mcw casino 19 đăng nhập A report from the charity on hurricanes, floods, typhoons and storms influenced by climate change warns that the top 10 disasters each cost more than 4 billion US dollars in damage (£3.2 billion). The figures are based mostly on insured losses, so the true costs are likely to be even higher, Christian Aid said, as it called for action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and finance for poor countries to cope with climate change. Politicians who “downplay the urgency of the climate crisis only serve to harm their own people and cause untold suffering around the world”, climate expert Joanna Haigh said. While developed countries feature heavily in the list of costliest weather extremes, as they have higher property values and can afford insurance, the charity also highlighted another 10 disasters which did not rack up such costs but were just as devastating, often hitting poorer countries. Most extreme weather events show “clear fingerprints” of climate change, which is driving more extreme weather events, making them more intense and frequent, experts said. The single most costly event in 2024 was Hurricane Milton, which scientists say was made windier, wetter and more destructive by global warming, and which caused 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion) of damage when it hit the US in October. That is closely followed by Hurricane Helene, which cost 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion) when it hit the US, Mexico and Cuba just two weeks before Milton in late September. The US was hit by so many costly storms throughout the year that even when hurricanes are removed, other storms cost more than 60 billion US dollars in damage, the report said. Three of the costliest 10 climate extremes hit Europe, including the floods from Storm Boris which devastated central European countries in September and deadly flooding in Valencia in October which killed 226 people. In other parts of the world, floods in June and July in China killed 315 people and racked up costs of 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion), while Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia in September, killed more than 800 people and cost 12.6 billion dollars (£10 billion). Events which were not among the most costly in financial terms but which have still been devastating include Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in December and may have killed more than 1,000 people, Christian Aid said. Meanwhile, heatwaves affected 33 million people in Bangladesh and worsened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, flooding affected 6.6 million people in West Africa and the worst drought in living memory affected more than 14 million in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Zimbabwe, the charity said. Christian Aid chief executive Patrick Watt said: “There is nothing natural about the growing severity and frequency of droughts, floods and storms. “Disasters are being supercharged by decisions to keep burning fossil fuels, and to allow emissions to rise. “And they’re being made worse by the consistent failure to deliver on financial commitments to the poorest and most climate-vulnerable countries. “In 2025 we need to see governments leading, and taking action to accelerate the green transition, reduce emissions, and fund their promises.” Dr Mariam Zachariah, World Weather Attribution researcher who analyses extreme events in near-real time to discern the role of climate change, at Imperial College London, said: “This report is just a snapshot of climate devastation in 2024. “There are many more droughts, heatwaves, wildfires and floods not included that are becoming more frequent and intense. “Most of these disasters show clear fingerprints of climate change. “Extreme weather is clearly causing incredible suffering in all corners of the world. Behind the billion-dollar figures are lost lives and livelihoods.” And Prof Haigh, emeritus professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College London, said: “The economic impact of these extreme weather events should be a wake-up call. “The good news is that ever-worsening crises doesn’t have to be our long-term future. “The technologies of a clean energy economy exist, but we need leaders to invest in them and roll them out at scale.” The 10 costliest climate disasters of 2024 were: – US storms, December to January, more than 60 billion US dollars; – Hurricane Milton in the US, October 9-13, 60 billion US dollars (£48 billion); – Hurricane Helene in the US, Mexico, Cuba, 55 billion US dollars (£44 billion); – China floods, June 9-July 14, 15.6 billion US dollars (£12.4 billion); – Typhoon Yagi, which hit south-west Asia from September 1 to 9, 12.6 billion US dollars (£10 billion); – Hurricane Beryl, in the US, Mexico and Caribbean islands from July 1-11, 6.7 billion US dollars (£5.3 billion); – Storm Boris in central Europe, September 12-16, 5.2 billion US dollars (£4.1 billion); – Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, April 28-May 3, 5 billion US dollars (£4 billion); – Bavaria floods, Germany, June 1-7, 4.45 billion US dollars (£3.5 billion); – Valencia floods, Spain, on October 29, 4.22 billion US dollars (£3.4 billion).NoneTwo weeks after Stop & Shop's parent company was the target of an unspecified cybersecurity incident, a spokesperson for the grocery store chain reports that "stores are stocked and largely recovered" ahead of Thanksgiving week. Officials at Ahold Delhaize USA, the parent company of both Shop & Shop and Hannaford, announced on Nov. 8 that they notified law enforcement, hired external cybersecurity experts and began an investigation "immediately upon detecting the issue." The company also said it took "some systems offline to help protect them." Those mitigation efforts appeared to take down the Hannaford website, and signage inside Stop & Shop stores warned customers of product delivery delays. Some payment disruptions were also reported at Hannaford locations. As of Monday, Stop & Shop customers were still seeing some bare shelves. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the chain's locations were well stocked with holiday staples despite some "limited availability" of certain fresh items. Friday's statement suggests additional progress. "Our stores are stocked and ready to serve our shoppers in advance of their holiday celebrations," the spokesperson wrote. Additionally, the company said it would offer free coffee and sweet treats from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Friday through Saturday at nearly 200 locations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

2024’s top 10 climate disasters cost more than 200 billion dollars, charity saysNEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday. Ohtani was a unanimous MVP for the third time, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 420 points in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was second with 263 points and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte third with 229. Judge was a unanimous pick for the first time. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got all 30 second-place votes for 270 points, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was third with 21 third-place votes and 229 points. Judge had discussed the MVP award with Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper, the NL winner in 2015 and ’21. “I was telling him, `Man, I’m going to try to catch up to you with these MVPs here, man,’” Judge recalled. “He’d say, hopefully, he could stay a couple ahead of me, which I think he’ll do.” Ohtani was unanimously voted the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels and finished second to Judge in 2022 voting . He didn’t pitch in 2024 following elbow surgery and signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. He was the first player to twice become an unanimous MVP. He combined with Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2023 for the first year both MVPs were unanimous. Ohtani hit .310, stole 59 bases and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs exclusively as a designated hitter, becoming the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. He helped the Dodgers to the World Series title , playing the final three games with a torn labrum in his left shoulder . Ohtani became the first primary DH to win an MVP. He joined Frank Robinson for Cincinnati in 1961 and Baltimore in 1966 as the only players to win the MVP award in both leagues. Ohtani is the 12th player with three or more MVPs, joining Barry Bonds (seven) and Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout (three each). Balloting was conducted before the postseason. Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks while hitting .322. Witt topped the big leagues with a .332 average, hitting 32 homers with 31 stolen bases and 109 RBIs. Soto batted .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. When Judge won his first MVP award in 2022, he received 28 first-place votes while Ohtani got the other two. He is the Yankees' 22nd MVP winner, four more than any other team. Judge was hitting .207 with six homers and 18 RBIs through April, then batted .352 with 52 homers and 126 RBIs in 127 games. “March and April were not my friend this year.” Judge said. “Just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can’t mope. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York, nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. So you just got to go out there and put up the numbers?” Balloting was conducted before the postseason. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB Ronald Blum, The Associated Press

FAIRPORT, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024-- Monro, Inc. (Nasdaq: MNRO), a leading provider of automotive undercar repair and tire services, today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.28 per share on the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, including the shares of common stock to which the holders of the Company’s Class C Convertible Preferred Stock are entitled. The dividend is payable on December 17, 2024 to shareholders at the close of business on December 3, 2024. About Monro, Inc. Monro, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNRO) is one of the nation’s leading automotive service and tire providers, delivering best-in-class auto care to communities across the country, from oil changes, tires and parts installation, to the most complex vehicle repairs. With a growing market share and a focus on sustainable growth, the Company generated almost $1.3 billion in sales in fiscal 2024 and continues to expand its national presence through strategic acquisitions and the opening of newly constructed stores. Across approximately 1,300 stores and 9,000 service bays nationwide, Monro brings customers the professionalism and high-quality service they expect from a national retailer, with the convenience and trust of a neighborhood garage. Monro’s highly trained teammates and certified technicians bring together hands-on experience and state-of-the-art technology to diagnose and address automotive needs every day to get customers back on the road safely. For more information, please visit corporate.monro.com . Source: Monro, Inc. MNRO-Fin View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121779750/en/ CONTACT: Investors and Media: Felix Veksler Senior Director, Investor Relations ir@monro.com KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OTHER AUTOMOTIVE TIRES & RUBBER GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE & SPECIAL INTEREST SOURCE: Monro, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/21/2024 04:30 PM/DISC: 11/21/2024 04:28 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121779750/en

It's no secret how most of the hip-hop world and fans alike are feeling about Drake right now. It really is a " 20 V 1 ," as almost everyone is completely against him for filing two pre-action petitions. They both involve UMG, as well as Spotify and iHeartRadio, and he's accusing them of artificially boosting play of Kendrick Lamar 's "Not Like Us." Most of the damage is looking to be done to UMG though, as Drake is also accusing them of defamation for allowing the diss track to drop. As you all are aware by now, Lamar throws some pedophilic allegations his way on it. After filing the first petition to New York and the other to Texas last month, there are now hearing dates for both. According to XXL , his court date involving Spotify and UMG will take place next year on January 16 at the New York Supreme Court. As for the defamation issue, that hearing date is much sooner. In fact, it's coming up on December 19. It's worth noting that none of these have gone to the extent of a lawsuit just yet, as Drake and his legal reps are still trying to gather more information to back his claims. Read More: Andrew Schulz Claims Kendrick Lamar Is Paying People To Protest His Comedy Show Regardless of how you want to classify them, though, the response to them has been not so nice, as we said. Most of the attention has shifted to Jay-Z 's recent allegations as of late, but the topic is still very much a hot one. So, it comes as no surprise that Shannon Sharpe recently spoke about it on his Club Shay Shay platform. He did so with Wiz Khalifa, his latest guest on the show. Overall, he's not shocked that Drake would do such a thing. In interview, he recognizes that he's a musician and a businessman, and a smart one at that. He especially feels that way in terms of the latter, saying, "If he's not in the public eye winning musically, he's going to get a win wherever he can. I mean it's just the smart thing to do... [Drake] is playing it exactly how he's supposed to." However, people are clipping one part of that conversation and running with it. They are of the belief that Wiz Khalifa actually disses Drake instead. It happens when Sharpe asks if Wiz believes he took it to far by suing Lamar. To that, he said, "Nah it sound like a Drake move to me." You can take it how you want, but we disagree slightly. Read More: Social Media Influencer Alleges Drake Scammed $2 Million Out Of Him On DJ Akademiks' Stream

Livestock: Senate eyes investment to sector, end to Farmer/Herder conflicts

Ranchi: Barring the daughter-in-law of Odisha governor and former Jharkhand chief minister (CM) Raghubar Das — BJP's Purnima Sahu — and the wife of chief minister Hemant Soren — JMM's Kalpana Soren — the family members of other former CMs and eminent politicians drew a blank as the verdict for the 2024 assembly election was declared on Saturday, ending months of the high-octane electoral battle. Hemant's brother and JMM candidate Basant Soren defeated BJP's Sunil Soren by 14,588 votes from Dumka. Saturday's verdict gave the Hemant Soren-led INDIA bloc in the state a bigger mandate compared to 2019, dismissing the BJP-led NDA's narrative of Bangladeshi infiltration and corruption charges, among others. While Kalpana retained the Gandey seat by defeating BJP's Muniya Devi by 17,142 votes, poll debutant Purnima trounced former Congress MP Ajoy Kumar by 42,871 votes in Jamshedpur East. "This victory belongs to all women. I thank the people of Gandey as well as that of Jharkhand for supporting politics of development by standing with INDIA bloc," Kalpana said. Purnima said, "The work done by my father-in-law in the past 25 years helped me win the seat. My aim will be to continue the good work." Maharashtra Jharkhand Maharashtra Alliance View i Party View Seats: 288 Results Majority: 145 BJP+ 229 MVA 47 OTH 12 Results : 288 / 288 BJP+ WON Jharkhand Alliance View i Party View Seats: 81 Results Majority: 41 INDIA 56 NDA 24 OTH 1 Results : 81 / 81 INDIA WON Source: PValue However, three former tribal CMs couldn't help their family members win the seats that were reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). The wife of former CM and ex-Union minister Arjun Munda, BJP's Meera Munda, who plunged into the electoral fray for the first time from Potka, lost to outgoing JMM MLA Sanjib Sardar by 27,902 votes. The son of former CM and JMM turncoat Champai Soren, debutant Babulal Soren of BJP, trailed behind JMM's outgoing MLA and minister Ramdas Soren by 22,446 votes in Ghatshila. The wife of former CM Madhu Koda and BJP candidate Geeta Koda lost to Congress's Sona Ram Sinku by 7,383 votes in Jagannathpur. Geeta, who was Congress MP from Singhbhum in the Lok Sabha polls held early this year, joined BJP to contest the parliamentary polls on the saffron camp's ticket. She was defeated by Joba Majhi then. JMM supremo Shibu Soren's elder daughter-in-law Sita Soren, who was fielded by BJP from Jamtara against Congress's Irfan Ansari, lost the battle by 43,676 votes. With this win, Irfan clinched Jamtara for the third time. Sita had won from Jama twice earlier. ASSOCIATIONS MATTER CANDIDATE —- PARTY — SEAT — VOTES POLLED Kalpana Soren — JMM — Won Gandey — 1,19,372 Purnima Sahu — BJP -- Won Jamshedpur East — 1,07,191 Babulal Soren — BJP — Lost Ghatshila — 75,910 Geeta Koda — BJP — Lost Jagannathpur — 49,682 Meera Munda -- BJP — Lost Potka — 92,420 Sita Soren — BJP — Lost Jamtara — 89,590 Basant Soren — JMM — Won Dumka — 95,685 Photos by Mahadeo Sen

Mahayuti seizes a Maha mandate, Soren keeps his Jharkhand crownPresident Joe Biden ’s administration is set to initiate a trade investigation into Chinese semiconductors in the coming days, as part of a push to reduce reliance on a technology that US officials believe pose national security risks. The probe could result in tariffs or other measures to restrict imports on older-model semiconductors and the products containing them, including medical devices, cars, smartphones and weaponry, according to people familiar with the matter. The investigation examining so-called foundational chips could take months to conclude, meaning that any reaction to the findings will be left to the discretion of President-elect Donald Trump ’s incoming team. Biden officials have for months debated whether to initiate the investigation under Section 301, which allows the US to impose restrictions on countries with unfair trade practices, the people said. This week, White House officials agreed to move forward with the inquiry that could help protect the US chip industry. Approving the probe now means that the new Trump administration will likely have the option to impose trade restrictions to protect domestic semiconductor production in the early months of the president-elect’s term. Bolstering the US semiconductor industry has been a key focus for Biden, who has taken aggressive steps to limit advanced US technology from being exported to China. Biden signed into law legislation that provided billions of dollars of incentives for chipmakers to build semiconductor factories in the US to stave off a need for cheaper Chinese-made chips. Spokespeople for the National Security Council and the US Trade Representative declined to comment. Global Competition The White House has used the past two years to implement export restrictions on advanced semiconductors made with American and allied technology. But in the meantime, China has been able to manufacture the older, widely available types of semiconductors at a lower cost than their competitors. Biden officials worry that without restrictions, Beijing will flood the US and global markets with inexpensive chips that will undercut other companies and run them out of business. In May, the White House announced it will increase tariffs on Chinese legacy semiconductors from the current 25% rate to 50% by 2025. But the Biden team largely agreed that was not enough to prevent a market disruption in the future, especially as the US is looking to increase domestic production of semiconductors. To impose those tariffs, Biden used the same authority Trump employed to levy more than $300 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods during his first term.

Lithium-Ion Battery Growth: USD 47.2B in 2022, expected to reach USD 157.17B by 2031.

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win enough votes for confirmation. He said he will not back down after allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Related Articles National Politics | Donald Trump will ring the New York Stock Exchange bell. It’ll be a first for him National Politics | The Trump and Biden teams insist they’re working hand in glove on foreign crises National Politics | ‘You don’t know what’s next.’ International students scramble ahead of Trump inauguration National Politics | Trump is threatening to raise tariffs again. Here’s how China plans to fight back National Politics | Trump won’t be able to save the struggling US beef industry Collins said after the hourlong meeting that she questioned Hegseth about the allegations amid reports of drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She said she had a “good, substantive” discussion with Hegseth and “covered a wide range of topics,” including sexual assault in the military, Ukraine and NATO. But she said she would wait until a hearing, and notably a background check, to make a decision. “I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters as she left her office after the meeting. “I pressed him both on his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him, so I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.” The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow moderate Republican, did not shy from opposing Trump in his first term when they wanted to do so and sometimes supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and executive branches. And Hegseth, an infantry combat veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host, is working to gain as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed concerns about his personal history and lack of management experience. “I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands,” Hegseth said as he left Collins’ office. “This is a process that we respect and appreciate. And we hope, in time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor that we can earn her support.” Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has also been meeting repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran who has said she is a survivor of sexual assault and has spent time in the Senate working on improving how attacks are reported and prosecuted within the ranks. On Monday, Ernst said after a meeting with him that he had committed to selecting a senior official to prioritize those goals. Republicans will have a 53-49 majority next year, meaning Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any of his nominees. It is so far unclear whether Hegseth will have enough support, but Trump has stepped up his pressure on senators in the last week. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform last week.

Our broken system fuels flood crisisNew Delhi There is more than one way to look at the assembly election results for Maharashtra and Jharkhand. And there is merit in looking at each of them in some detail. Here are three questions that can help us understand the results. The incumbent party/alliance is coming back to power with a bigger majority in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand. What explains this? The question is an interesting one because the results in both these states are in stark contrast to what happened in the Lok Sabha elections less than six months ago. What really happened in this short period. The other important question is that of identity-based ideological affinity to parties and its role in shaping the verdict. Let us look at them one by one. What is one thing both the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government in Jharkhand and the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra did before the elections? They announced cash transfer schemes for women; Ladki Bahin in Maharashtra and Maiya Samman in Jharkahnd. Hemant Soren or Eknath Shinde were not the first chief ministers to do this. Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Shivraj Singh Chauhan in Madhya Pradesh have won landslide victories in their states with tail winds from similar schemes. Even the BJP government in Haryana promised a cash transfer scheme to women. It was important enough to find a mention in the speech Narendra Modi made from the BJP headquarters on the night of the Haryana results. The key takeaway is simple. Welfare, freebies, doles, whatever one may choose to call it, is becoming an indispensable part of electoral strategy in most parts of India. It does not matter whether it is a poor state or a rich one – Jharkhand and Maharashtra are extreme examples of each of these – the underclass expects tangible, even if seemingly insignificant to the well-off, amount of money in return for votes. Fiscal hawks may scoff at this trend, but it is the democratic response to what has otherwise been an extremely unequal trajectory of economic growth in the country. This trend is not going anywhere. Both the government and markets should take note. What was one thing which Narendra Modi did right when the BJP had its back against the wall after losing to the Congress in 2018 assembly elections? National security hawks will say may be the Balakot air strikes in the aftermath of terror attack in Pulwama changed the narrative. But the retrospective cash transfer scheme for farmers or PM-KISAN which was perhaps an even bigger factor. Rural distress, thanks to a worsening of terms of trade for agriculture, played a big role in generating headwinds for the BJP in not just Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in 2018 but also Gujarat in 2017. Modi realised that this anger had to be pacified and this is exactly why he announced a retrospective -- send money now verify eligibility later -- scheme before the 2019 general elections. The rest, as they ,say is history. The Congress collapsed even in states where it had formed governments less than six months previously. Fast forward to the 2024 interim budget and this is exactly where the Modi government got it wrong. There was absolutely nothing for the underclass in the 2024 interim budget which was not just hawkish on fiscal consolidation but actually cut back on revenue expenditure (if interest payments were to be excluded) even in nominal terms. Revenue expenditure is what matters if you want to swing an election a few months away. If the 2024 interim budget had been more like the 2019 one, would the BJP have done better? In hindsight, particularly after the Haryana and Maharashtra results, there is evidence to suggest that it would have, and that the 2024 Lok Sabha verdict was more against the BJP’s fiscal stance than its ideological stance. Last but not the least is the question of identity. Does it really work in elections? Ask different people and you will get a different answer. Hemant Soren is now the most successful Schedule Tribe (ST) leader in not just Jharkhand but almost all of India outside the northeast. Not only has he swept the ST reserved ACs in the state but built a coalition which has demolished the historical fault line between ST and non-ST voters in the state. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and almost the entire leadership of the BJP tried very hard to convert the ST vs non-ST binary – the BJP made a non-ST the chief minister in 2014 and did not name a chief ministerial candidate in these elections – into a Hindu-Muslim one in Jharkhand. They failed miserably. The two Shiv Senas are an even bigger example. Uddhav Thackeray’s faction tried to do an ideological somersault by joining hands with the Congress. He first lost most of his legislative party to Eknath Shinde and then almost his entire popular support. What is the key takeaway from these examples? Identity can help your politics but promiscuity blunts its edge. And identity-based projects are not built in a day. The JMM has been a party of STs from the day it was born. The Shiv Sena embraced Hindutva along with nativism decades ago. The only contradiction in this alliance was whether it was willing to become a junior partner of the BJP. Uddhav Thackeray did not want to do it. Today’s results – the BJP’s MLA count is more than double that of the Shiv Sena which was its partner – should settle that question. Also, amorphous, friction-ridden identities do not work. This is exactly why things such as caste census or Maratha reservation politics have had very little traction in these elections. Is there a larger lesson to be drawn here? Acing electoral politics in India requires economic pragmatism and ideological consistency. You cannot force voters to accept an economics which suits the elite and ideology which is oblivious to entrenched social contradictions in the electoral realm. The former is mostly uniform in India and the latter extremely diverse. This is what makes Indian democracy fascinating.League fines Hawks $100,000 for Young missing NBA Cup gameThe Atlanta Hawks were fined $100,000 by the NBA on Tuesday after a league investigation into star guard Trae Young missing an NBA Cup game two weeks ago. The NBA found the Hawks violated the league's Player Participation Policy when the 26-year-old American missed a November 12 contest at Boston. The probe, which included a review by an independent physician, determined the Hawks held Young out of a game, in which he could have played, under the medical standard clause of the policy, which is aimed at having top NBA talent play in regular-season contests. The Hawks, who beat Boston 117-116, said Young was unavailable due to tendinitis in his right Achilles tendon. Three-time NBA All-Star Young, who has not missed another game this season, has averaged 21.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and an NBA-best 11.9 assists so far this season. At 7-11, the Hawks are 11th in the Eastern Conference. The NBA also fined Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown $35,000 for aggressively pursuing a referee during his team's 108-103 home loss to Brooklyn on Sunday. The Kings are 8-10, 12th in the Western Conference after dropping four games in a row. js/bsp