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COP28 ends with call to move away from fossil fuels

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nearly 200 nations sealed an agreement Wednesday urging countries to begin “transitioning away from fossil fuels” — a hard-fought deal that makes this the first-ever climate accord to address the primary driver of warming temperatures.The outcome drew a standing ovation in the packed plenary hall, a sharp turn from two days of tense, round-the-clock negotiations pitting advocates of aggressive climate action against fossil fuel producers such as Saudi Arabia. The talks also featured complaints from developing countries that rich nations such as the United States were not doing enough to help them shift to cleaner energy sources.The deal is the first time any of the nearly three decades of annual U.N. climate summits has agreed to language explicitly curtailing fossil fuels.“We have delivered a paradigm shift that has the potential to redefine our economies,” summit president Sultan al-Jaber, the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned o...

Appreciation: A paperboy curiosity that lasted a lifetime

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

My dad would stop and scan the headlines while delivering the Boston Herald and his local Lowell Sun along his paper route in the factory city as the world tore itself apart.He told me about being fascinated by the evacuation of Dunkirk like it was yesterday. That memory was from late May of 1940 when he was 12 years old.He volunteered during the Korean War to rush wounded soldiers off helicopters flown in from M*A*S*H units at the hospital in Yokohama, Japan, where he was stationed. His college business courses kept him off the front lines. He never said much about it, but he was determined to help.He was a high school teacher, a professor, an author, a veteran, and a counselor ready with sage advice. He let us all stay up late while he was studying at the University of Illinois to watch the moon landing in July of 1969. It was a teachable moment I’ll never forget.Roland “Al” Dwinell died last Thursday night while in hospice care. His funeral will be held on his 95th birthday...

Chula Vista City Council moves forward with reopening plan at Harborside Park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Chula Vista City Council members were able to come to a unanimous consensus to move forward with a plan to reopen Harborside Park on the city's west side.Harborside Park had been closed since August 2022. The park, which sits near an elementary school, shops, and a trolley station, had become overrun with homeless individuals who continue to reside at the park even after it’s closure."Exponential growth of those camps and those areas are putting business owners in danger and just citizens that work in that area or they do shopping," said Roberto Ramirez, owner of nearby Strong Base Jiu Jitsu.On Tuesday night, city council was faced with the options of directing city staff to move forward with a re-opening plan or declaring Harborside “surplus land," which would open up the more than five acres of land for potential housing development and a recreation center."We don’t need that additional housing there. We’ve already exceeded what’s expected of the city, are w...

Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed ahead of the Fed’s decision on interest rates

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday ahead of a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates. Benchmarks declined in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul but rose in Tokyo and Sydney. U.S. futures edged higher while oil prices slipped.The Bank of Japan’s quarterly “tankan” report, released Wednesday, measured business sentiment among major manufacturers at plus 12, up from plus 9 in October and plus 5 in June. It was the third straight month of improvement.The survey measures corporate sentiment by subtracting the number of companies saying business conditions are negative from those replying they are positive.“The continued improvement in the ‘tankan’ suggests that the drop in Q3 GDP was just a blip, but we still expect GDP growth to slow sharply next year,” Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics said in a commentary. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to 32,926.35 and the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia was up 0.3% at 7,257.80. Shares in China declined on...

Missiles from rebel territory in Yemen miss a ship near key Bab el-Mandeb Strait, US official says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two missiles fired from territory held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels missed a commercial tanker near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Wednesday, a U.S. official said. An American warship also shot down a suspected Houthi drone flying in its direction during the incident, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. No one was hurt in the attack, the official said. The ship that was targeted, the oil and chemical tanker Marshall Islands-flagged Ardmore Encounter, was traveling north toward the Suez Canal in the Red Sea, satellite tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed. The vessel had been coming from India and had an armed security crew aboard it. The ship’s managers could not be immediately reached for comment. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the attack. The recent rebel assaults expand a campaign by the Iranian-backed rebels targeting ships close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strai...

Newly elected progressive Thai lawmaker sentenced to 6 years for defaming monarchy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand convicted and sentenced Wednesday a recently elected lawmaker to six years in prison for defaming the monarchy under a controversial law that guards the royal institution. Rukchanok Srinork arrived at the court building in the capital, Bangkok, while her fellow lawmakers were convening in Parliament.“I submitted a request to postpone (the hearing) because today the new parliament convenes for its first session, but the court refused. So I came to hear the verdict,” she told reporters, standing next to her party leader who was there to lend support. She was charged over two posts she allegedly shared two years ago on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter: A tweet that reportedly defamed the monarchy over links to a coronavirus vaccine and a retweet of an anti-monarchy quote by 18th-century French philosopher Denis Diderot.Rukchanok was sentenced to three years on each count under Article 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code which prote...

China-made C919, ARJ21 passenger jets on display in Hong Kong

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese aerospace company COMAC has showcased its domestically-developed C919 passenger jet in Hong Kong, giving officials and media a close-up look at the narrow-bodied aircraft. A welcome ceremony for the C919 and an ARJ21, another Chinese-made jet made by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, was held at the Hong Kong international airport on Wednesday, a day after both flew into Hong Kong for the first time. At the event, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee said China’s successful development of the large passenger jet indicates its “leading position in the transportation manufacturing industry.” He added that the two airplanes’ visit to Hong Kong demonstrates the importance that China places on Hong Kong’s aviation industry.More than 1,000 orders have been placed for the C919, Lee said, and Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department has participated in certifying the aircraft and training pilots to fly it.COMAC is preparing to take on Airbus and Boeing in the m...

German government reaches solution on budget crisis triggered by court ruling

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German government on Wednesday reached a solution to a budget crisis triggered by a court ruling last month, German news agency dpa reported.The leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition had been wrangling over money since Germany’s highest court annulled a decision to repurpose 60 billion euros ($64.7 billion) originally meant to cushion the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic for measures to help combat climate change and modernize the country.The immediate challenge was to plug a 17 billion-euro hole in next year’s budget. Scholz, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner had met repeatedly seeking to resolve the impasse before the end of the year.Details on the content of the compromise and how the three leaders agreed to solve the budget crisis after negotiating all night were expected to be presented later Wednesday at a press conference by the three leaders, the chancellery said in a statement.The issue has added to ...

Mild, snowless Christmas likely as unseasonably mild pattern takes hold; potential flooding rains in Florida this weekend

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

Tuesday logged 100% of the day's possible sunshine Following an extremely cloudy open to December, the sunshine deficit has almost been erased. Another day of mostly sunny skies expected on Wednesday. Threat of flooding in South Florida is compounded by the approach of a low-pressure system this weekend. The storm is expected to usher in a substantial amount of tropical moisture, intensifying the likelihood of increased rainfall across the region, spanning from the Keys to the southeastern part of South Florida.  Southern Florida will be bracing for a flash-flood threat this week as a storm system pushes into the region and brings more wet weather, adding to the already record-breaking rain totals for the statein 2023.

Kazakhstan strengthens Investment Council powers to boost economic growth

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:11:55 GMT

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a landmark decree on 4 December regarding measures to increase the efficiency of attracting investment into Kazakhstan’s economy and accelerating economic growth. The decree outlines a comprehensive plan to empower the Investment Promotion Council (Investment Headquarters) with unprecedented authority. As stipulated in the decree, the Investment Promotion Council will have the power to make binding decisions on both central and local government bodies and entities in the quasi-public sector. Additionally, the Council is empowered to develop temporary regulatory legal acts with the force of law, supplementing the government’s efforts to create a conducive environment for investment. According to Kazinform, this decree is a continuation of President Tokayev’s economic policy, as outlined in his state-of-the-nation address in September. This policy focuses on economic reforms, diversification, transparent tax policies, and equitable managem...