2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20% of the world’s fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organized crime is rising at alarming rates. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organization that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor," Miller said. Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — dropped 30.6% compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula's predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country's environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024's figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It’s impossible to overlook the threat posed by organized crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were draped in smoke in August from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the Amazon River fell to desperate lows , leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River's main tributaries dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon's fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole." But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction.” It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil’s Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don't how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of a voice on nature conservation decisions , a development that builds on a growing movement to recognize Indigenous people's role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organization, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support," Ebus said.
CARSON, Calif. — The LA Galaxy finished 26th in the 29-team Major League Soccer standings just one season ago, and their biggest supporters boycotted certain matches to protest a decade of poor performance. The most successful club in league history seemed light years away from its luminous prime. When the Galaxy raised the MLS Cup again Saturday amid confetti and fireworks, their spectacular transformation was complete. In only one year, a team that was profoundly lost had rediscovered its peerless championship pedigree. "We won this trophy, and it's finally back where it belongs," striker Dejan Joveljic said. Joseph Paintsil and Joveljic scored in the first half, and the Galaxy won their record sixth MLS Cup championship with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls. After striking twice in the first 13 minutes of the final, the Galaxy nursed their lead through a scoreless second half to raise their league's biggest trophy for the first time since 2014. MLS' most successful franchise struggled through most of the ensuing years, but everything changed after LA spent smartly in the offseason to build a high-scoring new lineup topped by Paintsil, Joveljic and Gabriel Pec. The Galaxy finished second in the Western Conference and streaked through the postseason with an MLS playoff-record 18 goals in five games to win another crown. "I'm just so proud of this group after the challenges that we (had) and the way they bounced back and competed as a group," Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. "We spent a lot of energy at the start, but I'm just so proud of these guys. They've cemented themselves as legends in this club." The Galaxy even won this title without perhaps their most important player. Riqui Puig, the playmaking midfielder from Barcelona who ran their offense impressively all season long, tore a ligament in his knee last week in the conference final. Puig watched this game in a suit, but the Catalan catalyst's teammates hadn't forgotten him: After his replacement, Gastón Brugman, set up LA's opening goal with a superb pass in the ninth minute, Paintsil held up Puig's jersey to their roaring fans during the celebration. "I was really waiting for this moment," said Paintsil, who scored his 14th goal of an impressive season. "I'm much more, 10 times faster than them, and Gaston saw the space. ... It was really a good thing. We did it for Riqui, and we did it for our family that came, and our supporters." Just four minutes later, Joveljic sprinted past four New York defenders and chipped home his 21st goal. Brugman was named the MLS Cup MVP after a commanding performance in midfield. The Uruguayan hadn't started a match for the Galaxy since Oct. 5 after an injury-slowed season, playing only as a postseason substitute before the final. "I dreamed of that yesterday, of something I could give to the team," Brugman said of his pass to Paintsil. "Today, it happened." Sean Nealis scored for the seventh-seeded Red Bulls, whose improbable postseason charge ended one win shy of their first Cup championship. With the league's youngest roster, New York fell just short of becoming the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament under first-year German coach Sandro Schwarz. "I love these guys," Schwarz said. "Some guys, they are crying. In the big picture, that's a start. Sometimes when you lose the final, it's tough, but you use this experience to create the next energy, the next intensity." Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves to win his second MLS title in three seasons, but Nealis beat the 2022 MLS Cup MVP in the 28th minute when he volleyed from the penalty area. The second half was lively: Red Bulls captain Emil Forsberg hit the outside of the post in the 72nd minute, while Pec and Galaxy substitute Marco Reus nearly converted chances a few moments later. The ball got loose in the Galaxy's penalty area in the third minute of extra time, but two Red Bulls couldn't finish. After Galaxy owner Phil Anschutz received the MLS Cup that bears his name because of his steady financial support of the league during its shaky years, Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida carried the trophy to his teammates for the celebration. The Galaxy extended their lead over DC United (4) for the most MLS Cup championships in league history. The Red Bulls remain one of three original MLS franchises never to win the title, along with FC Dallas and the New England Revolution. The Galaxy finished 17-0-3 this season at their frequently renamed suburban stadium, where the sellout crowd of 26,812 for the final included several robust cheering sections of Red Bulls supporters hoping to see their New Jersey-based club's breakthrough. But this season was about the Galaxy's rebirth. The club famous for employing global stars from David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Robbie Keane and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández swiftly turned itself into a contender again by acquiring young talents without international fame. The Galaxy signed Pec from Brazil and grabbed Paintsil, a Ghanaian playing in Belgium. The duo combined with Joveljic to form a potent attack with orchestration from Puig, one of MLS' best players. "Losing a guy like Riqui after the performance he put in all season was devastating," McCarthy said. "Even if he wasn't on the field, we did it for him." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Great British Baking Show: Holidays’ Season 7 on Netflix, A Festive Pair of Episodes Featuring Fan Favorite Bakers
(Excerpted from the autobiography of MDD Peiris, Secretary to the Prime Minister) In June 1975, the Prime Minister was honoured by the international community with two important assgnments. The first was by the International Labour Organization (ILO), where she was invited to make the keynote address to the new ILO sessions opening in Geneva. The second was by the United Nations where she was invited to make the keynote address at the First UN International Conference on Women to be held in Mexico City, Mexico. She was also due to address The Group of 77 in Geneva. Manel Abeysekera of the Foreign Ministry and I, accompanied the Prime Minister. We had three major speeches to work on. We already had drafts ready, which were the result of much work and many refinements. But we had decided to finalize them in Geneva after two of our ablest diplomats, Susantha de Alwis and Karen Breckenridge perused them. Gamani Corea was to go through the Group of 77 speech in particular. Geneva We left for Geneva on June 8, 1975 by Swissair. En route we landed at Karachi at 1 a.m. and were met at the airport by the Minister of Education and Planning of the Province of Sindh and Mr. Aga Shahi, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, who had been specially dispatched from Islamabad for the occasion. After an interesting conversation, we re-boarded and took-off. I worked through the Prime Minister’s Group of 77 speech on the plane. We couldn’t land in Geneva due to fog and were diverted to Zurich. That didn’t work either. Zurich was also fog bound. Finally, we landed at Basle. This of course meant hassle and delay. For me, this was a worry because we didn’t have much time to finalize the speeches. Susantha and his charming wife, Achala, put us all up in their official residence. Thanks to them, we were relaxed and comfortable. Breckenridge joined us later to work on the speeches. With so many important speeches, coming up so rapidly, work was hectic. Finally, by the time we finished working on the Group of 77 speech, It was 2.15 in the morning. On June10, at 10 a.m. the Prime Minister addressed the ILO and that afternoon at 3.45 p.m. the Group of 77. To our relief and satisfaction, both addresses were well received. There were several other appointments over the next couple of days, including meetings with the Director General of ILO and senior officials, as well as with various persons knowledgeable on issues of development. We had also to put the finishing touches on the Prime Minister’s address to the conference on Women. Manel and I worked on that. Mexico City We next left for Mexico. The journey took us through Houston where there was a refueling stop. Shirley Amerasinghe, our Permanent Representative at the UN was at the airport when we landed. I took the opportunity to show him the speech and inquired whether he had any views. Shirley thought the speech “excellent.” We were pleased that an experienced internationalist like Shirley had this opinion. At the airport at Mexico City, the Prime Minister and party were met by the Foreign Minister; Minister of the Interior; and the Minister for the Presidency and their wives. We were lodged at the Hotel Camino Real, which was both spacious and comfortable. On June 18 at 10.30 a.m. the Prime Minister called on President Ecchevaria. Talks between the two sides went on till I p.m. and encompassed both bilateral affairs and trade, as well as international affairs. The discussions were friendly and open. There was some delay due to translations. At 1.30 p.m. the President hosted the Prime Minister and delegation to lunch. The Mexican Cabinet; the Chief Justice and Judges of the Supreme Court; other local dignitaries and the diplomatic corps were present. After coming back to the hotel I telephoned Jayantha Dhanapala of the Foreign Service, at our Embassy in Washington and read out the text of a long statement, which I had drafted for the Sri Lanka newspapers. Since we didn’t have an embassy in Mexico, communications were a problem. The Prime Minister’s address itself to the conference went off very well and we believe that she received somewhat more than the customary compliments paid to speakers on such occasions. Our stay in Mexico, though brief was a crowded one with lunches, cultural shows and some sightseeing thrown in which included a visit to the excellent national museum. At one of these lunches hosted by Princess Ashraf, the sister of the Shah of Iran, and which included Ms. Imelda Marcos, I was one of the very few males present. The conversation was wide ranging and interesting with an emphasis on art, culture and social issues. Just before we left for home, Mr. Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden called on the Prime Minister in her hotel. The youthful looking Mr. Palme had a reputation for being a radical. He had participated in marches and demonstrations in Sweden against the American intervention in the Vietnam War. At the discussions, he displayed a quiet, soft-spoken style. The Mexican Minister of Trade called on the Prime Minister before her departure. At this discussion Mexico agreed to issue licenses for a larger quantity of Sri Lankan cinnamon. At the airport, Valentina Teresckova, the Soviet woman cosmonaut came to meet the Prime Minister. It was a meeting between the first woman in space and the first woman Prime Minister. Katchativu and the settlement of issues with India From, about 1973, the Prime Minister was turning her attention to solving the only two outstanding issues with India, that of the ownership of the Island of Katchativu off the Northern coast of Sri Lanka; and that of the remaining 150,000 settlers of Indian origin in the country, which had not been covered by the Sirima-Shastri Pact. Katchativu was a tiny barren island in a part of the sea between Sri Lanka and India where fishermen of both countries engaged in fishing. At certain times of the year, Indian fishermen used to dry their nets on this rocky island. There was also a Catholic festival held there annually by the Sri Lanka Church, attended mostly by fishermen and their families. Katchativu was therefore being used for different purposes by the fishermen of both countries. Traditionally, however, Sri Lanka always considered the tiny island hers. The difference of views with India lay in the fact that there was no legal resolution of ownership. The issue was most important to a small country like Sri Lanka. India was one of the largest countries in the World. To Sri Lanka, it was considered vital to demarcate her maritime boundary in the North, and for this too the status of Katchativu was important. This was furthermore an area, which due to fishing by people of both countries, it was very necessary to properly demarcate the maritime boundary in order to minimize disputes. The law of the Sea Conference and the proposed 200 mile limit of sea which was to come within the sovereignty of countries was a factor which added to the importance of the resolution of this issue. Official contacts were therefore made with India, and a process of discussions begun. To complicate matters for us, it was discovered that some vitally important papers on the subject were missing from the Foreign Ministry files. One would not however like to speculate on a matter such as this. However, papers available in the National Archives helped. The Prime Minister in her meetings and contacts with Mrs. Gandhi had broached the necessity of resolving the outstanding issues with India. The two Prime Ministers got on well together and had established considerable rapport, a relationship going back the good relations between the Bandaranaike and Nehru families. Mrs. Bandaranaike was therefore keen that the existing favourable political configuration in the two countries should be used without delay to resolve our common problems. The Indian Prime Minister agreed. She had enormous problems on her hands including political turmoil, separatist tendencies and guerilla action in several parts of the country. The problems with Sri Lanka were not intractable ones, and she herself obviously thought that the time had come to get them out of the way and have some degree of stability and peace on her Southern border. A friendly Sri Lanka was in India’s interest. The virulent anti-Indian rhetoric by the JVP during 1969-71 which included the holding of clandestine classes for its cadres where an important lesson was on “Indian domination”, was a recent demonstration of the potential to inspire fear and hatred. This was another factor taken into account by Mrs. Bandaranaike in developing a policy on the quick resolution of problems with India. The two sides therefore, engaged in a process of discussions. These discussions were ongoing in a quiet manner when in mid-1974 India exploded a nuclear device in the Rajasthan desert. A cacophony of condemnation arose all over the world. The shrill condemnation that followed could not be dignified with the word “chorus.” India was depicted in the world’s press, and particularly in the Western press as some kind of sanctimonious humbug which preached non-violence, Ahimsa and arms control on the one hand, but practiced something else on the other. It was at the height of this situation that one day I dropped in at Temple Trees in the morning to get some urgent letters signed by the Prime Minister. When I reached there, I found the Prime Minister seated at the large dining table attending to work with W T Jayasinghe. I was about to take a seat in the verandah, when she saw me and invited me in. I found that WT was also finishing his work. He asked me whether I could give him a lift back to the Ministry, since he had sent his car somewhere else. I said that it wouldn’t be a problem. Both of us finished soon thereafter and WT loaded a large number of files into my car. We set off soon thereafter for the five-minute run to Republic Square. During the trip, WT told me that the Prime minister was sending a tiff note about the testing of the nuclear device and that she had signed the letter. I was quite appalled. I told WT, that I did not know the content and tone of the letter, since I had not seen it, but that I hoped that the close relationship between the two Prime Ministers and the on-going discussions on Katchativu and other matters had been taken into account in drafting the letter. I ended by saying that I hoped that our overall national interest had been properly assessed in sending this communication at this time. W T became somewhat agitated by what I said. He had the objectivity to say, “No I don’t think we had thought about matters to that extent.” I shrugged. He then pulled out the file and showed me the letter. I took one look and said that we might as well abandon our on-going discussions with India. The letter was a typical foreign Ministry sectoral, one-dimensional draft, which had only a thought of the issues of non-proliferation and non-alignment. It was clear that no thought had been given to the course of bilateral relations, strategic considerations, or an assessment of Sri Lanka’s overall national interest. WT by now was considerably alarmed. We had now reached the end of our short journey. He said, he wanted to come to my room to discuss matters further. Indeed, by now, he was convinced that the letter was a mistake. He wanted me to do an alternate draft. I said that I would do so only if he would place both drafts before the Prime Minister, not telling her who drafted the alternative, until she had decided which one to send. This was too important a matter for any bias to creep in. I thereupon changed the whole tenor of the letter from one of protestations and criticism to what I thought was a more balanced approach. India was congratulated on her achievements in Science and Technology and our satisfaction at this record mentioned. But the Prime Minister urged caution on going the nuclear route and she said that she was encouraged by the Indian Prime Minister’s statement that India would not develop a nuclear arsenal. (The various reasons why India and Pakistan developed nuclear weapons later would be a matter for study, debate and even controversy. But this was 1974, and we had to react at that time.) Suitable reference was also made to the issue of the Non-Aligned stance on nuclear proliferation. The whole tenor or the letter was an expression or admiration and recognition of India’s achievements in science and technology, but at the same time a friendly expression of concern about the prospect of nuclear proliferation. WT’ thought that my draft was much better. I soon forgot about it amidst other work. A few days later WT walked into my room. He had done what I had suggested and the two drafts had been placed before the Prime Minister. She had immediately reacted, and had angrily asked, who had done the first draft. She had stated that the second draft was the one that really reflected her views, and that she was misled into signing the first. It was only at this point that WT had mentioned who the author of the second draft was. This whole episode brings up some interesting points. In the first instance, it was by sheer accident that there was ever a second draft. The earlier letter would have been disastrous. This surmise indeed was subsequently proved by the Indian Prime Minister’s warm and lengthy response to the Prime Minister’s letter. This was a time, when Mrs. Gandhi was having serious internal problems in India too. The reply was an outpouring from the heart of a beleaguered leader to one whom she could trust. Amongst many candid and personal matters contained in the reply, there was gratitude expressed for Mrs. Bandaranaike’s understanding and vision. The relationship could have ended up being quite different.MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa's teammates have used words like “commanding” and “lights out” to describe the way he has played recently. The quarterback has had one of the best stretches of his career since he returned from a concussion in Week 8, keeping alive the playoff hopes for the Miami Dolphins. Tagovailoa threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns — including the winning TD in overtime — to lead Miami to the victory against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Sunday. With the win, the Dolphins (6-7) have the same record as Indianapolis, and they two games back of Denver (8-5) for the final AFC wild card. “I don’t think two years ago this game occurs,” coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday of Tagovailoa. “He continues to get better. ... It’s a lot of work, and all of his work is paying off because he’s a naturally gifted quarterback, not only the skill sets but people gravitate towards him. He makes people better. That’s an incredibly important part of that position.” After an up-close look at the way Tagovailoa operates Miami's offense by throwing with anticipation, Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich called him one of the fastest processors in the NFL. Tagovailoa's teammates had just as much praise about his impact. “He’s been playing lights out. He’s been a great leader for this team, not only on offense but also for defense, getting those guys going," wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. "We’ve just got to follow him, man, like follow his standard because the standard is the standard, and he’s been playing at a high level and guys around him just got to match it.” The numbers back up Hill's words: Sunday was Tagovailoa's third straight 300-yard passing performance, joining Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in Dolphins history to record three consecutive games with that many yards. Tagovailoa entered Sunday's game with a league-best 74.5% completion rate. He recorded his seventh straight game with a completion rate of 70% or better, tying the third-longest streak in NFL history. Going back to Week 10 against the Rams, Tagovailoa has attempted 184 passes without throwing an interception, which is the second-longest streak in his career, and he has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 34 of his last 35 games. He was 6 for 7 for 67 yards on the Dolphins' winning touchdown drive Sunday, which he capped with a 10-yard throw to tight end Jonnu Smith. “He was commanding," receiver Jaylen Waddle said. “He really made sure we didn’t kill ourselves with penalties. He wanted everybody to lock in and just hone in on the details. That’s was big. He came through, made big plays, was calm in the pocket, o-line had great protection, he delivered the ball.” What's working A big part of Tagovailoa's growth has been his ability to not force plays down the field that aren't there. Unlike earlier in his career, he is much more willing to take checkdowns or dump the ball off to running back De'Von Achane or the tight end Smith, who have been excellent this season at gaining yards after the catch. What needs help Third down continues to pose problems for the Dolphins. Miami converted just 1 of 9 third-down attempts and are 9 of 35 on third downs in its last three games. Stock up Receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Hill had his first 100-yard receiving game since the opener with 115 yards on 10 catches. With his 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, Hill has a TD catch in four of the past five games. Waddle caught nine passes for 99 yards that gave him 4,085 in his career — the most in a player's first four seasons in Dolphins history. Stock down The secondary, which allowed a combined 223 yards by Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams and 339 yards passing from Aaron Rodgers. It was just the second time this season that Miami's defense has allowed more than 300 yards passing. There were also several instances of miscommunication in the secondary. Injuries LT Terron Armstead was limited to just five snaps because of a knee injury that he's been dealing with for weeks. Armstead was visibly frustrated when he came out of the game and was replaced by rookie Patrick Paul. ... LB Anthony Walker Jr. appeared to re-aggravate a hamstring injury that happened last week. Key number 0 — The number of times Tagovailoa was hit Sunday on 47 pass attempts. Next steps Three of Miami's final four games are on the road, starting at Houston on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
One key player who is set to feature prominently in the match is striker Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian international has been in scintillating form, leading the line for Inter with his goalscoring prowess and physical presence. Lukaku's partnership with Lautaro Martinez has been a potent weapon for Inter, as they look to break down Lazio's stubborn defense and find a way through to goal.None
AP News Summary at 1:42 p.m. ESTIn conclusion, KaiXia's decision to go public with an IPO valuation of 1455 Japanese yen per share is a testament to the company's strength, resilience, and potential for future growth. With its innovative products, talented team, and strategic focus, KaiXia is poised to set new standards in the tech industry and drive value for its shareholders. Investors and industry observers alike are eagerly watching to see what the future holds for this dynamic and groundbreaking company.
DETROIT — Another home of a University of Michigan leader was vandalized, including the spray-painting of a vehicle with a pro-Palestinian slogan, a regent said Monday. UM Regent Jordan Acker said his Huntington Woods home and vehicle were both vandalized early Monday. Someone threw a mason jar through one of his home's windows and spray-painted the words "Divest and Free Palestine" on an SUV, said Acker, who is Jewish. "My first thought when I heard the glass breaking is that one of my daughters had gone downstairs to get something to drink and dropped it," he said. "It was very loud and it sounded like dishes breaking. "It was only about 30 seconds later when the police arrived that I came down and realized what had happened." Acker said he later found out a neighbor called the police after seeing a couple of people running away from the house. Authorities found fragments of a glass jar inside the house along with a foul-smelling liquid as well as a second jar outside of the home, he said. Acker called the upside-down red triangle the vandals also painted on the vehicle along with the graffiti particularly disturbing and upsetting. He considers the incident a threat against his family. "That symbol has been used by Hamas to mean something is a legitimate military target," the regent said. "This is a threat. This was not a protest. This is terrorism." The incident comes about six months after vandals targeted Acker's Southfield law office. They spray-painted the words "Free Palestine" and "Divest Now" on the building. The law firm said the attack was being investigated as a hate crime. Acker said the incident at his office remains under investigation and no arrests have been made. Officials for the University of Michigan issued a statement Monday on X calling the vandalism of Acker's house "a clear act of anti-Semitic intimidation." "The University of Michigan condemns these criminal acts in the strongest possible terms," the school said. "They are abhorrent, and unfortunately, just the latest in a number of incidents where individuals have been harassed because of their work on behalf of the university. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We call on our community to come together in solidarity and to firmly reject all forms of bigotry and violence." The university has been embroiled in debate and protests about Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and Israel's counterattack, prompting a war that continues to this day. University events have been disrupted by demonstrators, an encampment was built on campus for a month before being dismantled by police, and regents and other university leaders have been targeted with protests and vandalism. The incident comes about two months after graffiti was spray-painted on the homes of UM President Santa Ono and Erik Lundberg, UM's chief investment officer. The vandalism was done on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza. It also followed months of demonstrations and disruptions by UM students and their supporters, who demand the university divest from its portfolio any holdings linked to Israel since the country's counter-attack on Hamas in Gaza — which has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry. The messages at Ono's home were spray-painted in red on his house and sidewalk. They included "Coward," "Divest now," along with upside-down triangles and "intifada," an Arabic word meaning uprising or resistance. Similar words were spray painted at Lundberg's home, including "complicit" and "intifada." Officials decry vandalism Mark Bernstein, vice chair of the university's Board of Regents, decried the vandalism in a statement to The Detroit News. Bernstein, who is president and managing partner of the Sam Bernstein Law Firm PLLC, was first elected to the Board of Regents in 2012 and re-elected in 2020. “The repeated targeting of my colleague, a Jewish elected official, and his family, is conduct that demands condemnation and aggressive criminal prosecution," he said. "This act reveals the dangerous antisemitism at the core of this radical movement that has adopted terrorist symbols in their repugnant rhetoric." Others also condemned the attack on Monday. U.S. Rep. and U.S. Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, categorized the act as criminal. "This makes three attacks on University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker’s home and office in just over six months," she said in a statement. "This is targeted hate meant to intimidate and threaten him and his family, and law enforcement has a responsibility to move quickly to connect the dots and do something about it. This is not activism or free speech on behalf of a cause — indeed this criminal activity undercuts the very cause they purport to care about." U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, called the incident sickening. "Jordan Acker is a dedicated public servant and he and his family should be safe in their own home," she said in a post on X. "I am sickened by the anti-Semitic attack on his home last night. Vandalism, violence, and bigotry have no place in America. Enough. Our Jewish brothers and sisters deserve to live in security and peace." Also on X, former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids Township, decried what he called "another disgusting antisemitic attack" on Acker. "Political leaders in Michigan must take this vile behavior seriously — vandalism and harassment is reprehensible enough, but left unchecked threatens to escalate into physical violence," he wrote. Acker details what happened Acker, an attorney who has been on the board since 2019, also posted about the incident on his Instagram page on Monday. "In the very early hours of this morning, while my wife, my three young daughters and I were asleep in our beds, we were awakened by the sound of two heavy thrown through the front window of our house," he said in his post. "While my eldest daughter ran into our room, frightened by the sound of breaking glass, I ran downstairs, saw the broken window, and then ran outside to find my wife’s car had been graffitied by anti-Semitic vandals." He added in the post: "This is the third time that I — and now my family — have been the target of these Klan-like tactics. We all need to call out this cowardly act attacking my family and my home for what it truly is — terrorism. And like we always do in this great nation when we’re confronted with terrorism — I will not let fear win. All this does is harden my resolve to continue to do the right thing for the University and the Michigan voters who elected me." He concluded the post with: "I call upon members of the Michigan community to publicly repudiate this vile anti-Semitic intimidation and to offer full support to law enforcement to root out these bigots so they see the consequences for their actions." Acker said he won't disclose what safety measures he will take to protect his family and himself following Monday's incident. "These messages, whether they're left at my office or my home, are intended to intimidate a Jewish elected official," he said. "But I am not going to be intimidated by them." Acker said he calls on every elected official in Michigan, whether they're on the political right or the left, to publicly condemn this sort of behavior. "It's not enough to condemn privately," he said. "We have to say publicly this is not acceptable no matter where you stand on the issue of Israel and Palestine. He said he would like to see the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit and the FBI become involved in the investigation into the attack. "It's pretty obvious this is a civil rights violation and I wish the U.S. Attorney's Office would take it seriously," Acker said. The regent also urges people on UM's campus who know who the vandals are and where they are to come forward to stop incidents like this from happening again. In mid-May, pro-Palestinian protesters delivered a list of demands to the homes of the eight regents. They also "decorated" the front lawn of then UM Board of Regents Chair Sarah Hubbard's home with "scenes of genocide in Palestine" along with a taped list of demands for divestment from Israel on the door of her home. At the time, Acker wrote on X that "around 4:40 a.m., a masked intruder came to the door of my family's home with a list of demands, including defunding the police." "My three daughters were asleep in their beds, and thankfully unaware of what transpired," Acker wrote. "This form of protest is not peaceful. Public officials should not be subject to this sort of intimidating conduct, and this behavior is unacceptable from any Michigan community member, especially one led by someone who called for the death of people they disagree with." -------- ©2024 www.detroitnews.com . Visit at detroitnews.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Y2K seems like a joke now, but in 1999 people were really freaking outPRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) — When the referee whistled for the free kick just outside the area, Atletico Madrid forward Julián Álvarez quickly picked up the ball and moved in position to take the shot. “When I saw the free kick, I told Rodri (Rodrigo De Paul) that I felt confident with the shot,” Álvarez said. “And it was a great goal.” Álvarez, , has not been lacking confidence lately. The Argentina forward curled in the free kick shot in the 15th minute for the first of his two goals in the team’s 6-0 rout of Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday — the team’s biggest ever away win in European competitions. “We’ll keep rotating who takes the free kicks,” said Álvarez, who also found the net in the 59th. It was Álvarez’s seventh goal in the last 10 matches, and third in his last three games across all competitions. The 24-year-old had a slow start to his first season with Atletico, scoring twice in 10 matches. “It was a matter of time before we started connecting well with each other,” said Álvarez, who joined Atletico after two seasons at Manchester City. “We have to stay on this path to keep improving.” Ángel Correa also scored two goals for Atletico, with Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann adding one each. “We know that in this format of the competition we need to keep adding the three points and scoring goals,” Álvarez said. “It’s important to get the points and the goals.” Atletico was sitting in 13th place in the 36-team league standings. ___ AP soccer:
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of robust safety measures and contingency plans in place for data centers and other high-risk facilities. While the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, Alibaba has reassured stakeholders that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted to identify the root cause and implement preventive measures to mitigate the risk of future incidents.Police arrested a 26-year-old man on Monday in the Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after they say a Pennsylvania McDonald's worker alerted authorities to a customer who resembled the suspected gunman. The suspect, identified by police as Luigi Nicholas Mangione, had a gun believed to be the one used in Wednesday’s attack on Brian Thompson , as well as writings expressing anger at corporate America, police said. Here are some of the latest developments in the ongoing investigation: Mangione was taken into custody at around 9:15 a.m. after police received a tip that he was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh, police said. People are also reading... Mangione was being held in Pennsylvania on gun charges and will eventually be extradited to New York to face charges in connection with Thompson’s death, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. In addition to a three-page, handwritten document that suggests he harbored “ill will toward corporate America,” Kenny said Mangione also had a ghost gun , a type of weapon that can be assembled at home and is difficult to trace. Officers questioned Mangione, who was acting suspiciously and carrying multiple fraudulent IDs, as well as a U.S. passport, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. Officers also found a suppressor, “consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” the commissioner said. He had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the shooter and a fraudulent New Jersey ID matching one the suspect used to check into a New York City hostel before the shooting, Tisch said. Kenny said Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco and that his last known address is in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mangione, who was valedictorian of his Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a university spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. He learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His social media posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends at the Jersey Shore and in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, and other destinations. The Gilman School, from which Mangione graduated in 2016, is one of Baltimore’s elite prep schools. Some of the city’s wealthiest and most prominent people, including Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., have had children attend the school. Its alumni include sportswriter Frank Deford and former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington. In his valedictory speech, Luigi Mangione described his classmates’ “incredible courage to explore the unknown and try new things,” according to a post on the school website. He praised their collective inventiveness and pioneering mindset. Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family. His grandfather Nick Mangione, who died in 2008, was a successful real estate developer. One of his best-known projects was Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday, Baltimore County police officers blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. A swarm of reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. Luigi Mangione is one of 37 grandchildren of Nick Mangione, according to his obituary. Luigi Mangione's grandparents donated to charities through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating Nick Mangione’s wife’s death in 2023. They donated to various causes ranging from Catholic organizations to colleges and the arts. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione. A spokesman for the lawmaker's office confirmed the relationship Monday. Police said the person who killed Thompson left a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side at 5:41 a.m. on Wednesday. Just 11 minutes later, he was seen on surveillance video walking back and forth in front of the New York Hilton Midtown, wearing a distinctive backpack. At 6:44 a.m., he shot Thompson at a side entrance to the hotel, fled on foot, then climbed aboard a bicycle and within four minutes had entered Central Park. Another security camera recorded the gunman leaving the park near the American Museum of Natural History at 6:56 a.m. still on the bicycle but without the backpack. After getting in a taxi, he headed north to a bus terminal near the George Washington Bridge, arriving at around 7:30 a.m. From there, the trail of video evidence runs cold. Police have not located video of the suspected shooter exiting the building, leading them to believe he likely took a bus out of town. Police said they are still investigating the path the suspect took to Pennsylvania. “This just happened this morning," Kenny said. "We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. Associated Press reporters Lea Skene in Baltimore and Cedar Attanasio in New York contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
Lexus is this year celebrating its 35th anniversary of, as it says, “being a disruptor in the luxury vehicle segment”, and there’s plenty to celebrate from that time. Its history might be short relative to some of its European contemporaries, but there have been a plethora of influential vehicles that have brought the Japanese brand firmly into the luxury segments. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today There have even been some top-shelf performance vehicles that have elevated the brand’s reputation, while displaying what it and its Toyota parent company could be capable of. Lexus was launched by Toyota at a similar time as other Japanese luxury spinoffs like Acura (Honda) and Infiniti (Nissan), but while those brands have enjoyed success in specific markets like the United States, Lexus has been able to cement itself in a wider range of markets globally. Locally, Lexus Australia celebrated the occasion by hosting a media-only showcase in Melbourne. On display were a handful of its most significant cars, as well as a design concept that hints at what the brand could be producing in the near future. With that in mind, we’ve put together a guide to Lexus that focuses on its movements in Australia. Luckily, it launched in Australia just one year after its first model debuted, which means there aren’t too many differences between Lexus’ history overseas and locally. As it celebrates its 35th birthday, here’s everything you need to know about Lexus. Interested in a Lexus? CarExpert’s specialists can help get you in touch with a dealer MORE: Everything Lexus What is Lexus? Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Toyota Motor Corporation , and is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Though it officially got its start in 1989 with the launch of the LS400 sedan, the story of Lexus actually began as early as 1983. Then-Toyota Motor Corporation president Eiji Toyoda commissioned the Circle F project in 1983, establishing an intention to build “a car that is better than the best in the world”. What resulted was the assembling of a team of 60 designers, 1400 engineers and 2300 technicians. Titled the Flagship 1, Lexus put 450 prototype vehicles and 973 prototype 4.0-litre quad-cam V8 engines to the test over more than 4.4 million kilometres before the final product was ready to be revealed. Flagship 1 came to life in January 1989, when the brand showed off the LS400 for the first time at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). At the same time, the Lexus name was established. The LS400 launched in North America in the same year, and was quickly followed by the ES250 executive sedan a few months later. Lexus’ Australian adventure started in May 1990, when the LS400 arrived Down Under. More than 250 customers took delivery off the bat, and in the same year it took out Wheels Magazine’s Car of the Year award. It also heralded the beginning of a busy decade for the brand. The same V8 powertrain used in the LS400 was repurposed in the SC400 coupe, which launched in the USA in 1991. Another variant instead fitted with an inline-six engine – the SC300 – was introduced soon after. Australia would have to wait until 1992 before receiving a second Lexus model though, when the Toyota Camry -derived ES300 arrived. 580 examples were delivered in its first year on the market Down Under, and Lexus delivered its 1000th Australian vehicle in the same year. At a similar time the LS400 received a major update, which brought out Lexus’ now-longstanding Takumi craftsmanship philosophy. Takumi is the Japanese name given to master craftspeople who have dedicated their life to their craft. In 1993 the GS300 sports sedan was rolled out, followed by the all-new second-generation LS400 in 1994. Lexus took from Toyota’s successful LandCruiser to reveal the LX450 in 1995, intended to bring “luxury to the rugged SUV segment” when it entered production in 1996. In 1997 Australia received the GS300 for the first time, which arrived in its second-generation guise with a 3.0-litre inline-six engine. For the first time, Lexus also sold more than 1000 vehicles in Australia in a single year. Lexus introduced its first luxury SUV designed and built from the ground up in 1998 – the RX300 . In terms of Australia though, it wouldn’t arrive until its second generation was launched a few years later, which meant the new-generation LX470 of that year was Lexus’ first SUV sold locally. The last brand-new Lexus to arrive in Australia before the end of the century was the compact IS200 sedan, which went on sale in 1999. It featured a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine with a rear-wheel drive setup, and contributed to Lexus hitting the 10,000 local sales milestone. The third-generation LS went on sale in Australia in November of 2000. Called the LS430, nearly 300 patent applications were filed during its development that eventually brought new suspension, steering, brakes, and a larger 4.3-litre V8 engine. Also launched was the second-generation SC430, offered in both coupe and convertible body styles. It arrived in Australia in 2001, marking the sixth model in Lexus showrooms. The large GX470 SUV appeared in the USA in 2002, but in 2003 Lexus gave its first look at potential future hybrid power in the form of the LF-S at the Tokyo Motor Show. Under the bonnet was a hybrid V8, which previewed a future production powertrain. In that same year the RX330 went on sale in Australia, and Lexus delivered its 20,000th local vehicle. A prototype of the RX400h hybrid SUV was shown at the 2004 NAIAS, which was based on the RX330. In 2005 though, the first LF-A concept headlined at the NAIAS. Intentions were to leverage Toyota’s Formula 1 technology, which would provide a naturally aspirated V10 engine with more than 370kW of power, but a displacement of less than 5.0 litres. The world would have to wait for more on that vehicle, but in the same year the IS250 superseded the IS200 in Australia. In 2006 Lexus brought the LF-S concept into its production form with the LS600hL, powered by a 327kW 5.0-litre hybrid V8 with all-wheel drive – the brand’s most powerful hybrid engine to date. In the same year, Lexus brought its first hybrids to Australia in the form of the GS450h and RX400h. The ‘F’ name for Lexus’ performance cars appeared the year after; the name and logo inspired by Japan’s Fuji Speedway where its cars were tested and developed. Lexus’ first car wearing the badge was the IS F sedan, which boasted a 5.0-litre V8 with 311kW and 505Nm and a spate of handling and suspension enhancements over the standard model. Later in 2007, Lexus delivered its 1000th hybrid vehicle in Australia, followed by its 50,000th vehicle overall in 2008. The third-generation RX – including the RX450h hybrid – arrived the year after, at a similar time to Lexus confirming production of the LFA supercar. Its 412kW/480Nm 4.8-litre V10 engine was co-developed with Yamaha, and while production was limited to 500 units globally, only eight were allocated to Australia. In 2010 Lexus celebrated 20 years in Australia, and the CT200h hybrid compact hatch was shown off overseas for the first time. It arrived in Australia the following year as the most affordable Lexus ever, while the brand showed off its new spindle grille design with a concept of the fourth-generation GS sedan at the NAIAS. In 2011 Lexus was impacted by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which disrupted Japanese production and hindered short-term sales targets. Organisational changes by then-Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda also meant Lexus executives began reporting directly to their parent company’s chairman for the first time ever. Lexus’ new design language would appear again in 2012 with the LF-LC concept, which previewed the LC coupe . The LF-CC concept shown later in the year at the Paris Motor Show also pointed to the rear-wheel drive RC and RC F sports coupes, and Lexus hit the 75,000 sales milestone in Australia. In 2013 the next-generation IS arrived with a hybrid powertrain in local showrooms, while the ES returned for the first time in seven years with its own ES300h hybrid variant. In that year, Lexus Australia reached 10,000 hybrid vehicle deliveries. The RC F coupe became Lexus’ new halo performance car in 2014, and the NX SUV debuted in Australia the same year. The brand’s first hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle appeared in concept form in 2015, dubbed the LF-FC concept. Lexus began exploring other tech like a conceptual “Hoverboard of the Future” at the same time, and also achieved the 100,000 deliveries milestone in Australia. The LC500 entered production in 2016, featuring Lexus’ first 10-speed auto and followed by the LC500h hybrid two months later. More non-car related endeavours began in 2017 when Lexus revealed its Sport Yacht concept (previewing the 2019 LY650), while in Australia the brand’s 20,000th hybrid vehicle was delivered – its most popular hybrid models locally were the RX (7000 units) and the CT200h (6500 units). In 2019 the UX range arrived in Australia, and in 2020 Lexus’ local arm celebrated its 30th anniversary. At the same time, the brand achieved 30,000 local hybrid sales. Lexus’ first battery-electric vehicle (BEV) – the UX300e – arrived in 2021, coinciding with the expansion of the brand’s Encore ownership program that first appeared in 1990. In that year, one-third of all Lexus deliveries in Australia were hybrid vehicles for the first time. In that year, it was also reported Lexus would switch to an electric-only lineup by 2035 . That followed previous 2009 reports that it planned to become hybrid-only in Europe. The brand’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) arrived in the form of the NX450h+ in 2022, alongside the debut of the fifth-generation RX. An RX500h F Sport Performance joined the lineup, featuring Lexus’ first turbo-hybrid powertrain. 46.3 per cent of Lexus’ sales in Australia were recorded as either hybrid, PHEV, or BEV for the first time in that year. 2023 saw the arrival of the RZ450e SUV, which while being the second Lexus EV was the first on the dedicated e-TNGA electric platform later used on the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra . The LM people mover also appeared in 2023, as well as the LF-ZC and LF-ZL concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show – intended to show Lexus’ vision of future EVs. In Australia, Lexus also managed to deliver more than 10,000 vehicles (15,192) in a single year for the first time ever. 2024 marks the 35th anniversary of the Lexus brand, and the all-new LBX arrived in Australia for the first time. It featured a handful of Lexus-first equipment like a 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid engine, with its small SUV stature intended to appeal to a younger demographic. It was followed by the latest GX SUV – which arrived in local showrooms before Toyota’s related 250 Series-generation Prado – built in right-hand drive for the first time, headlined by the rugged Overtrail grade. Lexus also delivered its 50,000th electrified vehicle in Australia this year, with such powertrains accounting for more than 70 per cent of the brand’s Australian sales so far this year. The brand says it’s still committed to its target of selling only electrified vehicles in Australia by 2030. Interested in a Lexus? CarExpert’s specialists can help get you in touch with a dealer MORE: Everything Lexus What can you currently buy from Lexus? Lexus currently sells 11 distinct models in Australia, with its lineup dominated by SUVs. Note: All prices are before on-road costs. You can click the model names in the table above to be taken to their dedicated CarExpert showrooms. Given the breadth of Lexus’ range in Australia, the below information is intended to give a top-line overview of what each model is about. For further information, we’ll link to each model’s name to its dedicated price and specs article. Lexus’ only two sedans still sold in Australia are the ES and LS, with the LS being the larger of the two. The Camry-based ES uses a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine – with hybrid models adding an electric motor – and is front-wheel drive only. The LS meanwhile utilises a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6, with hybrids using a naturally aspirated version mated with an electric motor. They’re rear-wheel drive only and considerably more expensive than the ES. The third and final passenger vehicle in Lexus’ Australian lineup is the LC coupe , which is powered by either a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 or a 3.5-litre V6 petrol-hybrid engine. Drive is sent to the rear-wheels only through either a 10-speed auto or hybrid transmission respectively. Lexus’ most expensive vehicle is currently the LM people mover , which is hybrid-only but with a selection of two different powertrains depending on the variant. It started life as a rebadged Toyota Alphard/Vellfire, but has since become more disconnected. The remainder of Lexus’ model range is entirely SUVs. The smallest of the lot are the LBX and UX, though the two are fairly different. Smaller of the pair is the LBX , which is based on the Toyota Yaris Cross and powered exclusively by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid – though a hotted-up Morizo RR version (similar to the GR Yaris ) is coming next year. The UX , meanwhile, is similar to the Toyota C-HR and comes in petrol-only, hybrid, or fully electric guises depending on variant – the latter of which only appeared in Australian showrooms last year. There are also a greater number of variants compared to the LBX. Moving up in size brings the RAV4 -related NX SUV , which again offers petrol-only, hybrid, and PHEV drivetrains. The NX450h+ PHEV has been hit with supply issues that have meant it hasn’t been available to order in Australia for some time as the brand gets through order backlog. Then there’s the RX SUV , which is either petrol-only or hybrid. It shares a platform with the NX and ES, as well as Toyota’s Kluger , RAV4, and Camry. In contrast, the RZ is electric-only and built on a dedicated EV platform shared with the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, as noted earlier. Finally are Lexus’ two largest SUVs. The first is the GX , which shares a platform with the Toyota Prado. Unlike the Prado, there’s no electrification (even mild) for the GX in Australia, which is instead powered solely by a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine across the range. The LX is instead based on the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series. It commands an expectedly hefty price tag, and is available with either a 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel or a 3.4-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol. Interested in a Lexus? CarExpert’s specialists can help get you in touch with a dealer MORE: Everything Lexus Which brands does Lexus compete against? Being a luxury brand, Lexus primarily competes with European brands like Mercedes-Benz , BMW , and Audi in Australia. Not all are direct comparisons, but closest against Mercedes-Benz’s E-Class sedan is the Lexus ES, and against the more luxurious S-Class is the LS. In terms of SUVs, the most comparable models are the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class and Lexus UX, as well as GLC-Class and Lexus NX. Both have high-end sports cars too, which means Lexus’ LC can be compared to Mercedes’ SL-Class . There are a fair few comparisons against BMW too. The ES competes with the 3 Series on price but the 5 Series on size, while the flagship Lexus LS sedan goes up against the BMW 7 Series . You can compare the smaller Lexus UX to the BMW X1 , the NX to the X3 , the RX to the X5 , and the GX to the X7 . There are EV SUVs to compare too, namely the Lexus RZ against the BMW iX3 . The final German manufacturer to compare against is Audi, and its upcoming A5 Sedan rivals the Lexus ES. The most direct competitor to Lexus’ LBX small SUV is the Q2 , while the rest of the two brands’ comparable SUVs can be broken down as UX vs Q3 , NX vs Q5 , and RX vs Q8 . In similar sense to BMW, Lexus’ RZ EV competes with the Audi Q6 e-tron . There are some less mainstream brands Lexus has as competitors too, namely Genesis , which rivals the LS with its G80 , the NX with its GV70 , and the RX with its GV80 . There’s also a comparison to be made between some Land Rover models. The off-road leaning Lexus GX rivals the Land Rover Defender , while the LX large SUV can be compared against the Range Rover . Interested in a Lexus? CarExpert’s specialists can help get you in touch with a dealer MORE: Everything Lexus How popular is Lexus in Australia? To the end of November 2024, Lexus Australia has delivered 12,369 vehicles this year. It’s a decent figure, but it’s 12 per cent down on its sales from this time last year. Compared to the rivals listed above, Lexus is behind Mercedes-Benz (18,303, down 17.8 per cent), BMW (23,876, down 1.3 per cent), and Audi (13,782, down 21.6 per cent). It remains ahead of Genesis on 1287 so far this year, a figure that’s 28.6 per cent lower than the same time last year. Lexus is also outselling Land Rover, which currently sits on 7352 sales for 2024 – though even that is down 5.5 per cent. The Japanese brand’s best-selling model continues to be the NX, of which 5619 units have been sold to the end of November this year. Next highest is the RX on 1871, followed by the LBX on 1355. Its lowest-selling car is currently the expensive LS sedan with 11 units. The RZ EV is next-lowest on 200, with the LM and LX next up at 265 and 504 respectively. All of Lexus’ models have experienced a decline in sales over the course of 2024 compared to 2023, with the UX experiencing the harshest decline of 65.3 per cent. The LX, LS, and ES are all also down by more than 40 per cent on this time last year. In contrast, annual Toyota sales are currently up 13.6 per cent on this time last year, though as Lexus’ broader-reaching parent company it does field a larger number of more approachable mass-market vehicles. Interested in a Lexus? CarExpert’s specialists can help get you in touch with a dealer MORE: Everything Lexus What’s next for Lexus? Lexus doesn’t have a large number of vehicles planned for Australia in the coming years, as the brand focuses on its more long-term goals that reach into the 2030s. Coming in the first half of 2025 is the hotted-up LBX Morizo RR , which is set to gain the high-performance 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo powertrain from Toyota’s GR Yaris. With a rally-inspired all-wheel drive setup it’ll be a drastic departure from the standard LBX currently on sale, with a 0-100km/h time of just over 5.0 seconds. An eight-speed automatic transmission will be standard when it arrives in local showrooms. While it’ll also be available with a six-speed manual in Japan, you won’t be able to buy one in Australia. Beyond that, Lexus has outlined a series of goals for the coming years, and potential new models that could possibly make their way to Australia have been seen overseas. The first of which is the facelifted ES sedan, which was revealed in China last month . There has been no word on when or if the updated model will come to Australia at the time of publishing, though Lexus did secure a handful of trademarks that hint at potential electric ES sedans earlier this year. There have also been rumours surrounding a new supercar from the luxury Japanese brand , which will reportedly wear the LFR name and be a spiritual successor to the LFA. Already spied testing on public roads in Europe , the LFR is expected to be based on a Toyota racecar called the GR GT3. If it’s real, it’s possible the LFR could be revealed sometime next year ahead of a 2026 market debut. Lexus has also been giving though to its electrified future too, previewed by a pair of concept EVs that broke cover in Japan last year. It has previously been announced that Toyota aims to launch 10 new EVs by 2026 , with Lexus intending to sell only hybrid, PHEV, and EVs in Australia by 2030. A spate of trademarks have also been filed by Lexus in relation to potential future electric models, the first of which were expected to be revealed in 2026 but have been delayed to 2027 . Previous reports have also outlined ambitious goals for Lexus, which suggest it wants to become an electric-only marque globally by 2035 . Interestingly, that would mean it’d make the jump before Toyota. That being said, Lexus hasn’t outlined a clear timeline for exactly when it’ll follow Toyota in ditching petrol versions of cars that have hybrid alternatives, but it does still intend to do so before the end of the decade. Interested in a Lexus? CarExpert’s specialists can help get you in touch with a dealer MORE: Everything Lexus
As Alibaba continues to expand its cloud computing operations and serve a growing number of customers globally, incidents like the recent fire underscore the need for continuous vigilance and proactive measures to mitigate risks and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of cloud services.In fact, even before the Premier League referee company investigated Kurt, UEFA had already taken action by removing him from their list of officials. This move highlights the commitment of UEFA to uphold the integrity and fairness of the game, ensuring that only those with the highest standards are entrusted with officiating crucial matches.
As we grapple with the aftermath of this tragic event, let it serve as a catalyst for change – a reminder that every worker deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness. Only through collective action and a commitment to upholding the rights of all workers can we ensure that incidents like this never happen again. It is time for all of us to stand up, speak out, and demand justice for those who have been wronged. The time for change is now.Overall, the leak of the powder blue skin from "Assassin's Creed: Eclipse" has generated a wave of excitement and anticipation among fans. The bold and innovative use of color in this new skin sets it apart from previous designs in the franchise, showcasing a willingness to experiment and push boundaries in terms of character customization. As players eagerly await the official release of the game and the unveiling of this intriguing new skin, the powder blue color scheme has already left a lasting impression on the Assassin's Creed community.
In conclusion, today's gold price movements have sparked a flurry of activity in the market, with consumers and investors alike closely monitoring the situation. While the overall trend appears to be downward, there are still opportunities for those who are willing to look beyond the short-term fluctuations. As always, it is essential to stay informed and consult with financial experts before making any significant investment decisions in the gold market.Another important strategy for fostering healthy competition is promoting transparency and fair competition practices. By openly sharing information and adhering to ethical business standards, companies can build trust with customers and stakeholders. This not only enhances the industry's reputation but also creates a level playing field for all market players.
- **Usage:** "Let's go out and celebrate after our last exam to mark the end of finals week!"“Hot Ones” finale: Ben Stiller defends “Zoolander 2” — and a scene cut from the first filmNo. 25 Baylor showed little rust after more than a two-week break, rolling to a 107-53 victory over visiting Arlington Baptist on Friday night in Waco, Texas. The Bears (8-3) dominated in every facet. They won the rebounding battle 66-31, scored 54 points in the paint and had 49 points from their bench. They scored a season high in points. Norchad Omier led the way with 19 points and 24 rebounds. Omier had a double-double by halftime (13 points, 11 rebounds). Robert Wright III added 13 points and nine assists, while Langston Love, Jayden Nunn and Jalen Celestine scored 11 points apiece. Josh Ojianwuna chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds, and VJ Edgecombe had 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jamar McCray put up 10 points for Arlington Baptist (1-10), a Division II member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. Eric Conner finished with nine points, while Gary Gray contributed seven points and six rebounds. Baylor controlled the game from the opening tip, building a 25-3 lead on the strength of a 23-0 run, and led 51-28 at halftime. Among the highlights in the opening half included a fast-break, two-handed slam by Nunn that extended the Bears lead to 35-17 at the 6:33 mark. Baylor didn't slow down in the second half. The Bears opened the half on a 13-2 run, capped by Love's 3-pointer that made it a 64-30 game with just over 15 minutes left. Baylor reached the 100-point mark on a layup by Jason Asemota with just under three minutes left. Baylor finished the game shooting 50.6 percent from the field, including 48.1 percent from 3-point range (13 of 27). Defensively, Baylor held Arlington Baptist to 27.9 percent from the field, including 21.7 percent from long range. This served as a tune-up game for Baylor before it opens Big 12 play against Utah on Tuesday. Arlington Baptist's next game is against College of Biblical Studies -- Houston on Jan. 10. --Field Level Media
Drought, fire, deforestation ravaged Amazon rainforest in 2024
