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Christmas cheer for poor children in Tacloban

Students from OM Philippines-Cebu's Alternative Learning System bring children joy through a Christmas party, following the trauma caused by Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan.




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A Baptism and a feast

A teenage girl's courage and boldness opens door for family´s salvation (Philippines).




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Pay back time

A Turkish girl helps out at the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC) as part of her church's discipleship programme.




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Trying to get a bank account

One OMer forms an unlikely friendship with a security guard while trying to get a bank account in Turkey




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'Please come back tomorrow'

An OMer sharing the gospel at a police station in Turkey is asked to return and carry on the conversation.




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Transformation through football

It started with one ball and grew to become a garden.




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Just one ball

It's more than just a sport. OM is using football at Lake Tanganyika to train and empower young boys.




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'Ba Coach'

Kasama is known for sports and vulnerable kids; two subjects that OMer Noel is passionate about.




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A special baptism

OM worker rejoices her friend's baptism in Greece.




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Blessing young Albanians from the streets of Athens

In 2008, the Greek Evangelical Church in Athens opened a community centre, in a suburb where many Albanians live. OM worker Martha describes how she and other staff are reaching out with God's love to local young people.




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Albanians find Jesus in Greece

Instead of the two families they had hoped for, seven families from Katerini attend the Christian camp for Albanians in Greece.




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Running at full capacity: Evangelicals serve refugees in Lebanon

Five years of displacement has taken its toll on Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, but many have met Jesus and discovered eternal hope.




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OM Italy launches Saturday football games

To counter negative effects caused by lack of jobs and activities in the local area, OM Italy now offers free football games.




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Samba and sports in Italy

A Transform 2013 outreach team in Vasto, Italy, uses samba music and sports to connect with children.




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Gleanings from garbage

Christina reflects on lessons learned about valuing people the way Christ did, while cleaning trash and volunteering in a refugee camp in Šid, Serbia.




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Friends through football

God uses football and English lessons to build friendships between OM Serbia and refugees.




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Global South, Global North and Christ's attitude

Claudia Costa, from Brazil, discusses her personal journey to leadership in Europe and the unity believers share in the body of Christ.




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Four years of bad roads and tight corners

Wanted: an adventure-loving, open-minded driver. Esa was that driver.




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Khawaja Backs McSweeney As Opening Partner In Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Australia batter Usman Khawaja has laughed off the subject of Nathan McSweeney's strike rate of 41.92 being lower than his in Tests 48.3.




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Ex RCB, CSK, MI Star Joins Gujarat Titans As Batting Coach

Gujarat Titans have entrusted former India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel with the dual responsibility of serving as their assistant and batting coach in the upcoming IPL




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Yashasvi's Brother Quit Mumbai, Couldn't Afford Food; Now He Is Ranji Star

Tejasvi Jaiswal, elder brother of star India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, was in the news recently, having scored his maiden First-Class half-century in Ranji Trophy.




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3rd T20I Live: India Keep SA In Check Despite Miller-Klaasen Fightback

India vs South Africa 3rd T20I LIVE Updates: Varun Chakaravarthy has picked two wickets as South Africa are four down in their chase of 220 runs against India




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Sri Lanka opt to bat; three ODI debutants for New Zealand - ESPNcricinfo

  1. Sri Lanka opt to bat; three ODI debutants for New Zealand  ESPNcricinfo
  2. Mendis, Fernando tons deflate New Zealand  Cricbuzz
  3. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 45-runs to go 1-0 up in ODI series  The Times of India
  4. Sri Lanka wins toss, elects to bat in 1st ODI against New Zealand  Hindustan Times
  5. NZ vs SL ODIs: New faces, spin pitches and Champions Trophy watch  ESPNcricinfo






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Scanners for ingested contraband deployed in Bilibid

Two Soter RS full body scanners capable of detecting ingested or hidden contraband have been deployed at the New Bilibid Prison, according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).




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Villa Rosa developers say Church criticism based on discarded designs

“The Commission continues to criticise previous designs, despite our clarification that these have been discarded and will be redesigned based on the outcomes of the local plan review”




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CESAFI: CIT-U Junior Wildcats claw back USPF in come-from-behind win

CEBU CITY, Philippines —The Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Junior Wildcats mounted a dramatic second-half comeback to edge out the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers, 53-50. The game was part of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 High School Basketball Tournament, held on Wednesday, November 13, at the Cebu Coliseum. With the victory, the Junior Wildcats improved to a 6-4 record, securing the No. 6 spot in the standings, while USPF slipped to 4-5, dropping to No. 7. CIT-U forward Daniel Mapula was a key contributor throughout the game, dominating the paint with 10 […]...

Keep on reading: CESAFI: CIT-U Junior Wildcats claw back USPF in come-from-behind win




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No public practice this time for Gilas before Fiba qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines—Unlike in previous Gilas Pilipinas’ preparations under coach Tim Cone, the squad won’t be holding open practices to the public this time. Cone said the national team is pressed for time in its preparations for the second window of 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers, so opening the doors to fans is out of the question. “I don’t know if we’ll have the time to do something like we have in the past in Philsports in front of the fans because we only have five days of preparation this time,” said Cone in a presser on Wednesday. READ: Kouame back […]...

Keep on reading: No public practice this time for Gilas before Fiba qualifiers




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BingoPlus’ newest Mega Jackpot winner bags ₱154 million

BingoPlus, the country’s comprehensive entertainment platform, announced its newest Bingo Mega Jackpot winner on November 13, 2024 with a grand total of 154,148,662 Pesos winning prize. The Bingo Mega Jackpot winner of 154 million Pesos is the highest prize ever won so far in the BingoPlus platform. With only 5 Pesos worth of cards, the BingoPlus user purchased 20 random green cards for only 100 Pesos, and amazingly, hit the biggest jackpot in BingoPlus history. BingoMega is among many games in BingoPlus that allows you to both enjoy and win prizes while playing. For just 5 Pesos, you can have […]...

Keep on reading: BingoPlus’ newest Mega Jackpot winner bags ₱154 million




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World Bank oks $750-M PH digital transformation program

The World Bank (WB) has approved a new $750-million development policy loan aimed at helping the Philippine government ramp up its digital transformation efforts, marking its second financial aid of this type to a country where the internet economy has seen rapid expansion. The multilateral lender said on Wednesday that its second digital transformation package […]...

Keep on reading: World Bank oks $750-M PH digital transformation program




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Despite war, we are leading the fight against climate change, says Israel’s Climate Ambassador


“Climate change continues to happen, and it is important that Israel remains part of the efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Behar said.




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Bill to weaken Israel Bar Association passes preliminary Knesset vote


The bill would give the Justice Minister the authority to set the amount of the annual membership fee instead of IBA's national council.




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Expert urges Israel to target civilian infrastructure in Lebanon's 'Hezbollah state'


Hezbollah’s drones were “ultimately,” the terrorist organization’s “trump card,” despite rockets being employed as their “main weapons.”




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Fingers pointing in all directions: Dutch politicians debate Amsterdam attacks, antisemitism


The members of the House debated the role of lack of integration, antisemitism within the Muslim population, and failure of authority in a discussion about the attacks.




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‘Exploding pagers were purchased by Hezbollah,’ injured Iranian ambassador admits


Mojtaba Amani, the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Lebanon, himself badly injured by the pager incident, justified the purchase by quoting the ‘weakness of the Lebanese state’.




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Airlines ground Bali flights after volcano erupts

Airlines cancelled flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Wednesday, leaving travellers stranded after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky.

At least 16 international routes were affected after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a nine-kilometre tower a day earlier, the general manager of Bali’s international airport said in a statement.

Flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India, Australia, Malaysia, China’s Pudong and South Korea’s Incheon were all either delayed or grounded, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said Wednesday.

Animal clinic worker Samsudin, 52, from Indonesia’s main island was transiting in Bali to Malaysia and forced to spend the night at the airport.

“I’m sleeping here rather than going back to Java. It is far,” he told AFP.

“I’m waiting here, until tomorrow,” he added, saying he bought a new flight after his AirAsia ticket was refunded.

Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights, while Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as cancelled on Wednesday, an AFP journalist at Bali’s airport said.

“Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” said AirAsia as it announced several cancellations.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific also listed its flights as cancelled, rescheduling routes to and from Bali until Thursday.

Passengers look at an electronic board displaying cancelled flights after the nearby Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky, at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban near Denpasar, on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on November 13. — AFP

Multiple eruptions from the 1,703-metre twin-peaked volcano in recent weeks have killed nine people, with 31 injured and more than 11,000 evacuated, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Tuesday.

Eruptions can pose serious risks to flights, disgorging fine ash that can damage jet engines and scour a plane’s windscreen to the point of invisibility.

The island’s tourism head called for calm after the cancellations, saying the island was “very safe” because the volcano is far away.

“Bali’s tourism activity is still running normally,” Tjok Bagus Pemayun said in a statement on Wednesday.

But airlines said the situation was too dangerous to keep their planes in the sky.

Jetstar said all flights to and from Bali would be halted until noon on Thursday as it was “currently not safe to operate flights”.

Malaysia Airlines said it had cancelled six flights on Wednesday in a statement on its website, while Scoot said it scrapped two flights and rescheduled four more.

The airlines said they would monitor the volcano’s status and provide updates.

Singapore Airlines was still listing its flights as running on Wednesday.

‘Refunds, rescheduling, re-routing’

Bali airport’s Shahab said 26 domestic and 64 international flights had been affected by recent eruptions as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Due to this natural event impacting flight operations, airlines are offering affected passengers the options of refunds, rescheduling, or re-routing,” he added in a statement.

But some said they were set to be stranded for days, with little help forthcoming.

“There’s nobody helping us, nobody is providing us accommodation or food, we are kind of stranded,” said IT consultant Arsh Khurana, 39, from Delhi whose Air India flight was rescheduled to Saturday.

“There is nothing from Air India, there is absolutely no support,” he told AFP, adding that he and his wife were set to lose money as the airline’s travel insurance did not cover disruptions caused by volcanic eruptions.

Local media reported thousands of passengers were affected but Balinese officials gave no estimate.

Bali’s international airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia said on Wednesday it had conducted tests in its airspace and no volcanic ash was detected, saying the airport was “operating as normal”.

But the airport in the tourist hotspot of Labuan Bajo on Flores island was shuttered on Wednesday until 8pm local time (1200 GMT) because of the volcanic ash from Lewotobi, according to the airport’s Instagram.

Lewotobi erupted again from midnight Wednesday until early morning, and a large ash column could be seen pouring from its crater, an AFP journalist nearby said.

Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman”.

The island’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism but Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth, straddling the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide.




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Heated debate on Amsterdam violence in Dutch parliament

Dutch parliamentarians clashed on Wednesday in a heated debate to discuss the attacks on Israeli fans after a football match last week, with some lawmakers pointing fingers and others urging unity.

The Netherlands is still dealing with the political fallout from last week’s violence in Amsterdam, when fans of Tel Aviv Maccabi were assaulted by men on scooters in several parts of the capital.

Five Macabi fans were briefly hospitalised after being beaten up following a match with the local Ajax team last Thursday, in what Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof termed an incident of “unadulterated anti-Semitism”.

After the match, groups of men on scooters engaged in “hit-and-run” attacks on Maccabi fans in areas of the city.

Police said the attackers were mobilised by calls on social media to target Jewish people.

Far-right MP Geert Wilders, leader of the biggest party in the coalition government, said the perpetrators of the violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “all Muslims” and “for the most part Moroccans”.

The anti-Islam Wilders called for the attackers to be prosecuted “for terrorism.”

“For the first time since the Second World War there was a hunt on Jews,” Wilders said, adding “I am sick of being criticised when I tell the truth.”

But the firebrand MP drew the ire of opposition parties, who accused him of “adding fuel to fire”.

‘Dividing the country’

While unanimously condemning the violence, left-wing parties have called for dialogue with the Muslim community instead of “dividing the country”.

“I share the condemnation of the violence in Amsterdam and yes, there was indeed anti-Semitic violence,” left-wing opposition leader Frans Timmermans said.

“You are simply stoking the fires while this country has a need for politicians to unite people and find solutions,” Timmermans told Wilders.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema on Tuesday called the attacks a “poisonous cocktail” of anti-Semitism and hooliganism.

Events ahead of the match heightened tensions, including anti-Arab chants by Maccabi fans, who also set fire to a Palestinian flag on the city’s central square and vandalising a taxi.

After the match, which passed off peacefully, reports emerged of social media calls to attack Jews, Amsterdam police said.

The violence took place against the backdrop of an increasingly polarised Europe, with heightened tensions following a rise in antisemitic, anti-Israeli and Islamophobic attacks since the start of the Gaza conflict.

The Dutch PM indicated that the government would present concrete steps to tackle antisemitism on Friday.

Eight people remained in custody over the violence.




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Previous financial pledges on climate change yet to materialise, PM Shehbaz tells COP29 summit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted on Wednesday that financial pledges made at the previous two United Nations’ annual climate summits — COP27 and COP28 — were yet to materialise.

He made the remarks during the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP29, that is being held in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku. The premier presented Pakistan’s case on the second and final day of the World Leaders Climate Action Summit.

Pakistan is ranked among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. It has faced increasingly frequent and severe weather events, such as unprecedented floods, intense monsoon rains, devastating heat waves, rapid glacial melting and glacial lake outburst floods.

Addressing the summit, PM Shehbaz asserted that COP29 should “make this understanding loud and clear that we will have to fulfil those financial pledges” committed at COP27 and COP28.

“And yet, I think, those huge financial commitments have to be materialised.”

The prime minister said the event was aimed at understanding the “calamities which, unfortunately, some of the countries have already faced and some will if we do not act”.

At COP27 in 2022, which was also attended by PM Shehbaz, countries had adopted a hard-fought final agreement to set up a “loss and damage fund” to help poor countries battered by climate disasters.

At COP28 last year, then-caretaker premier Anwaarul Haq Kakar had called for immediately executing the $100 billion in commitments for climate finance.

According to the UN, around $700 million have been pledged so far for the loss and damage fund, with France, Italy, Germany and the UAE being the biggest contributors.

At COP29 today, PM Shehbaz also spoke about the devastating monsoon floods of 2022, highlighting they had resulted in 1,700 deaths, massive displacement, destruction of houses and crops, and $30 billion loss to the country’s economy.

He called on the international community “to take measures which are so important at this point in time to have a conducive environment” to combat climate change.

The prime minister stressed that Pakistan was one of the countries that “hardly contribute” to global emissions, yet it was vulnerable to climate change and listed as one of the “10 countries which can, God forbid, face this kind of devastation again”.

“My memories are still fresh,” he said, recalling a meeting with flood affectees in Balochistan, including a boy named Ikramullah who had “lost everything”.

“His entire village was erased from the face of the earth, his home was completely demolished, and his school was also submerged. And we had arranged his education [in] another part of Pakistan,” he said.

PM Shehbaz stated he would not want “other countries to face the plight Pakistan faced back in 2022”.

Describing Pakistan as a “resilient, hard-working and responsible nation”, the premier affirmed his country was “fully committed to being part of the global climate solutions”.

Concluding his speech, the prime minister expressed the hope that under Azerbaijan’s leadership, COP29 can transform into a “finance COP by restoring confidence in the pledging process and scaling up climate finance”.

“I strongly feel that climate finance must be grant-based and not add to the debt burden of vulnerable developing countries,” he said, reiterating his remarks from yesterday on the sidelines of the summit.

“Two years ago, I warned, and I warned at the top of my voice, that the future would never forgive our inaction. Today, I echo the same warning with greater urgency,” PM Shehbaz asserted.

‘We shouldn’t brave impact of emissions by others’

Referring to the 2015 Paris Agreement, PM Shehbaz said: “Ten years ago in Paris, we had failed to stop the rise in emissions and catastrophic global warming, and those pledges in Paris 10 years ago, which were made have yet to see the light of the day.”

“As the minus-one emitters, we should not brave the impact of emissions realised by others without even the tools to finance resilience,” he emphasised.

“Without climate justice, there can be no real resilience,” the prime minister asserted.

The premier further said Pakistan would “go through a renewable energy revolution”, noting that the country last year presented a “comprehensive National Adaptation Plan”.

He continued: “This year, we have developed our National Carbon Market Framework. But we cannot do it alone. Pakistan needs international support to deliver on its climate ambitions.”

“My government has taken concrete actions to deliver on its commitment of producing 60 per cent of all energy from green sources and shifting 30pc of our vehicles to EVs (electric vehicles) by the end of this decade,” he told the summit.

PM Shehbaz stated that developing countries would need an estimated $6.2 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

“The same goes for adaption and loss and damage,” he added, recalling the efforts at COP27 led by then-climate change minister Sherry Rehman.

Early warning systems for all

Addressing the COP29 summit, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar highlighted the utility of early warning systems for climate-induced disasters and extended his gratitude to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for launching the ‘Early Warning for All’ initiative.

“Today, the threat is not limited to floods, we are facing rising temperatures, more intense and frequent heatwaves, and erratic rainfall patterns,” Dar said. “Early warning systems for various climate-induced hazards including floods, glacial lake outbursts, droughts and extreme heat are essential for resilience, not just for Pakistan but for all vulnerable nations worldwide,” he added.

The deputy PM thanked the UN Secretary-General for the early warning initiative, which “aims to protect every person on earth with an early warning system by 2027”.

Dar added that the threat of extreme heat emphasises the necessity of multi-hazard early warning systems, which he said were “critical to saving lives and supporting sustainable development in the face of climate adversity”.

“Despite our limited resources, Pakistan is committed to climate action and has set very ambitious goals,” the deputy PM said. “Our pledge to reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions by 50pc by 2030 comprises a 15pc reduction through national efforts and an additional 35pc contingent on international support.”

Dar named the Green Pakistan Project, an “electric vehicle policy”, a large-scale project to rehabilitate mangroves and implement Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) mass transit systems in Pakistan’s major cities.

“These efforts aim to fulfil our nationally determined contributions and to balance our global mitigation role with local adaptation needs,” Dar said. “However, we must acknowledge that national efforts alone are insufficient.”

The deputy PM highlighted that accessible climate finance is essential for Pakistan to meet these targets. “We urgently call on developed nations to honour their $100bn climate finance annual pledge and establish a new collective quantitative goal that reflects today’s needs with funding reaching the trillions,” he stated.

He added that this funding must be “accessible, grant-based and reflective of the historical responsibilities of industrialised nations”, adding that the burden “cannot rest solely on developing countries”.

“While Pakistan is ready to do its part, we look to the international community for support, particularly in accessing climate finance for early warning systems and climate resilience projects,” he said. “We need mechanisms that ensure easy, direct access to funds that can bolster national programmes rather than piloting isolated projects.”

Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to “being part of the solution” to the shared climate crisis and stressed that through shared partnerships and support from global allies, “we can bridge the early warning gap, enhance resilience and build a safer, more sustainable future for generations to come”.

‘Debt cannot be new normal’

Speaking at a Pakistan-organised conference at COP29 yesterday, PM Shehbaz had said debt cannot become the “acceptable new normal” in climate financing.

He had explained that finan­c­ing in the form of loans pushes developing nations towards “mounting debt traps”, which he ref­erred to as “death traps”.

Speaking at Glaciers 2025: Actions for Glaciers, the prime minister had also linked humanity’s survival with the health of glaciers, saying Pakistan was ready to work with the world on the matter.

Participating world leaders and delegates pose for a group photo during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku on Nov 12, 2024. — AFP

PM Shehbaz also met with various world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including UAE President Sheikh Moha­m­med bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UK PM Sir Keir Starmer and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as those from South and Central Asia.

Dozens of world leaders convened in Azerbaijan for COP29 but many big names skipped the UN climate talks where the impact of Donald Trump’s election victory was keenly felt.

US President Joe Biden, China’s President Xi Jinping, India’s PM Narendra Modi and France’s President Emmanuel Macron were among the G20 leaders missing the event.

Pakistan witnessed devastating floods during the 2022 monsoon season, induced by climate change, resulting in the loss of at least 1,700 lives.

With 33m people affected and swathes of agricultural land washed away, the damage incurred losses worth $30bn, according to government estimates.

In June 2024, a heat wave brought record-high temperatures, severely impacting public health and agriculture.





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Predicting paediatric asthma exacerbations with machine learning: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background

Asthma exacerbations in children pose a significant burden on healthcare systems and families. While traditional risk assessment tools exist, artificial intelligence (AI) offers the potential for enhanced prediction models.

Objective

This study aims to systematically evaluate and quantify the performance of machine learning (ML) algorithms in predicting the risk of hospitalisation and emergency department (ED) admission for acute asthma exacerbations in children.

Methods

We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The risk of bias and applicability for eligible studies was assessed according to the prediction model study risk of bias assessment tool (PROBAST). The protocol of our systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.

Results

Our meta-analysis included seven articles encompassing a total of 17 ML-based prediction models. We found a pooled area under the curve (AUC) of 0.67 (95% CI 0.61–0.73; I2=99%; p<0.0001 for heterogeneity) for models predicting ED admission, indicating moderate accuracy. Notably, models predicting child hospitalisation demonstrated a higher pooled AUC of 0.79 (95% CI 0.76–0.82; I2=95%; p<0.0001 for heterogeneity), suggesting good discriminatory power.

Conclusion

This study provides the most comprehensive assessment of AI-based algorithms in predicting paediatric asthma exacerbations to date. While these models show promise and ML-based hospitalisation prediction models, in particular, demonstrate good accuracy, further external validation is needed before these models can be reliably implemented in real-life clinical practice.




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Archaeologists discover ancient site of key Iraq battle thanks to old spy photos

Iraqis who grew up under the rule of Saddam Hussein were all familiar with the battle in minute detail




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Pesto is growing up: The viral fluffy penguin is molting his baby feathers

The fluffy chick’s chunky form is slimming down as he starts to fledge










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Shivarajkumar interview: On ‘Bhairathi Ranagal’, working nonstop and battling tough times

Kannada star Shivarajkumar opens up on playing a character with two shades in ‘Bhairathi Ranagal’, his upcoming films and ‘Fire Fly’, produced by his daughter Niveditha Shivarajkumar