International aid groups say Israel hasn’t met the U.S. demand deadline for allowing more humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip. The groups say conditions are worse now than any point in the 13-month-old war. This week, the outgoing Biden administration is expected to judge whether Israel has done enough to meet a demand issued last month to get more aid flowing into Gaza. We speak to Larry Garber, former USAID Mission Director to the West Bank and Gaza.

President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met Tuesday at the White House to strengthen U.S.–Indonesia ties. The meeting came days after Jakarta signed a maritime agreement with Beijing that critics say could lend credibility to China’s “nine-dash line” that reflects its expansive claims in the South China Sea. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report

WASHINGTON — Israel's war against Hezbollah and Hamas, while inflicting considerable damage, has yet to strike a crippling blow to either of the Iran-backed terror groups, according to a top U.S. counterterrorism official. The acting director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) said Tuesday that the impact of Israeli intelligence operations, along with repeated military airstrikes and ground offensives in Lebanon and Gaza, have severely diminished the ability of both groups to launch new attacks on Israel. But he cautioned that both groups remain resilient, and in the case of Hezbollah, retain significant capabilities. "Before the conflict, they [Hezbollah] had built up unprecedented numbers of rockets and missiles and other munitions," the NCTC's Brett Holmgren told an audience in Washington, adding that the Lebanese group was starting at a "very strong point." And he said while Israeli strikes have decimated Hezbollah leadership, the group's ground forces in southern Lebanon "remain somewhat intact." Additionally, Israel's actions have done little to damage Hezbollah's reach beyond the Middle East. "Their external capabilities have largely been untouched," Holmgren said, noting the U.S. and its allies are on alert for any indication Hezbollah may seek to retaliate outside the region. Hamas' staying power Hamas, which touched off the war in Gaza when it launched its October 7, 2023, terror attack that killed about 1,200 mostly Israeli civilians, has also suffered greatly, according to the latest U.S. assessments. "Militarily, they have been significantly diminished," Holmgren said. "They're essentially morphing into an insurgent force on the ground." Yet despite being forced to keep a low profile and resort to hit-and-run-type tactics, U.S. intelligence sees few indications Hamas has lost its appeal. "Hamas has been able to recruit new members to its ranks and will likely continue its ability to do so, so long as there is not another viable political option on the ground for these disaffected young men in Gaza to turn to," Holmgren said.  "There has to be a more viable political actor on the ground in Gaza to give these new recruits for Hamas, to give them a better option," he added. Hamas, Hezbollah numbers Prior to Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, U.S. intelligence estimated that the U.S.-designated terror group had between 20,000 and 25,000 fighters, though some estimates put the number at 30,000 or more, citing support from about a dozen other terror groups that had pledged to fight under the Hamas banner. Hezbollah, according to U.S. estimates, had about 40,000 fighters with "state-like military capabilities." Holmgren on Tuesday did not elaborate on how many fighters from either group had been eliminated.  Israeli officials, however, have said their forces have killed upward of 14,000 Hamas fighters and more than 2,550 Hezbollah fighters. The Israel Defense Forces earlier this month said it estimates that about 80% of Hezbollah's arsenal of medium- and short-range rockets has been destroyed. Health officials in Gaza have said the Israeli offensive there has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children.   Lebanon's Health Ministry said more than 3,000 people have been killed during the conflict, though it does not differentiate between civilians and Hezbollah fighters. Terror spreading There are growing concerns, though, that the death tolls in Lebanon and Gaza are serving as a spark for other terror groups around the world. Less than a month after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, U.S. counterterrorism officials warned that the event had begun to galvanize other terror groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida. Holmgren said it appears the Hamas attack, combined with growing political and economic turmoil, has in fact helped to reenergize other groups. Islamic State  "ISIS exploited reduced counterterrorism pressure last year to recover and to rebuild as governments shifted attention and resources to the conflict in Gaza," Holmgren said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group, also known as IS or Daesh. Central Syria, he said, had become an epicenter for IS plotting against the U.S. and the West, at large.   And although a series of recent operations by the U.S. and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have again weakened IS, the group continues to benefit from improved finances and resurgent media campaigns, Holmgren said. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan known as IS-Khorasan has likewise shown resilience. State Department officials, in a recent inspector general's report, admitted that serious questions remain about whether Afghanistan's ruling Taliban "have the will and capability to fully eliminate terrorist safe havens or control the flow of foreign terrorist fighters in and through Afghanistan." And although key elements of IS-Khorasan have fled Afghanistan for Pakistan, there are fears the group may be poised for a resurgence. "Sustained pressure will be needed to prevent the group from expanding further," Holmgren said. Africa Holmgren further warned that groups affiliating themselves with IS and al-Qaida are also seeing their fortunes rise in Africa. IS and al-Qaida attacks in West Africa and the Sahel alone are set to surpass more than 3,000 by the end of the year, he said, doubling the total number of attacks from 2021. And it could get worse. Holmgren said IS and al-Qaida affiliates have capitalized on turmoil in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, where governments have turned to the Russian military and Russian paramilitary groups to boost security. The situation in Africa, "if left unchecked, could become a much more acute long-term threat to U.S. interests," he said.  Younger terrorists U.S. counterterrorism analysts have also picked up on several other trends that they say bear watching. One is a propensity for younger people to join terror movements. "The rising number of juveniles engaging in terrorism is a global phenomenon, and it may well worsen in the near term as the effects of the Israel-Hamas conflict take hold," Holmgren said. Vulnerable young people the world over, he said, are turning to groups like IS for a sense of belonging and accomplishment. "A lot of the propaganda — it's easily accessible on the social media platforms" he said. "A lot of it [is in] English." Iran and Trump There is also concern about how Iran will respond to Israel's degradation of Hezbollah and Hamas, and to the reelection of former U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. intelligence officials warned in the run-up to last week's election that Iran was engaged in a series of influence operations aimed at hurting Trump's chance of returning to power. And late last week, the U.S. shed light on another in a series of efforts by Tehran to assassinate the once and future president. In the short term, Holmgren said, Iran could try to leverage its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria to launch additional attacks against U.S. interests and against Israel. But he also expressed concern that Iran continues to play host to al-Qaida's de facto leader, Saif al-Adel. "I won't speculate on what the Iranian intentions are, but suffice to say, it is unhelpful with his presence there," Holmgren said Tuesday in response to a question from VOA. Trump transition  Holmgren promised Tuesday to work with the incoming Trump administration to keep the U.S. and its allies safe. "I look forward to engaging with the Trump administration's national security team to conduct an orderly transition and to ensure that they are ready on Day One to address a dynamic threat environment," Holmgren said. "The U.S. counterterrorism community will be working diligently, as they do each and every day, to keep threats at bay so that our democracy may continue to shine as a beacon of freedom and hope in the world," he added.

Diplomacy is in full swing as U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israel's president, and President-elect Donald Trump speaks with Israel's prime minister. Fast-rising methane emissions could undermine efforts to limit global warming by mid-century, prompting scientists and policymakers to urge aggressive action to curb the output of the potent greenhouse gas. An election in Somaliland, and the fight against Boko Haram in Chad. Plus, Trump’s foreign policy.

Witness reports and Iran’s systematic use of punitive psychiatry to undermine dissent contradict government claims that the woman had a mental health crisis and was not protesting enforcement of the country’s mandatory dress code.

Dutch coach, Eric Ten Hag was eventually booted out of Manchester United 30 months after his appointment in May 2022. The former Ajax gaffer didn’t quite succeed with the Red Devils in terms of quality, squad depth and results but he was able to deliver two trophies( Carabao, FA Cup) in his two years in […]

The post For Manchester United, hiring Ruben Amorim could be a big mistake first appeared on Business Hallmark.

The naira on Tuesday continued to depreciate against the dollar at both official and parallel foreign exchange markets. According to data from FMDQ, the local currency fell to N1689.88 per dollar on Tuesday from N1681.42 exchanged on Monday, recording N8.42 depreciation. Similarly, at the black market, the naira lost N5 to close at N1740 on […]

The post Naira slumps further across FX markets first appeared on Business Hallmark.

Fossil fuel demand will reduce by nearly 25 percent in the next two decades, the Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo has said. Speaking at the SPE Kuwait Oil & Gas Show and Conference in Kuwait City, yesterday, Barkindo however said fossil fuels will remain a dominant in […]

Fossil fuel demand to by 25% by 2040 – OPEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered the Nigerian Stock Exchange to suspend trading on the shares of Oando Plc. The commission said in a circular yesterday it had carried out a comprehensive review of the petitions by Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal and Ansbury Incorporated and made the following findings amongst others; Breach of the […]

SEC suspends Oando shares from stock market

Leading financial services provider, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), has been awarded the prestigious International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 9001:2015 certificate for Quality Management System. The Bank was presented with the certificate by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), following a comprehensive audit and evaluation exercise conducted by the Organisation. The exercise covered departments and […]

FCMB attains ISO Certification for Quality Management

On June 25, 2018 I woke up to yet another social media trend – a news story with the bold and quite salacious headline “How Safe Are Customer Deposits At FCMB?” had taken over the digital airwaves. Between the shares and likes and comments, a storm in a cup had brewed to great proportions in […]

The Worrisome Trend of Sensational Social Media “Journalism” and the Impact On Legitimate Business Concerns: Recent Travails of FCMB, GTBank and First Bank

Baku, Azerbaijan — The annual U.N. climate summit kicks off Monday with countries readying for tough talks on finance and trade, following a year of weather disasters that have emboldened developing countries in their demands for climate cash. Delegates gathering in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku are hoping to resolve the summit's top agenda item – a deal for up to $1 trillion in annual climate finance for developing countries. The summit's negotiating priorities, however, are competing for governments' resources and attention against economic concerns, wars in Ukraine and Gaza and last week's U.S. re-election of Donald Trump, a climate-change denier, as president of the world's biggest economy. COP29 host Azerbaijan will be tasked with keeping countries focused on agreeing to a new global finance target to replace the current $100 billion pledge expiring this year. The Caspian Sea nation, often proud of being home to the world's first oil wells, will also be under pressure to show progress from last year's COP28 pledge to transition away from fossil fuels. The country's oil and gas revenues accounted for 35% of its economy in 2023, down from 50% two years prior. The government says these revenues will continue to decline, to roughly 32% of its GDP this year and 22% by 2028. Before the summit talks can even begin, countries will need to agree on an agenda by consensus – including an 11th-hour proposal by China to bring trade disputes into the mix. The Chinese proposal - made on behalf of the fast-developing "BASIC" group of countries including Brazil, India and South Africa - asked for the summit to address "restrictive trade measures" such as the EU's carbon border tariffs going into effect in 2026. Those concerns have been compounded by Trump's campaign promise to impose 20% tariffs on all foreign goods – and 60% on Chinese goods. China's request showed it was flexing power following Trump's re-election, which signaled the United States' likely disengagement from global climate cooperation, said Li Shuo, director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Trump has called climate change a hoax and vowed to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the global treaty to reduce planet-warming emissions. The European Union, along with current U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, have been pressing China and Gulf oil nations to join the pool of climate finance donor countries. "If the EU wants to talk about climate finance with China, if it wants to talk NDCs, part of the conversation should be how to resolve our differences on trade and your tariffs," Shuo said. Extreme pressure With this year on track to be the hottest on record, experts noted that climate extremes were now challenging rich and poor countries alike – from flooding disasters in Africa, coastal Spain and the U.S. state of North Carolina, to drought gripping South America, Mexico and the U.S. West. Most countries are not prepared. "Election results don't alter the laws of physics," said Kaveh Guilanpour, vice president for international strategies at the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. "Unless the world collectively steps up its efforts, the impacts of climate change will become increasingly severe and frequent and will be felt by an increasing number of people in all countries, including in the United States." Many in Baku were worried that a U.S. disengagement could lead other countries to backpedal on past climate pledges or to scale back future ambitions.

While Ukraine was on high alert for air attacks on Monday, the country’s top military commander said tens of thousands of Russian troops were ready to advance on the Kursk region. "Following the order of their military leadership, they are trying to dislodge our troops and advance deep into the territory we control," Ukraine’s General Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Ukraine launched an incursion into Kursk in August, taking control of a number of towns and villages in the border region. Meanwhile, at least six people were killed in air attacks in southern Ukraine – five in Mykolaiv and one in Zaporizhzhia, where a residential building was destroyed, regional governors reported. At least a dozen people were injured in Zaporizhzhia, including five children between the ages of 4 and 17. Earlier, the Ukrainian air force put the nation on high alert for a large-scale missile attack, reporting that a large number of bombers were taking off from Russia and heading to Ukraine. "The air alert is related to the launch of cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic bombers," the air force said on its Telegram channels. Power was cut to prevent further damage from attacks, and people were encouraged to seek shelter – including in Kyiv’s metro stations. But by 0630 GMT the missiles had not arrived. According to some Ukrainian military bloggers, the Russian bombers performed flights imitating the launch of missiles, Reuters reported. Report: Trump urges Putin not to escalate The Washington Post and Reuters reported that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. Trump, calling from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, reminded Putin of America's sizable military presence in Europe, the Washington Post reported. Sources familiar with the call told the newspaper Trump expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss "the resolution of Ukraine's war soon." Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, did not confirm the exchange, saying in a written statement to AFP that "we do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders." The Kremlin on Monday denied that the conversation took place, and said Putin had no concrete plans to speak to Trump. "This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information," Reuters reported Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "There was no conversation." Information from Reuters and Agence France-Presse was included in this report.  

BAKU, Azerbaijan — World leaders are converging Tuesday at the United Nations annual climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan although the big names and powerful countries are noticeably absent, unlike past climate talks which had the star power of a soccer World Cup. But 2024's climate talks are more like the International Chess Federation world championship, lacking recognizable names but big on nerd power and strategy. The top leaders of the 13 largest carbon dioxide-polluting countries will not appear. Their nations are responsible for more than 70% of 2023's heat-trapping gases. The world's biggest polluters and strongest economies — China and the United States — aren't sending their No. 1s. India and Indonesia's heads of state are also not in attendance, meaning the four most populous nations with more than 42% of all the world's population aren't having leaders speak. “It’s symptomatic of the lack of political will to act. There’s no sense of urgency,” said climate scientist Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics. He said this explains “the absolute mess we’re finding ourselves in.” Transition to clean energy The world has witnessed the hottest day, months and year on record “and a master class in climate destruction,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the world leaders who did show up. But Guterres held out hope, saying, in a veiled reference to Donald Trump's re-election in the United States, that the “clean energy revolution is here. No group, no business, no government can stop it.” United Nations officials said in 2016, when Trump was first elected, there were 180 gigawatts of clean energy and 700,000 electric vehicles in the world. Now there are 600 gigawatts of clean energy and 14 million electric vehicles. Host Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev kicked off two scheduled days of world leaders' speeches by lambasting Armenia, western news media, climate activists and critics who highlighted his country's rich oil and gas history and trade, calling them hypocritical since the United States is the world's biggest oil producer. He said it was “not fair” to call Azerbaijan a “petrostate” because it produces less than 1% of the world's oil and gas. Oil and gas are “a gift of the God” just like the sun, wind and minerals, Aliyev said. “Countries should not be blamed for having them. And should not be blamed for bringing these resources to the market because the market needs them.” As the host and president of the climate talks, called COP29, Aliyev said his country will push hard for a green transition away from fossil fuels, “but at the same time, we must be realistic.” Lack of star power Aliyev, United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are the headliners of around 50 leaders set to speak on Tuesday. There'll also be a strong showing from the leaders of some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Several small island nations presidents and over a dozen leaders from countries across Africa are set to speak over the two-day World Leaders’ Summit at COP29. As a sense of how the bar for celebrity has lowered, on Tuesday morning photographers and video cameras ran alongside one leader walking through the halls of the meeting. It was the emergency management minister for host country Azerbaijan. United Nations officials downplayed the lack of head of state star power, saying that every country is represented and active in the climate talks. One logistical issue is that next week, the leaders of the most powerful countries have to be half a world away in Brazil for the G20 meetings. The United States recent election, Germany's government collapse, natural disasters and personal illnesses also have kept some leaders away. The major focus of the negotiations is climate finance, which is rich nations trying to help poor countries pay for transitioning their economies away from fossil fuels, coping with climate change's upcoming harms and compensating for damages from weather extremes. Nations are negotiating over huge amounts of money, anywhere from $100 billion a year to $1.3 trillion a year. That money “is not charity, it's an investment,” Guterres said. “Developing countries must not leave Baku empty-handed,” Guterres said. “A deal is a must.”

Germany's main political parties have agreed to hold a general election in February, following the collapse of the ruling coalition government earlier this month. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the vote could have big implications for Ukrainian military aid — just as Europe prepares for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's second term.

LONDON — British writer Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday with "Orbital," a short, wonder-filled novel set aboard the International Space Station that ponders the beauty and fragility of the Earth. Harvey was awarded the 50,000-pound ($64,000) prize for what she has called a "space pastoral" about six orbiting astronauts, which she began writing during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The confined characters loop through 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets over the course of a day, trapped in one another's company and transfixed by the globe's ever-changing vistas. "To look at the Earth from space is like a child looking into a mirror and realizing for the first time that the person in the mirror is herself," said Harvey, who researched her novel by reading books by astronauts and watching the space station's live camera. "What we do to the Earth we do to ourselves." She said the novel "is not exactly about climate change, but implied in the view of the Earth is the fact of human-made climate change." She dedicated the prize to everyone who speaks "for and not against the Earth, for and not against the dignity of other humans, other life." "All the people who speak for and call for and work for peace — this is for you," she said. Writer and artist Edmund de Waal, who chaired the five-member judging panel, called "Orbital" a "miraculous novel" that "makes our world strange and new for us." Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, noted that "in a year of geopolitical crisis, likely to be the warmest year in recorded history," the winning book was "hopeful, timely and timeless." Harvey, who has written four previous novels and a memoir about insomnia, is the first British writer since 2020 to win the Booker. The prize is open to English-language writers of any nationality and has a reputation for transforming writers' careers. Previous winners include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Hilary Mantel. De Waal praised the "crystalline" writing and "capaciousness" of Harvey's succinct novel — at 136 pages in its U.K. paperback edition, one of the shortest-ever Booker winners. "This is a book that repays slow reading," he said. He said the judges spent a full day picking their winner and came to a unanimous conclusion. Harvey beat five other finalists from Canada, the United States, Australia and the Netherlands, chosen from among 156 novels submitted by publishers. American writer Percival Everett had been the bookies' favorite to win with "James," which reimagines Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" from the point of view of its main Black character, the enslaved man Jim. The other finalists were American writer Rachel Kushner's spy story "Creation Lake"; Canadian Anne Michaels' poetic novel "Held"; Charlotte Wood's Australian saga "Stone Yard Devotional"; and "The Safekeep" by Yael van der Wouden, the first Dutch author to be shortlisted for the Booker. Harvey is the first female Booker winner since 2019, though one of five women on this year's shortlist, the largest number in the prize's 55-year history. De Waal said issues such as the gender or nationality of the authors were "background noise" that did not influence the judges. "There was absolutely no question of box ticking or of agendas or of anything else. It was simply about the novel," he said before the awards ceremony at Old Billingsgate, a grand former Victorian fish market in central London. Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize is open to novels originally written in English published in the U.K. or Ireland. Last year's winner was Irish writer Paul Lynch for post-democratic dystopia "Prophet Song." Lynch handed Harvey her Booker trophy at the ceremony, warning her that her life was about to change dramatically because of the Booker publicity boost. Harvey said she was "overwhelmed" but remained down-to-earth about spending her prize money. She said she'd disburse "some of it on tax. I want to buy a new bike. And then the rest — I want to go to Japan."

Responding to the World Cup disappointment in India, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez as the team director on Wednesday. In an official statement on X, the PCB disclosed the restructuring of the coaching staff’s portfolio, emphasizing that “all coaches will continue to work in the National Cricket Academy while PCB ... Read more

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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Fazlur Rehman asserted on Saturday that a conspiracy was hatched to create unrest in the country. In Peshawar, Rehman stated, “The efforts were made to harm the country. But the JUI-F had fought the battle to save the country. We had dismantled the enemies by fighting for the sake of ... Read more

The post JUI-F Chief Fazlur Rehman Alleges Conspiracy to Unsettle Country, appeared first on Pakistan Tribune.

Amidst the celebrations following Australia’s triumphant win against India in the Cricket World Cup, a viral picture of Australian batsman Mitchell Marsh has stirred controversy on social media. The World Cup victory, marking Australia’s sixth title in cricket history, took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, igniting fervent celebrations among the Kangaroos. Post-match ... Read more

The post Controversy Erupts as Mitchell Marsh’s Posture with World Cup Trophy Sparks Outcry appeared first on Pakistan Tribune.

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada has detected its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a person, a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said Saturday. The teenager likely caught the virus from a bird or animal and was receiving care at a children's hospital, the province said in a statement. The province said it was investigating the source of exposure and identifying the teenager's contacts. The risk to the public remains low, Canada's Health Minister Mark Holland said in posting on X. "This is a rare event," British Columbia Health Officer Bonnie Henry said in a statement. "We are conducting a thorough investigation to fully understand the source of exposure here in B.C." H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers. There has been no evidence of person-to-person spread so far. But if that were to happen, a pandemic could unfold, scientists have said. Earlier in November, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked for farm workers who have been exposed to animals with bird flu to be tested for the virus even if they do not have symptoms. Bird flu has infected nearly 450 dairy farms in 15 U.S. states since March, and the CDC has identified 46 human cases of bird flu since April. In Canada, British Columbia has identified at least 22 infected poultry farms since October, and numerous wild birds tested positive, according to the province. Canada has had no cases reported in dairy cattle and no evidence of bird flu in samples of milk.  

Havana — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts that have left many on the island reeling.  The epicenter of the quake was located approximately 40 km south of Bartolomé Masó, Cuba, according to a report by the United States Geological Survey.  The rumbling was felt across the eastern stretch of Cuba, including in bigger cities like Santiago de Cuba. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.  Residents in Santiago, Cuba's second largest city, were left shaken on Sunday. Yolanda Tabío, 76, said people in the city flocked to the streets and were still nervously sitting in their doorways. She said she felt at least two aftershocks following the quake, but that among friends and family she hadn't heard of any damages.  "You had to see how everything was moving, the walls, everything," she told The Associated Press.  The earthquake comes during another tough stretch for Cuba.  On Wednesday, Category 3 Hurricane Rafael ripped through western Cuba, with strong winds knocking out power island-wide, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people. Days after, much of the island was still struggling without power.  Weeks before in October, the island was also hit by a one-two punch. First, it was hit by island-wide blackouts stretching on for days, a product of the island's energy crisis. Shortly after, it was slapped by a powerful hurricane that struck the eastern part of the island and killed at least six people.  The blackouts and wider discontent among many struggling to get by has stoked small protests across the island. 

Port-au-Prince, Haiti — A transitional council created to reestablish democratic order in Haiti signed a degree Sunday firing the country's interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and replacing him with Alix Didier Fils-Aime, a businessman who was previously considered for the job. The decree, set to be published on Monday, was provided to The Associated Press by a government source. It marks even more turmoil in an already rocky democratic transition process for Haiti, which hasn't held democratic elections in years in large part due to the soaring levels of gang violence plaguing the Caribbean nation. Fils-Aime, is the former president of Haiti's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and in 2015 ran an unsuccessful campaign for Senate. The businessman studied at Boston University and was previously considered for the position as a private sector candidate for the post before Conille took the seat. Conille, a longtime civil servant who has worked with the United Nations, served as prime minister for only six months. The transitional council was established in April, tasked with choosing Haiti's next prime minister and Cabinet with the hope that it would help quell turmoil Haiti. But the council has been plagued with politics and infighting and has long been at odds with Conille. Organizations like the Organization of American States tried and failed last week to mediate disagreements in an attempt to save the fragile transition, according to reporting from The Miami Herald. The process suffered another blow in October when three members on the council faced corruption accusations, from anti-corruption investigators alleging that they demanded $750,000 in bribes from a government bank director to secure his job. The report was a significant blow to the nine-member council and is expected to further erode people's trust in it. Those same members accused of bribery, Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire and Louis Gerald Gilles, were among those to sign the decree. Only one member, Edgard Leblanc Fils, did not sign the order.

TORONTO, canada — A teenager is in critical condition in a British Columbia children's hospital, sick with Canada's first presumptive human case of avian influenza. "This was a healthy teenager prior to this, so no underlying conditions," said provincial health officer Bonnie Henry in a news conference on Tuesday. "It just reminds us that in young people this is a virus that can progress and cause quite severe illness, and the deterioration that I mentioned was quite rapid." British Columbia health officials said on Saturday the province had detected Canada's first human case of H5 bird flu in a teenager. Henry said the province is still identifying the exact strain but assumes the case is H5N1. The World Health Organization says H5N1's risk to humans is low because there is no evidence of human transmission, but the virus has been found in an increasing number of animals, including cattle in the United States. Henry would not disclose the teen's gender or age but said the patient had first developed symptoms on November 2 and was tested on November 8, when admitted to a hospital. Symptoms included conjunctivitis, fever and coughing. As of Tuesday, the teen was hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome, she said. The teen had no farm exposure but had been exposed to dogs, cats and reptiles, Henry said. No infection source had been identified. "That is absolutely an ongoing investigation." More severe illness takes place when the virus binds to receptors deep in the lungs, she said. Public health officials had identified and tested about three dozen contacts and had not found anyone infected with the virus. There has been no evidence that the disease is easily spread between people. But if that were to happen, a pandemic could unfold, scientists have said. Earlier in November, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked that farm workers exposed to animals with bird flu be tested for the virus even if they did not have symptoms. Bird flu has infected nearly 450 dairy farms in 15 U.S. states since March, and the CDC has identified 46 human cases of bird flu since April. In Canada, British Columbia has identified at least 26 affected premises across the province, Henry said Tuesday, and numerous wild birds have tested positive. Canada has had no cases reported in dairy cattle and no evidence of bird flu in samples of milk.

Developing countries will need trillions of dollars in the years ahead to deal with climate change -- but exactly how much is needed, and who is going to pay for it?

Around 500 participants took part, including representatives from ASEAN, the EU and its Member States, youth and individuals with special needs. The event took place along Jalan Sudirman, leading to Gelora Bung Karno, Senayan, Jakarta.

The Paris climate agreement's goals "are in great peril" and 2024 is on track to break new temperature records, the United Nations warned Monday as COP29 talks opened in Baku.

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