensating poor countries for damages from climate change’s weather extremes, helping them pay to transition their economies away from fossil fuels and helping them with adaptation.

Seplat Energy Plc has confirmed that the below currency exchange rate is applicable in determining Q3 2024 interim dividend to shareholders that will receive the dividend payment in Naira (NGN): The exchange rate for the Naira amounts payable is the NAFEM closing rate for November 11, 2024 Exchange Rate: 1 USD = 1,681.42 NGN

The post Seplat Energy announces currency exchange rates for Q3 2024 interim dividend first appeared on Business Hallmark.

White House — In what will likely be his farewell appearance on the world stage, President Joe Biden faces a daunting question: what to tell world leaders wondering about potential changes in U.S. policies when President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with his America First agenda. Biden is set to depart for Peru and Brazil Thursday for two major economic summits. Biden is scheduled to spend Friday and Saturday in Lima with leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, made up of 21 member economies that promote free trade in the region.  He will be in Rio de Janeiro on Monday and Tuesday to meet with leaders of the world's 20 largest economies at the Group of 20 summit. On the way to Rio from Lima, Biden will make a brief stop at Manaus for a climate-focused engagement in Brazil's state of Amazonas. In his meetings, Biden must face allies and partners who four years ago may have been skeptical about his "America is back" message and the durability of U.S. global commitments. These leaders saw Trump, during his first term, act to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord and threaten to pull out of NATO. Uncertainties about future U.S. policy will complicate efforts to reach an agenda on issues of global concern such as trade, poverty and debt alleviation, climate change, sustainable development, and green energy. "There will be a lot of combination of lamenting, speculation, guessing about what we'll see coming first in terms of policies out of the campaign and how countries are best able to position themselves," said Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'America's allies are vital' To these leaders, Biden's message is that "America's allies are vital to America's national security," said national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who previewed the trip to reporters on Wednesday. "They make us stronger. They multiply our capability. They take a burden off of our shoulders. They contribute to our common causes," Sullivan said. He underscored that Biden would be attending the APEC summit when U.S. alliances in the region were at an "all-time high," with bolstered ties with Japan, Korea, Australia and the Philippines. Biden will hold a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of APEC with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan to "discuss the importance of institutionalizing" the progress made so that it carries forward through the transition to the new administration, Sullivan said. Whatever the questions surrounding the next administration, Biden will emphasize his faith in the "ideals of American engagement around the world," said Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center. "He believes it is in the best interest of both America and the world for it to continue," Lipsky said. "And not one election or one president can undercut that, from his perspective." Biden's agenda In Rio de Janeiro, Biden will "demonstrate the strong value proposition of the United States to developing countries and lead the G20 to work together to address shared global challenges," the White House said. He is expected to hold bilateral meetings with summit hosts Peruvian President Dina Boluarte and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. In Lima, he is set to support Peru's initiative to expand APEC's economic inclusion efforts to empower workers in the informal economy, said Matt Murray, U.S. senior official for APEC. In Rio, he will focus on workers' rights and clean economic growth and attend the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, Lula's initiative aimed at accelerating global efforts to reduce hunger and poverty by 2030. In Manaus, Biden will make history as the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Brazilian Amazon. There, he will deliver remarks on climate conservation and engage Indigenous leaders working to preserve the rainforest. Symbolic and short-lived Many of Biden's efforts will be mostly symbolic and short-lived, as the incoming U.S. administration could bring dramatically different priorities on global welfare programs and climate change. Analysts say that while the world has watched U.S. leadership swing from Republican to Democratic and back again in recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping will seek to project an image of stability as he exerts his vision of China's increased role on the global stage. In Peru, Xi will inaugurate a $1.3 billion megaport, part of China's infrastructure investment program that has bought him influence in various parts of the world. Beijing has increased diplomatic engagement in the region, with Xi visiting 11 Latin American countries since becoming president, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Summit hosts Peru and Brazil are set to honor him with state visits this month. A meeting between Biden and Xi, likely their last during Biden's term, is scheduled in Lima for Saturday. The meeting comes as Trump appoints ardent China critics in key foreign policy positions, moves that could lead to a more confrontational U.S. posture toward Beijing. Whatever the next administration decides, it's going to need to find ways to manage the "tough, complicated relationship" between the U.S. and China, a senior official said when asked what Biden might tell Xi to expect from the incoming administration.

Local government reform had been undertaken without preparation, Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou said on Wednesday. The two and a half years which had been granted while elections were postponed had not been used to do what was needed, resulting in playing catch up, he said. The relevant ministries “have not shown the necessary fervour” towards […]