PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Boosts Position in The Trade Desk, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTD)

ComBank crowned ‘Green Brand of the Year’ with Gold at SLIM Brand Excellence AwardsDiary of disturbing disinformation and dangerous delusions This claim : “[Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia] are far weaker today than they were when I took office.” — President Biden, Sunday We say: Pure gaslighting. Iran and Hezbollah launched relentless attacks on Israel and Russia invaded Ukraine because Biden broadcast major weakness. They’re weaker now only because Israel ignored Biden’s constant calls to go easy on the terrorists. Biden is trying to salvage his legacy with bald-faced lies. His exit can’t come soon enough. This assertion: “If you are a woman working for the Department of Defense, you have a right to be in a panic.” — Ana Navarro, Monday We say: Has fearmongering ever been so literal? Navarro’s claiming Trump Defense pick Pete Hegseth is a cause for DOD women to “panic.” This is the same man who’s said : “Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there, are women.” Scare tactics are the only thing keeping The View in business at this point, but this one is pure delusion. This fact-check : “There is no evidence of a migrant-driven crime wave in the U.S., and crime broadly is down.” — NBC News, Sunday We say: No evidence? Cops in sanctuary cities like New York aren’t allowed to track whether a suspect is an illegal immigrant , which is convenient for defenders of Biden’s open borders. But NBC is ignoring the spread of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to 17 different states , the brutal murders of Americans like Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray and the rise of violent teen gangbangers in neighborhoods like Times Square. We’d call that evidence. This statement : “Perhaps no one is more to blame for [Americans not trusting the FBI] than Mr. Trump himself, who’s baselessly accused the bureau of conducting ‘witch hunts’ against him.” — NBC’s Ken Dilanian, Wednesday We say : Biden’s FBI and Department of Justice have been waging an all-out war on Trump since his first term, with RussiaGate, the unprecedented, over-the-top raid on Mar-a-Lago and everything in between. Americans know a political hit job when they see one; that’s why trust in the FBI has tanked. Not Trump pointing out the partisan rot. Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

Romania PM fends off far-right challenge in presidential first roundGame-changing holiday gifts for building fires, printing photos, watching birds and more

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Back in September, an X/Twitter account known as Autism Capital posted a screenshot of a written theory that appeared to be taken from 4Chan. The theory postulated that only "high [testostrone] alpha males" and "aneurotypical people" can think freely and be trusted to know what is objectively true. That means "a Republic for high-status males is best for decision making," the theory continued. Elon Musk, the X owner and Tesla executive, responded: "Interesting observation." Little wonder that Musk found such proclamations interesting. He has talked in public a number of times about having "Asperger's syndrome" (a term that fell out of favor as researchers learned the extent of Hans Asperger's collaboration with the Nazi regime's child euthanasia program and one that hasn't been used clinically since 2013.) The concept of "Aspie supremacy" — a term some disability rights advocates coined for the deeply problematic idea that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who previously would be considered as having Asperger's are superior to both neurotypical people and other autistic people — has been around for a while. But it's gained traction in the past few years in some very online, very right-wing spaces. It is a comforting ideology for someone like Musk. Musk has talked in the past about his struggles misunderstanding social cues as a child. "I was bullied quite a lot, so I did not have a sort of happy childhood, to be frank," he said once. But he's also talked about the possible benefits of his autism, saying: "I think there's maybe some value, also from a technology standpoint, because I found it rewarding to spend all night programming computers just by myself." For... Eric Garcia49ers made a pair of inexplicable defensive mistakes against Packers

Timeline: Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024Game-changing holiday gifts for building fires, printing photos, watching birds and moreExtensive confidential documents in the lead-up to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s institutions in 2002 have been made available to the public as part of annual releases from the Irish National Archives. They reveal that the Irish Government wanted to appeal to the UK side against “manipulating” every scenario for favourable election results in Northern Ireland, in an effort to protect the peace process. In the years after the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a number of outstanding issues left the political environment fraught with tension and disagreement. Mr Trimble, who won a Nobel Peace Prize with SDLP leader John Hume for their work on the Agreement, was keen to gain wins for the UUP on policing, ceasefire audits and paramilitary disarmament – but also to present his party as firmer on these matters amid swipes from its Unionist rival, the DUP. These issues were at the front of his mind as he tried to steer his party into Assembly elections planned for May 2003 and continue in his role as the Executive’s first minister despite increasing political pressure. The documents reveal the extent to which the British and Irish Governments were trying to delicately resolve the contentious negotiations, conscious that moves seen as concessions to one group could provoke anger on the other side. In June 2002, representatives of the SDLP reported to Irish officials on a recent meeting between Mr Hume’s successor Mark Durkan and Prime Minister Tony Blair on policing and security. Mr Blair is said to have suggested that the SDLP and UUP were among those who both supported and took responsibility for the Good Friday Agreement. The confidential report of the meeting says that Mr Durkan, the deputy First Minister, was not sure that Mr Trimble had been correctly categorised. The Prime Minister asked if the SDLP could work more closely with the UUP ahead of the elections. Mr Durkan argued that Mr Trimble was not only not saleable to nationalists, but also not saleable to half of the UUP – to which Mr Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid are said to have laughed in agreement. The SDLP leader further warned that pursuing a “save David” campaign would ruin all they had worked for. Damien McAteer, an adviser for the SDLP, was recorded as briefing Irish officials on September 10 that it was his view that Mr Trimble was intent on collapsing the institutions in 2003 over expected fallout for Sinn Fein in the wake of the Colombia Three trial, where men linked to the party were charged with training Farc rebels – but predicted the UUP leader would be “in the toilet” by January, when an Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) meeting was due to take place. A week later in mid September, Mr Trimble assured Irish premier Bertie Ahern that the next UUC meeting to take place in two days’ time would be “okay but not great” and insisted he was not planning to play any “big game”. It was at that meeting that he made the bombshell announcement that the UUP would pull out of the Executive if the IRA had not disbanded by January 18. The move came as a surprise to the Irish officials who, along with their UK counterparts, did not see the deadline as realistic. Sinn Fein described the resolution as a “wreckers’ charter”. Doubts were raised that there would be any progress on substantive issues as parties would not be engaged in “pre-election skirmishing”. As that could lead to a UUP walkout and the resulting suspension of the institutions, the prospect of delaying the elections was raised while bringing forward the vote was ruled out. Therefore, the two Governments stressed the need to cooperate as a stabilising force to protect the Agreement – despite not being sure how that process would survive through the January 18 deadline. The Irish officials became worried that the British side did not share their view that Mr Trimble was not “salvageable” and that the fundamental dynamic in the UUP was now Agreement scepticism, the confidential documents state. In a meeting days after the UUC announcements, Mr Reid is recorded in the documents as saying that as infuriating as it was, Mr Trimble was at that moment the “most enlightened Unionist we have”. The Secretary said he would explore what the UUP leader needed to “survive” the period between January 18 and the election, believing a significant prize could avoid him being “massacred”. Such planning went out the window just weeks later, when hundreds of PSNI officers were involved in raids of several buildings – including Sinn Fein’s offices in Stormont. The resulting “Stormontgate” spy-ring scandal accelerated the collapse of powersharing, with the UUP pulling out of the institutions – and the Secretary of State suspending the Assembly and Executive on October 14. For his part, Irish officials were briefed that Mr Reid was said to be “gung ho” about the prospect of exercising direct rule – reportedly making no mention of the Irish Government in a meeting with Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan on that day. The Northern Ireland Secretary was given a new role and Paul Murphy was appointed as his successor. A note on speaking points for a meeting with Mr Murphy in April showed that the Irish side believed the May elections should go ahead: “At a certain stage the political process has to stand on its own feet. “The Governments cannot be manipulating and finessing every scenario to engineer the right result. “We have to start treating the parties and the people as mature and trusting that they have the discernment to make the right choices.” However, the elections planned for May did not materialise, instead delayed until November. Mr Trimble would go on to lose his Westminster seat – and stewardship of the UUP – in 2005. The November election saw the DUP emerge as the largest parties – but direct rule continued as Ian Paisley’s refused to share power with Sinn Fein, which Martin McGuinness’ colleagues. The parties eventually agreed to work together following further elections in 2007. – This article is based on documents in 2024/130/5, 2024/130/6, 2024/130/15NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Light & Wonder, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNW) resulting from allegations that Light & Wonder may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Light & Wonder securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=29678 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On September 24, 2024, the Las Vegas Review-Journal published an article entitled “Slot manufacturer scores major win against Las Vegas-based rival.” It stated that “Aristocrat Technologies Inc.’s request for a preliminary injunction in its trade-secret and copyright infringement lawsuit against Light & Wonder” had been granted, and that the “order prohibits [Light & Wonder] from the ‘continued or planned sale, leasing, or other commercialization of Dragon Train,’ which Aristocrat claims uses intellectual property developed for its Dragon Link and Lightning Link games.” On this news, the price of Light & Wonder common stock fell 19.49% on September 24, 2024. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com

PJ Sin Suela has had one of the busiest years of his career. The perennial fan-favorite in Puerto Rico started his career more than a decade ago on Soundcloud. His dynamic stage presence, charismatic personality, catchy delivery, and clever bars put him on the map early. By 2018, he was teaming up with Bad Bunny and charting on Billboard. He kept winning fans and building a as a thoughtful and affable rapper — and this year promised to be even bigger. In January, he kicked off a string of collab singles featuring artists such as Nanpa Básico, Charlie Sepulveda, Goyo, and Sparrow & Barbossa among others. By July, he’d started hyping up Toda Época Tiene Su Encanto ( Every Era Has Its Charms ), his new LP, which dropped in September. A quick U.S. tour launched not too long after, and he returned to Puerto Rico to headline Festival de La Esperanza, the closing campaign rally of promising gubernatorial candidate Juan Dalmau, who received the support of young voters, and even Bad Bunny’s endorsement , ahead of the election. On voting day, PJ worked as a coordinator at one of the many polling places across the island, and a week later, he was back onstage for his sold-out concert at San Juan’s Tito Puente Amphitheater. On top of all that, he’s also a practicing doctor, running a non-profit and doing monthly health clinics around Puerto Rico for communities in need. A busy year, indeed. Still, not everything went as planned. The album was a hit, but Dalmau lost the election, dealing a blow to PJ and other Puerto Ricans who hoped for sweeping change in their homeland. But through it all, PJ is finding ways to stay positive and to keep inspiring others. “You don’t need to be a politician to make change,” he says. “You can start with yourself. I think there’s gonna be people there who will want to hear that, and I hope to motivate them.” In an interview with Rolling Stone , he talks about how he’s handled the aftermath of the election in Puerto Rico and the U.S., the reaction around his new album, and what he hopes to offer fans going forward. It’s after Election Day. How hopeful did you allow yourself to get? Too much. [ Laughs .] Man, I was positive that Puerto Rico had woken up and was as desperate for a change as I was. And I do think we did see that, in the younger population, not even from just 18 year olds, but literally 12 year olds who can’t vote were paying attention, and they’ve been living through this decline since María. I woke up that day hopeful, and even at 10 p.m. when my shift [at the polling place] ended, I was still feeling hopeful. But it’s hard to go up against these parties that have been in control for 70 years. And they’ve broadcast for just as long this [fearmongering] about “communism” and losing citizenship or certain benefits if we vote for a pro-independence candidate. That fear seems to really grab hold in certain groups, more than people anticipated. So many of the older people here remember the Seventies, the Vietnam War, or the change to communism in Cuba, or the Cold War, and they carry that anxiety. [Our generation], they say “hurricane.” When [Hurricanes] Irma and María came, I only sort of protected my house. Now? I board everything up, because I lived that. And these older people, they’re the same way about that other stuff. The day after the elections, with the [pro-statehood party] winning, after saying statehood and Trump were the only way forward, Mitch McConnell comes out and says they’re absolutely not giving us statehood . And I think in part that’s why they keep trying to sell our land, piece by piece. They know until Puerto Rico isn’t [mostly] people from the United States living here, Republicans will never make us a state. That’s why [in the leaked Telegram texts that led to the 2019 mass protests that ousted ex-governor Ricardo Rosselló] Edwin Miranda said “I saw the future. It’s so wonderful. There are no Puerto Ricans.” Related Content Anxiety, Joy, and Rosie Perez: On the Ground With Queers for Kamala Puerto Rico's Archbishop Demands Trump 'Personally' Apologize After Rally Backlash Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin Voice Support for Harris After Trump Rally Comments on Puerto Rico Feid’s Night of Surprises in Puerto Rico: 45 Songs and an Avengers Reunion Do you remember any other time in the past when you felt as pessimistic and disillusioned because of politics or the news? I’ve never cried as much over politics as I did [the day after the elections.] I worked as a coordinator at my polling place, so I was up from 5 a.m. to set everything up, and clocked out at 10 p.m. So, I was tired, but I cried as if I had just been dumped by my girlfriend of 10 years. But it’s because you’re in love with your country, and it’s a deep love, that a lot of people feel too. Today I’m fine, but yesterday, if I would talk to anybody about what happened, I’d start crying. That’s why yesterday I wrote “There’s nothing to celebrate,” but people started telling me “Bro, there’s so much to celebrate. Look at all the young people who woke up early and went out to vote.” And they’re right, that’s a really positive thing. Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time You mentioned working at a polling place, and you touched a bit on what you saw in that note you uploaded. Can you elaborate on the problems you saw that need addressing? The voting system in Puerto Rico is archaic. We vote by hand, with five different sheets [of paper], half of them completely unnecessary — why are we doing mock votes for the U.S. president? I know people who wrote my name in! That makes lines longer and move slower. We vote in rundown schools, with zinc ceilings in high temperatures. I had to call a buddy to bring packs of bottled water to give out to people in line, and even then, two of them fainted. I had to take care of them and send one of them to the hospital, I could barely find their pulse. There were lots of voting machine irregularities, and issues sending the results to the main hub via satellite. You have to scramble to extract the chips from the machines and take them physically to the main polling offices. I think everyone should do it at least once so they can see how it works and what goes on. It’s been two months since your album came out. How do you feel about the way your fans have responded to it? It’s been beautiful. I’m really happy, man. This album is very special. I think it’s a timeless album, because of the variety of music and the themes it touches. Not only do I feel the guest artists, because of their musicality and personality, are timeless but also we talk about patriotism, self-love, and love in general, and you can listen to it whenever. It has reggaeton, rap, bolero, salsa, bomba, drum ‘n bass... It’s a fusion of all these genres, and I feel you can listen to it over and over. We’ve played the album [on tour] at 12 different U.S. cities, plus Colombia and Chile, and after just a month people already knew the lyrics and had their favorite songs. What’s been the most surprising reaction that you’ve heard? “Escúchame,” with Chuwi ,. People think it’s a love song when it’s actually a conversation with the land, and about our relationship with our country, which makes it even more relevant now. Lorén, the lead singer of Chuwi, is talking to me as the land, asking for help, to me or to all boricuas, singing about how she’s given us so much and we’ve forgotten about her. And I’m telling her that I haven’t forgotten, that I’m here for her. And I made a post [explaining the song] and a lot of people didn’t catch that, and they were saying “Now that I hear it, it makes me cry.” Another one is “Como Antes,” which is like a bolero, and out of my comfort zone. I didn’t expect for it to become a fan favorite, but people who hear it tell me they identify with it. The message [is] of being in a relationship that you know doesn’t have a future but you hold on because you don’t trust there’s anything better after. You can apply it to many types of relationships that aren’t healthy, romantic or even family. That brings me to my next question, actually. You’ve said you wrote “Amnesia” the day your grandfather died, and you mentioned in a previous conversation you didn’t always see eye-to-eye with him. Can you talk about that, and how that relationship applied to the themes of the album? A lot of people think I’m the way I am because of my family, and my grandfather was the musician of the family. He was a gringo from Alabama who came to Puerto Rico and fell in love with a Puerto Rican woman. None of his family came for the wedding because they didn’t want him to marry a Puerto Rican. And he had Trump stickers on his car, and I’d rip them off. I got taken off family group chats because I’d talk about politics, and he’d call me and angrily yell “Stop talking about politics!” But I get along with everybody, and I learned not to talk about that around him. I didn’t have a bad relationship with him, though. I’d say I got my extroverted side from him. Our family get-togethers ended with my grandfather drunk and playing Frank Sinatra songs on the piano. At restaurants he’d get up in the middle of dinner and start singing, and everyone would clap for him. He was a character. I wrote the song the day he died, but before I found out he’d died. I finished the song, and then my dad called me with the news. But I knew he was in the hospital, and the song talks about a love that scars, and it’s crazy because at one point I wrote “You follow me like a mystery / A ghost, a cemetery.” But I was ready for his passing. He lived life to its fullest. The week before he passed I stayed with him at his home, took care of him, bathed him, and had some really nice conversations with him. Does the ephemerality of life make you see the world differently, not just in interpersonal relationships, but in a wider sense, with politics or your career. Does it give you a sense of urgency? I live pretty passionately. I’m always looking to be free. Lots of people are after the “American dream,” or after money. I just wanna have freedom. I went through that phase of wanting to lock in and finish your education and get a career, but I’d say after the pandemic I realized the most precious thing we have is our health and our time. And that’s what I live for, health and time. Plus, how can I leave a positive footprint? That’s why I talk so much about social change, and do these health workshops. I feel it’s a duty, because I’ve been privileged, from my family to my music. But as far as urgency, I think when you’re not living a lie and you’re honest, that makes it so you don’t have to get hung up on an age and you can be happy while life passes. That’s why every era has its charm... And I just live trying to make sure the next era is just as nice as the previous one. When people talk about why I’m not as big as X or Y artists, that doesn’t bother me, because I’m living an honest life. Do you feel pressure now knowing that fans will be looking to you to make sense of what happened, or for a reason to feel optimistic? I feel a little pressure, but I also think my concert will help people roll with the punches. And I’m gonna sing about social topics, but I also want a concert where people leave happy, and in love, and satisfied. Also Christmas is coming up, so there’s gonna be a lot of positivity. We’re not gonna have a VIP section; it’s all community, everyone together. Obviously you’re not a politician, but you are a doctor, so I wanted your take on the very real danger that’s in play now of the Affordable Care Act and Medicare being potentially cut, due to Trump’s proposed policies . I think it’s super dangerous. I haven’t read the specific policies Trump is pushing, [but] I know that federal laws affect Puerto Rico, and I know that we need more health care workers, and we need all health insurance plans to approve the few doctors that come back. Not a lot of people know that. Sometimes it takes six months to get that approval, and [some doctors] take patients for free in that time. Cutting Medicare is insanity, especially with our high elderly population. Here, you go to the mountain towns, and there’s so many elderly people who get no assistance or help. There’s no specialists up there, and you’d have to travel an hour or more to reach one. And these elderly are alone; most of their family moved away after María. I met one who told me they were diagnosed with a tumor in their head, but hadn’t checked it out for a year because their appointments were for six months out and they had no transportation. You’re a doctor, an activist, an artist, three roles with big responsibilities. How do you manage to balance all of them, physically and mentally? I get asked this a lot. I always say there’s no formula. Over time, you develop the discipline. I’ve had months where I’ve had to dedicate the whole time to justr health work and separate myself from the music. And other times I go on tour and don’t do anything health-related, except check in on Mondays to make sure everything is going well with my foundation, where I’m the medical director. But there’s no formula. Discipline, consistency, and patience. I have a schedule. Mondays, I have a call with my non-profit, scheduling our health clinics at least a month in advance. The rest of the week, four times a week, I come to the studio at 11 a.m. and dedicate 8 hours to produce or write music. Because that’s also my job: to write and create music. But discipline is important. LeBron is LeBron because he’s in the gym two to three times a day. All these successful rappers, that’s how they get to where they are. You can’t be like “Oh yeah, I’ll go to the studio once a week.” You gotta put in the time.PACS Investors Have Opportunity to Lead PACS Group Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit

PVBLIC Foundation Hosts Panel at COP29 on SIDS Center of Excellence and the Development Bank for Resilient ProsperityThe world approved a bitterly negotiated climate deal Sunday but poorer nations most at the mercy of worsening disasters dismissed a $300 billion a year pledge from wealthy historic polluters as insultingly low. After two exhausting weeks of chaotic bargaining and sleepless nights, nearly 200 nations pushed through the contentious finance pact in the early hours in a sports stadium in Azerbaijan. But the applause had barely subsided when India delivered a full-throated rejection of the "abysmally poor" deal, kicking off a firestorm of criticism from across the developing world. "It's a paltry sum," thundered India's delegate Chandni Raina. "This document is little more than an optical illusion. This, in our opinion, will not address the enormity of the challenge we all face." Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai said it showed a "lack of goodwill" from rich countries to stand by the world's poorest as they confront rising seas and harsher droughts. Nigeria's envoy Nkiruka Maduekwe put it even more bluntly: "This is an insult." Some countries had accused Azerbaijan, an oil and gas exporter, of lacking the will to meet the moment in a year defined by costly climate disasters and on track to become the hottest on record. But at protests throughout COP29, developed nations -- major economies like the European Union, the United States and Japan -- were accused of negotiating in bad faith, making a fair deal impossible. Developing nations arrived in the Caspian Sea city of Baku hoping to secure a massive financial boost from rich countries many times above their existing pledge of $100 billion a year. Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, said she would return home with only a "small portion" of what she fought for, but not empty-handed. "It isn't nearly enough, but it's a start," said Stege, whose atoll nation homeland faces an existential threat from creeping sea levels. - No time to celebrate - Nations had struggled at COP29 to reconcile long-standing divisions over how much developed nations most accountable for historic greenhouse gas pollution should provide to poorer countries least responsible but most impacted by Earth's rapid warming. The meeting also saw stalling on the promise to "transition away" from fossil fuels, the main driver of global heating. That pledge, a key achievement of COP28 in Dubai, was scrubbed from the final Baku deal. The Least Developed Countries bloc of 45 nations slammed the COP29 outcome as a "travesty", adding that it failed to make progress on curbing warming, or deliver enough cash to protect the most vulnerable. "This is not just a failure; it is a betrayal," the group said in a statement. Nations have agreed to try to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times. Currently the world is on track for devastating warming of between 2.6C and 3.1C this century, according to the UN. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he had "hoped for a more ambitious outcome" and appealed to governments to see it as a starting point. Developed countries only put the $300 billion figure on the table on Saturday after COP29 went into extra time and diplomats worked through the night to improve an earlier spurned offer. Bleary-eyed diplomats, huddled anxiously in groups, were still polishing the final phrasing on the plenary floor in the dying hours before the deal passed. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband hailed "a critical eleventh-hour deal at the eleventh hour for the climate". At points, the talks appeared on the brink of collapse. Delegates stormed out of meetings, fired shots across the bow, and threatened to walk away from the negotiating table should rich nations not cough up more cash. In the end -- despite repeating that "no deal is better than a bad deal" -- developing nations did not stand in the way of an agreement. - 'Historic' - US President Joe Biden cast the agreement reached in Baku as a "historic outcome". EU climate envoy Wopke Hoekstra said it would be remembered as "the start of a new era for climate finance". The agreement commits developed nations to pay at least $300 billion a year by 2035 to help developing countries cut emissions and prepare for worsening disasters. It falls short of the $390 billion that economists commissioned by the United Nations had deemed a fair share contribution by developed nations. The US and EU pushed to have newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- chip in. Wealthy nations said it was politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and economic belt-tightening. Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, was elected just days before COP29 began and his victory cast a pall over the UN talks. Other countries, particularly in the EU -- the largest contributor of climate finance -- saw right-wing backlashes against the green agenda, not fertile conditions for raising big sums of public money. The final deal "encourages" developing countries to make contributions on a voluntary basis, reflecting no change for China, which already provides climate finance on its own terms. The deal also posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. By Nick Perry, Laurent Thomet And Shaun Tandon

Starlink is seeking a licence to provide internet service in Guyana, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American aerospace company SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. Speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference on Thursday, the Vice President explained that Starlink’s interest is “actively being considered” by the Government. He explained that if the licence is approved, it means the company will have to pay taxes to the Government. Currently, private individuals would import the Starlink equipment and provide internet services to sections of the local population, specifically in hinterland areas. Jagdeo said this practice is unfair to other companies providing similar services, since those companies are subjected to paying taxes. He explained that this was one of the topics discussed between President Dr Irfaan Ali and tech giant Elon Musk, founder of Space X, in July. The Office of the President had issued a brief statement on that meeting, stating that “discussions focused on the advancement of Guyana’s economy, particularly in the areas of innovation and technology, and the opportunities that exist in the respective sectors.”