FILE - A recruiter talks with an applicant at a booth at a job fair at a shopping center in Beijing, on June 9, 2023. A record of more than one in five young Chinese are out of work, their career ambitions at least temporarily derailed by a depressed job market as the economy struggles to regain momentum after its long bout with COVID-19 Melody Xie thought 2024 would be the year for her to start the next chapter of her life as an adult in China: finding a job, getting married and eventually having children. But after sending out hundreds of resumes and failing to pass two civil service exams, the 24-year-old college graduate remains unemployed and has had no choice but to move back in with her parents who live in the southern city of Guangzhou. “It’s been a year since I graduated from university but I have no income, no savings and no social life,” she told VOA in a written response on November 28. Like Xie, hundreds of thousands of young people in China have struggled to find ideal full-time jobs throughout 2024. While the Chinese government has introduced some fiscal measures to boost the sluggish economy in October, China’s youth unemployment remains high. Since July, China’s unemployment rate for youth between 16 and 24 has remained above 17%. While some Chinese state media outlets claim the youth unemployment rate has improved since October, the economic downturn has been exacerbating China’s unemployment problem for several years, said Dali Yang, an expert on Chinese politics at the University of Chicago. “There is a backlog of youths who were supposed to be joining the labor force over the last two to three years, but they didn’t do very well in the job market,” he told VOA by phone. “As a new cohort of youth graduating from college each year, that makes the job market very tough for the college graduates,” he added. In addition to the large number of unemployed college graduates in the job market, Li Qiang, executive director of China Labor Watch, told VOA that poor working conditions in the country are also discouraging many educated young people in China from looking for full-time jobs. “Many Chinese businesses will ask employees to work 12 to 16 hours a day, and they expect employees to work six or seven days a week,” Li said. “Most young people in China are not willing to accept these jobs with tough working conditions, so that has also led to an increase in youth unemployment rate,” he told VOA by phone. Linda Liu, a 25-year-old former project manager at a tech company in China’s Guangxi province, said jobs in some rural towns in China often offer very poor pay and almost no benefits. “After being laid off from my job at a tech company in Guangzhou at the beginning of 2023, I moved back to my hometown in Guangxi province and soon found a job there,” she told VOA in a written response. “But since the pay was very low and I can only take four days off each month, I quit after less than six months,” Liu added. While some young Chinese are still looking for jobs, others have decided to “lie flat” or quit without backup plans. “After being laid off in 2021, I left Beijing and moved to the southwestern Yunnan province for two years,” Celine Liu, a 26-year-old former law firm clerk, told VOA in a recorded response. “At the time, I wanted to pull myself away from the hectic lifestyle in the big city and figure out what I wanted to pursue in my life. But after moving back to Beijing earlier this year, I realized I could no longer adapt to life in the big city, and that has also affected my ability to do well in job interviews,” she added. The idea of “lying flat” also denotes a laid-back lifestyle that rejects intense competition and societal expectations. In recent years, many young Chinese people have chosen to “retire” to rural parts of the country with a lower cost of living to cope with the ongoing unemployment challenges. Some of them turn to e-commerce as a source of income. Others see quitting without a backup plan as an opportunity for them to slow down and enjoy life. “Many young people in China, including myself, follow the typical pattern of entering college, finding a job after graduation, getting married and having children, but we often don’t know what kind of future we want,” said Victor Wang, a 26-year-old former engineer in the Chinese city of Zhejiang. “After quitting without a backup plan, I finally have a chance to take care of my physical and mental health, and it finally feels like I’m in control of my life,” he told VOA in a written response. As the youth unemployment rate remains high in China, Ye Liu, an expert on international development at King’s College London, told VOA, young people in China might “diversify” their work patterns. “More young people [will engage] in freelancing, part-time employment and [work] multiple jobs,” she said. China will host an annual economic work conference this week and youth unemployment is expected to be one of several topics discussed by top Chinese officials during the event. Discussion of the topic remains sensitive on the internet in China and social media platforms. Last week, a commentary about China’s weak consumption, unemployment and “dispirited” youth by Gao Shanwen, chief economist of China’s state-owned SDIC Securities, was removed by China’s internet censors. Additionally, access to Chinese economist Fu Peng’s video social media account was blocked after he commented on China’s weaker consumption at a conference in September. The Chinese government has introduced some measures to boost employment opportunities for college graduates, including rolling out campus recruitment activities and increasing job placement rates for unemployed youth. China’s state news outlet, People’s Daily Online, reported more than 1,000 employers from around the country “are expected to offer more than 30,000 education-related positions.” However, Li at China Labor Watch said unless the Chinese authorities try to fundamentally improve working conditions and strengthen protection for workers’ benefits, China’s youth unemployment problem is unlikely to improve within the next five years.A fire has left a home “not livable” until repairs can be undertaken, the deputy chief for the North Cowichan Fire Department says. Around 3 p.m. Tuesday, crews were called to the home in the 3600 block of Cowichan Lake Road for a house fire. “Upon arrival, they saw significant smoke coming from a two-storey building,” Chris Jancowski, deputy fire chief, said in a Zoom interview. “Crews quickly made entry, located the area of the fire, extinguish the fire shortly after.” No one was home when the fire started, but the homeowner arrived to find the fire and called 911. Jancowski says there were no injuries to the homeowner or firefighters. However, the family is not living in the home following the fire due to the damage. “Unfortunately, due to the fire area and then significant amount of smoke being created by fire, the home is not livable at this point, it will have to undergo some repairs,” he said. “The family has been supported by the local emergency social services function of the Regional District, and they’re being taken care of the next 72 hours.” Story continues below The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but it started in the basement area. However, Jancowski says this time of year comes with a fire risk with holiday decorations and urges people to take precautions. “Just a general fire prevention message. As we get closer to the Christmas season, making sure that we keep any natural trees watered and wet, and we also make sure we keep a very close eye on any kind of open flame, so candles, those kind of activities, can cause accidental fires,” he said. “ Smoke alarms , I can’t see enough spring and fall, check your batteries, make sure you have an active, working smoke alarm in every floor of your home.” RELATED: Working smoke alarm in just 45% of 2022 home fires in B.C.: reportp777 slot 。

Western Michigan beats Eastern Michigan 26-18 to become bowl eligibleHARTFORD, Conn. — It’s well known that Steve Cohen wanted a Picasso, Le Reve, badly enough to pay $139 million for it. When the seller put an elbow through the canvas, Cohen pulled his offer and waited, but once the painting was suitably restored he ponied up $155 million to get it for his Greenwich, Conn., home. Couple of things there. When Cohen wants something badly enough, for his mansion or the Mets, he will not be denied. And since Cohen didn’t go for the banana taped to the wall that recently sold for $6.2 million, it’s clear he knows the difference between trendy gimmicks and timeless art. So it was when Juan Soto, a hitter of rare beauty, hit the open market. Listen, every top free agent feels like more than just the top free agent, more like the last great player who is ever going to be available. The very first sweepstakes, for Catfish Hunter 50 years ago this month, felt like that, as did Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield and countless others. In the last three years, Aaron Judge, who stayed with the Yankees, Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Dodgers, had that kind of cachet. And now Soto, who left the Yankees to sign a 15-year contract reportedly worth $765 million, with clauses that could bump up north of $800 million, has joined Cohen’s growing collection of stars with the Mets with the potential to realign the game. It can certainly shifts the terrain under a state so long dominated by the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. All the whys and wherefores are still to come, but safe to say that Cohen is all he was advertised to be when he bought the Mets in 2020 — aggressive, persuasive, relentless in pursuit of the championship that has eluded his favorite team since 1986. That’s Le Reve, which in English is “The Dream.” There are those who shudder at how the money he can spend will impact baseball, but so be it. He wants to win, he’s going for it. He had to have Juan Soto. Now the pressure to make this work will be enormous for all and history shows such signings do not always produce the desired results, but Cohen didn’t get where he is in the hedge-fund jungle by being risk-averse. Soto is certainly a generational game-changer, if not the first or last. He made the difference between the Yankees missing the playoffs altogether in 2023 and reaching the World Series in 2024. He is 26, younger than most free agents, and can be counted on to put up Soto stats, .419 on-base, 41 homers, 109 RBI last season, for years to come. And he has proven he can handle New York and perform in the postseason. The Yankees, who reportedly upped their offer to $750 million for 16 years, were not trying to finish a strategic second and tell their fans they gave it their best shot. Hal Steinbrenner fully understood the ramifications of this loss, and not because the other team in New York. Nope, not going down the Mets-own-New-York path. There is no such thing. The Yankees and Mets don’t have to worry about each other unless both reach the World Series, and if they do, both will profit immensely and the city will be delirious. Unlike George Steinbrenner and the previous Mets owners, Hal and Cohen get this: The team that’s more successful will be more popular in the moment, but it’s better for both when both are good. The Red Sox were in on Soto, too, and although there are skeptics in Boston, they apparently did make a competitive bid. The Yankees can at least take solace he’s out of the AL East and The Rivalry, and baseball can at least take solace in that he didn’t join all those megastars in Los Angeles. So the bomb hit Sunday night, the earth shifted, and it’s time for all the franchises we watch in Connecticut to pick up the pieces and move on, mindful that the goal line is moving. The Mets pair Soto with their MVP runner up, Francisco Lindor. The one-two punch that can really get them the title is Cohen and president of baseball operations David Steans. The Mets have a GM with experience in finding undervalued talent, developing young players and building contenders with limited resources in Milwaukee. His brainstorm to make overvalued reliever Clay Holmes into a potential bargain of a starter, is an example of his resourcefulness. Couple that with an owner willing to spend big when quality is up for auction, and that’s a hard combination to beat. That’s the Dodgers’ formula. Neither the Yankees nor Red Sox appear to have both at the moment. The Red Sox do have the deep farm system left by Chaim Bloom, though, and if current GM Craig Breslow can pry enough resources from the owners to go after a few solid veterans, they can be right back in contention. The Yankees are in a more difficult space. In years gone by, the three-quarters of a billion left behind by Soto could be used to upgrade a roster in a dozen areas. But those kind of players are not really out there, and that strategy can yield a team of mediocre, past-their-primers. GM Brian Cashman will have to sort those out now. Putting Judge back in right field where he belongs and getting a legit centerfielder could help, beefing up starting and relief pitching will help, there are many holes that were covered up by the historic productivity of Soto and Judge in 2024 that must now be addressed starting at the Winter Meetings. To get back to the World Series, the Yankees will have to get past a number of AL teams loaded with young talent. In the NL, they face the Mets, Dodgers and Padres, teams with multiple high-end stars, where they have only Judge still at that level. To be sure, pinstripe prestige took a major blow Sunday night, but they still have resources to repair it to full value, like that Picasso. The overarching fact Monday is that the way we watch and perceive baseball will be different now. The Greenwich art collector is throwing his billions around as promised (and feared), and has turned baseball on its head. It should be quite a summer around here. ©2024 Hartford Courant. Visit courant.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The move has divided opinion internationally on how to protect children online. Under-16s have been banned from using social media under strict new legislation in Australia. The government says it is to protect children, but Big Tech companies and some human rights groups say it will not work. What are the arguments and the views worldwide? Presenter: Bernard Smith Guests: Mark Andrejevic – A professor at Monash University’s School of Media, Film, and Journalism in Melbourne and a specialist on the implications of data mining and online monitoring Nirali Bhatia – A cyberpsychologist and the founder of Cyber BAAP, an anti-cyberbullying campaign in New Delhi Noeline Blackwell – A human rights lawyer and online safety coordinator for the Children’s Rights Alliance in Ireland

AmeriCorps NCCC AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps team Arriving immediately in Florida after Hurricane Helene, their team of six members has been on the ground for the past two months. The AmeriCorps NCCC team is helping survivors connect to the resources they need by tabling at sites, canvassing neighborhoods, and more. They were previously in Selma, Ala., inspecting travel trailers and mobile housing units for water damage, decay, and other issues, helping supplement housing in areas facing housing shortages due to disaster impacts. The Leader Arwood is the AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader and joined after graduating from American University in December 2023. Arwood was struggling to find a job that was both inspiring to work for and that he was qualified to hold when he found AmeriCorps. "The opportunities of AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps were incredibly enticing," said Arwood, from Tennessee. "I was very interested in the chance to serve my country in such a unique way while also gaining valuable practical experience in an industry so interesting and robust as emergency management. AmeriCorps has put me in an incredible position both socially and professionally. Bayou 4 is composed of incredibly capable and compassionate members whose dedication to service and kindness is as palpable as admirable." Together with the team, Arwood is making a difference in affected communities. At the beginning of the deployment, the team spent most of the time registering survivors for support. Since deployment, the team has transitioned to canvassing neighborhoods to ensure that everyone in the community who needs assistance is registered. "The quick response and our team's efforts in supporting this response, led to many survivors being granted aid early in the recovery process, allowing for the community to move towards recovery." Passion Meets Opportunity Ernest is a Floridian who is helping his home state recover from the disasters. Before AmeriCorps, Ernest worked in retail while pursuing a degree from Florida State College. He chose to serve with AmeriCorps because emergency management was his passion. AmeriCorps service was an opportunity for Ernest to gain the experience needed to kickstart his career in emergency management. Ernest shares that his most memorable moment was when a small act of compassion gave survivors the hope they needed. "When I first got deployed to help with Hurricane Helene, I was stationed at a registration intake center," said Ernest. "A local florist gave us flowers she needed to get rid of, so our team set them at each table. About halfway through the day, a woman started to break down. She told me that she was putting on the bravest face ever since the disasters to get herself through the day. But, when she came in to get help, she was stunned to see the flowers. She was unsure where to go for help, but when she walked in and saw the flowers, she felt a sense of comfort that we would help her." Since deployment, Ernest has visited nearly 1,000 homes across communities and has helped more than 150 people register for disaster assistance. Finding Careers For Yana, AmeriCorps was an opportunity to find a carer pathway. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Yana joined AmeriCorps NCCC after graduating from college. He decided to take a gap year before attending graduate school to help people in need and gain work experience. What he's learned is far more than experience. "There was this one interaction where I was so thankful for being there to help this survivor," said Yana. "When he first came in, he was extremely worried that he wouldn't get any aid due to not having things or not being qualified. I registered him and explained a bit of the process as far as I knew, which helped. Having heard that the aid he would be given was a grant to do with it what he needed it for - that his spending of the money wasn't tracked or needed to be sure for what it was given out for - he teared up knowing he was receiving the help he desperately needed. That moment, I was just grateful to be there and help this community member be relieved and grateful for the aid." This team's experience is one of many for AmeriCorps members. Through national service, Americans are provided the opportunity to explore careers beyond their work experience and education. Whether it's gaining skills in emergency management systems, using tools to repair roofs, or learning how to interact with people coping with unforeseen challenges, it's a chance to seek challenges and grow. Learn more about the more than 750 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers who have and continue to support disaster recovery after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Attachment AmeriCorps NCCC CONTACT: National Service Press Office AmeriCorps (202) 766-2848 [email protected]

Iowa QB Cade McNamara slams 'ridiculous' rumors

Company to hold investor strategy update event on December 10, 2024 Wilmington, Del., Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Participating in a tradition that has evolved since 1792, today, employees from Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) gathered on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer, Ashland, joined by company executives, rang the trading day's opening bell . The event signifies a decade of evolution, resilience and sustainable solutions for the additives and specialty ingredients company and recognizes its 100-year anniversary. "I want to thank our employees for their dedication, our customers for their trust and our shareholders for their support over the years which continues to be the foundation of our success,” said Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer, Ashland. From its origin of gavel banging to the modern workday bell ringing , the ritual marks the start and end of trading through the years and has come to celebrate economic growth and progress. One year ago, Ashland introduced seven new technology platforms aligned to the company's pharmaceutical, personal care and specialty additives core, that extend to secondary markets with new and differentiated capabilities to unlock organic growth for Ashland and its customers worldwide. The platform solutions bring "new to the world” sustainable innovations, offering tunable choices to customers to enable the reshaping of their product portfolios, answering global megatrends, and responding to various regulatory landscapes. "As the stock market has demonstrated resilience through devastating lows and exuberant highs over time, Ashland has consistently transformed itself ahead of market trends from an oil and refining company to a matrixed chemical company, and from a broad chemicals and materials provider to the focused additives and specialty ingredients company we are today; integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) in our operating plans to responsibly solve for a better world,” said Novo. strategy update event Ashland is hosting a strategy update event for analysts and investors on December 10, 2024, in New York City. The company will provide an in-depth review of Ashland's strategic priorities, key initiatives and financial objectives while emphasizing a proactive approach to market uncertainty in fiscal year 2025. The event includes presentations and prepared remarks from members of Ashland's executive team, as well as breakout sessions for in-person attendees and an opportunity for both live and webcast attendees to ask questions during moderated Q&A sessions. "This was a year marked by recovery from prolonged inventory destocking in the materials sector, yet Ashland was able to deliver strategic progress, margin expansion, high-quality free cash flow, and disciplined execution across our global portfolio,” continued Novo. "Despite a complex operating environment, we demonstrated our ability to drive value through portfolio optimization, commercial excellence, and focused growth in our core markets. As we execute our strategy, we remain focused on delivering sustainable, profitable growth and long-term shareholder value. I look forward to providing more context during our upcoming event,” concluded Novo. To participate in Ashland's strategy update event, interested participants must register for the event and have the option to attend via live webcast or in person. Presentations are expected to begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and conclude following Q&A sessions at 11:00 a.m. ET. After Q&A, in-person attendees will have the opportunity to discuss key initiatives with business line leaders and scientists in breakout sessions until 12:00 p.m ET. To register, participants should use the following link: registration page . Registration information and further event details will be posted on Ashland's investor website at http://investor.ashland.com . A webcast of the event will be available live and can be accessed, along with supporting materials, through the Ashland website. A replay will be available within 24 hours of the live event and will be archived, along with supporting materials, on Ashland's website for 12 months. Copies of the presentation may also be requested by sending an email to [email protected] About Ashland Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a global additives and specialty ingredients company with a conscious and proactive mindset for environmental, social and governance (ESG). The company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical. Approximately 3,200 passionate, tenacious solvers thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries. Visit ashland.com and ashland.com/ESG to learn more. TM Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Attachments Press_Release_ASH_100_Yr_Bell_Ringing_20241209 100 yr anniversary lockup for PR Dec 2024

Cutting in line? American Airlines' new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airportsCHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Rage Against The Regime: Iran on BBC2: Beaten, gunned down - the women willing to die for democracy in Iran By CHRISTOPHER STEVENS Published: 23:24 GMT, 4 December 2024 | Updated: 23:28 GMT, 4 December 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Rage Against the Regime: Iran (BBC2) Rating: Teenager Zaniyar feels no anger at the thuggish riot police who blasted his face with a shotgun and left him blind in one eye. It’s not that he forgives them, or understands why they acted with such brutality during a wave of protests in Iran that left more than 500 dead and many hundreds more maimed. Zaniyar, 18, who once dreamed of becoming a boxer, has eight pellets too deeply embedded in his head to be removed. The brain damage these caused, he says, left him unable to express emotion. He was one of multiple interviewees giving their testimony in the second part of the extraordinary documentary Rage Against The Regime: Iran. Some were blinded, others had lost loved ones or seen people murdered. One woman was shot in the arm at point blank range by a sadistic policeman who looked her in the eyes as he did it. The intent, she said, was to inflict injuries that would be a lifelong warning to her and other women: conform, or else. Zaniyar Tondro, shot in the eye during the 2022 protests in Iran, which began with the death of Mahsa Amini Zeinab Sahafy,Zeinab Sahafy, Iranian football fan. Zeinab had to disguise herself as a man in order to watch Persepolis FC Rage Against the Regime tells the story of those who survived antigovernment protests in Iran These stories should have been horrifying and depressing, and they were. But the lasting impact of the accounts, expertly compiled and set in the context of Iran’s political history by director James Newton, was to leave us with a sense of hope. So completely do the Ayatollah and his mullahs in Tehran control the messages coming out of Iran, it’s easy for the West to believe the entire country is a seething mob of fundamentalists dedicated to death and global war. Light Display of the Night: For the semi-final of Portrait Artist Of the Year (Sky Arts), host Stephen Mangan installed a chandelier the size and shape of a UFO in the studio. Sitting to be painted, actress Joely Richardson looked like she was about to get beamed up. Advertisement But these exiles, most of whom fled to avoid imprisonment for daring to protest and who now live in hiding, shared an unswerving confidence that the Islamic Republic was close to collapse — and that democracy would soon assert itself in one of the oldest civilisations on Earth. Women are the driving force of this change, precisely because they are so oppressed. The more that ordinary wives and mothers are beaten for failing to cover their hair with a scarf, or gunned down at bus stops for posting videos on social media, the more opposition grows to the 85-year-old ‘supreme leader’, Ayatollah Khamenei, and his morality police. ‘They manage to control everyone by controlling women,’ said Azam, who was forced into an arranged marriage after she fell in love with a man her own mother deemed unsuitable. Her husband beat her, punching her in the stomach so hard when she was pregnant that she almost lost her baby. But when she appealed for a divorce, her story was dismissed — because no one else had witnessed the assault. Some have killed themselves as a protest against the oppression. ‘Setting yourself on fire is actually easier than living in Iran as a woman,’ said a young activist named Kiki, sobbing. And another exile, who was also left blinded on one side of her face, declared: ‘One eye is enough to see the downfall of a dictator.’ The whole world wants to see that. Iran Earth Share or comment on this article: CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Rage Against The Regime: Iran on BBC2: Beaten, gunned down - the women willing to die for democracy in Iran e-mail Add comment