circus layout

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" To keep reading, please log in to your account, create a free account, or simply fill out the form below.Kuwait City, Dec 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited a labour camp here, a visit described by the External Affairs ministry as symbolic of the importance he attached to the welfare of Indian workers abroad. Modi is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His visit to Kuwait is the first for any Indian Prime Minister to this Gulf nation in 43 years. As the first programme of his visit to Kuwait, Modi visited a labour camp in Mina Abdullah area of Kuwait with a workforce of around 1,500 Indian nationals. He interacted with a cross-section of Indian workers from different states of India, enquired about their well-being, also sat at a table with some of them at the Gulf Spic Labour Camp when snacks served. On Modi's planned visit to the labour camp, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier said that the idea was to express “the amount of importance the government of India attaches to our workers. That is the prime purpose.” Modi's visit comes months after over 45 Indians were killed in a devastating fire in a building housing foreign workers in southern Kuwait's Mangaf locality in June. “The visit to the labour camp is symbolic of the importance attached by the Prime Minister to the welfare of Indian workers abroad. In the last few years, the government has undertaken several technology-based initiatives such as e-Migrate portal, MADAD portal and upgraded Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana for the welfare of Indian workers abroad,” an MEA statement said. "Modi interacted with Indian workers & enquired about their well-being. PM’s first engagement of the day signifies the importance India attaches to the welfare of Indian workers abroad," the MEA posted on X along with the photos from the event. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. Indians constitute 21 per cent (1 million) of the total population of Kuwait and 30 per cent of its work-force (approx 9 lakh). Indian workers top the private sector as well as the domestic sector (DSW) work force list, according to Indian Embassy in Kuwait. The Gulf nation is among India's top trading partners, with bilateral trade valued at USD 10.47 billion in the financial year 2023-24. Kuwait is India's sixth largest crude supplier, meeting three per cent of the country's energy needs. Indian exports to Kuwait reached USD 2 billion for the first time, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed USD 10 billion. India and Kuwait have enjoyed traditionally friendly relations, with links dating back to pre-oil Kuwait when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy, the MEA had said ahead of Modi's visit. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)

Congress faces government funding deadline after Thanksgiving

Patrick Fishburn leads at Sea Island as Joel Dahmen keeps alive hopes of keeping his jobPatna (Bihar) [India], December 21 (ANI): Memorandum of understanding (MoU) of around Rs 1.81 lakh crore across 11 sectors were signed during the Bihar Business Connect 2024, state Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said on Saturday and noted that state government is encouraging investment through various steps aimed at ease of doing business. In an interview with ANI, Meena said that investors have shown positive response and there has been a substantial increase in MoUs signed compared to last year. Also Read | Sam Konstas Reflects on Maiden Test Call-Up Ahead of IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test, Says 'Mum Was in Tears, I Was Trying Not To Cry' (Watch Video). "Under the leadership of the CM, Bihar Business Connect 2024 was organised on December 19 and 20. Investors from the country have shown a positive response. With more than 400 investors, MoUs worth Rs. 1,81,000 crore were signed, covering 11 sectors in which the renewable energy sector is the prime focus," he said. He stated that the renewable energy sector received maximum response and there are significant investment opportunities in sectors like food processing, textiles, information technology, logistics and plastics. Also Read | Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid, La Liga 2024-25 Free Live Streaming Online: How to Watch Spanish League Match Live Telecast on TV & Football Score Updates in IST?. Referring to the Business Connect in 2023, he said MoUs of about Rs 53,000 crore were signed and in about half of them, steps have been taken for implementation. He said MoUs signed this year will also facilitate people and its implementation will be visible in the coming days. Meena said the state has established a State Investment Promotion Board that goes through proposals every week. He also said the state has created a single-window clearance system for the facilitation of the investors and there is a project monitoring system. He said officials, who are involved in giving clearances, have been urged to encourage investment proposals so that the state gets more investment and more employment opportunities are created He said a lot of skilled people came back to the state during COVID-19 and the state government facilitated them. Many people were from the textile sector in different parts of the country and were provided working facilities and they established new textile units. He said that inspired by this, the state government created 24 lakh square feet of "play and plug" infrastructure in 2022-23 and 17 lakh square feet was allocated to 135 units. Meena said the "plug and play" infrastructure is greatly helping IT, textile sector and food processing sectors as at a rate of Rs per 4 to 6 per square foot per month lease rate - infrastructure facilities have been made available for very low charges. The small and medium-scale investors have got this readymade space available which has water, electricity and connectivity and all these are located in industrial areas, he noted. Big investments have taken place in IT, the textile sector, food processing and the state government is working towards land availability and facilities under plug and play initiative. He said the investment projects are seen not only as that of the Industry Department but of "Bihar as a unit" and all departments concerning investment opportunities hold joint meetings. Meena said industrialists and investors have been informed of sector-specific and umbrella policies and suggestions received have also been incorporated into the policies. He said the state government is open to suggestions from investors to get more investment. Meena said the state has witnessed a lot of change in the last 15-20 years. "In Bihar, the Ganga River had just four bridges before 2005, now the number has reached 14. The connectivity challenge that was there earlier has now been resolved and it is benefitting every sector," he stated. The Bihar Business Connect 2024 connected industry leaders, government officials, and experts to foster partnerships and collaborations. During the two-day summit, the leaders engaged in meaningful discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions with industry leaders to explore investment opportunities in Bihar. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A southeast Louisiana official has been accused of committing perjury for failing to disclose information related to a controversial grain terminal in the state's Mississippi River Chemical Corridor in response to a lawsuit brought by a prominent local climate activist. St. John the Baptist Parish President Jaclyn Hotard denied in a deposition that she knew her mother-in-law could have benefited financially from parish rezoning plans to make way for a 222-acre (90-hectare) grain export facility along the Mississippi River. Hotard also said in court filings, under oath, that no correspondence existed between her and her mother-in-law about the grain terminal, even though her mother-in-law later turned over numerous text messages where they discussed the grain terminal and a nearby property owned by the mother-in-law's marine transport company, court records show. The text messages were disclosed as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by Joy Banner, who along with her sister, Jo Banner, successfully led efforts to halt the $800 million grain terminal earlier this year. It would have been built within 300 feet (91 meters) of their property and close to historic sites in the predominantly Black community where they grew up. The legal dispute is part of a broader clash playing out in courts and public hearings , pitting officials eager to greenlight economic development against grassroots community groups challenging polluting industrial expansion in the heavily industrialized 85-mile industrial corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans often referred to by environmental activists as “Cancer Alley.” “We are residents that are just trying to protect our homes and just trying to live our lives as we have a right to do,” Banner said in an interview with The Associated Press. The Banner sisters gained national attention after cofounding the Descendants Project, an organization dedicated to historic preservation and racial justice. In the text messages turned over as part of Joy Banner's lawsuit, Hotard, the parish president, says that she wished to “choke” Joy Banner and used profanities to describe her. Hotard also said of the Banner sisters: “I hate these people.” Related: Hotard and her attorney, Ike Spears, did not respond to requests for comment after Tuesday's filing. Richard John Tomeny, the lawyer representing Hotard's mother-in-law, Darla Gaudet, declined to comment. Banner initially sued the parish in federal court in December 2023 after Hotard and another parish councilman, Michael Wright, threatened her with arrest and barred her from speaking during a public comment period at a November 2023 council meeting. “In sum: a white man threatened a Black woman with prosecution and imprisonment for speaking during the public comment period of a public meeting,” Banner's lawsuit says. It accuses the parish of violating Banner's First Amendment rights. Wright and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. Hotard and Wright have disputed Banner's version of events in court filings. At the November 2023 meeting, Banner attempted to highlight Hotard's alleged conflict of interest in approving a zoning change to enable the grain export facility's construction. Banner had also recently filed a complaint to the Louisiana Board of Ethics against Hotard pointing out that her mother-in-law allegedly would benefit financially because she owned and managed a marine transport company that had land “near and within” the area being rezoned. In response to a discovery request, Hotard submitted a court filing saying “no such documents exist” between her and her mother-in-law discussing the property, the grain terminal or Joy Banner, according to the recent motion filed by Banner's attorneys. Hotard also said in her August deposition that she had “no idea” about her mother-in-law's company's land despite text messages showing Hotard and her mother-in-law had discussed this property less than three weeks before Hotard's deposition. Banner's lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial early next year. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Save $225 on the 8TB T5 SSD at Samsung for Black Friday

AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:08 p.m. ESTSelf-regulation the only way to avoid govt interference in news, panel toldLG USA ANNOUNCES CREATION OF 2025 SUMMER INTERNSHIPS EXCLUSIVELY FOR RUTGERS STUDENT-ATHLETES

Deep into Cyber Monday , Amazon has released the best SSD deal we've seen so far for November. Amazon is offering the blazing fast Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe solid state drive (SSD) with preinstalled heatsink for only $149.99. There are other, cheaper SSDs out there, but the 990 Pro is widely considered the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs on the market. It makes for an outstanding drop-in storage expansion for your PlayStation 5 console or as a boot drive for your gaming rig. Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $149.99 The 990 Pro is the successor to the venerable 980 Pro, and boy, is it faster. Samsung claims a 50% improved performance per watt over its Samsung 980 Pro predecessor. It boasts blazing sequential speeds of 7,450MB/s read and 6,900MB/s write and random speeds of 1400K/1550K IOPS. Unlike most other SSDs, the components are manufactured in-house. The 990 Pro utilizes the new Samsung Pascal controller and 7th gen TLC NAND flash chips. There are a few top-tier SSDs that stand above the rest in terms of performance like the WD Black SN850X and the SK Hynix P41 Platinum, but the Samsung 990 Pro outbenches them. Is the Samsung 990 Pro Compatible with the PS5? The Samsung 990 Pro is an excellent SSD for your PS5 . From a purely performance perspective, it's overkill; the stock SSD in your PS5 will be the limiting factor. You'll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5's internal drive and the 990 Pro is much faster. However, at the current price point, this SSD is cheaper than many slower options, so you might as well get it anyways. Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD . Fortunately, this particular 990 Pro does include a heatsink, and a nice thick, all-metal one at that. It's also slim enough to fit perfectly in the PS5 SSD. Looking for More PS5 Cyber Monday Deals? Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday In most instances, you can consider Cyber Monday as a one-day extension of Black Friday. Traditionally, Black Friday was known as the "retail holiday," where the best deals were found in-store, and Cyber Monday was known as the "online holiday," where the best deals were online only. Although today the lines are very much blurred, it is still true that many online only retailers still consider Cyber Monday the sale event of the year instead of Black Friday . Expect some amazing sales to come out of online-only sites like Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP, Lenovo and several online-only deals from traditional retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.Biopolymers Market to Reach USD 47.4 Billion by 2032 Driven by Rising Demand for Healthcare Applications | Report by SNS Insider

Beyond Escapes, an emerging travel agency in Sri Lanka, has earned widespread recognition by winning the Bronze Medal for Innovative Digital and Sustainability Implementation in the In-house Category at the ICSDB Business Excellence Awards at Water’s Edge. The event was organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) Campus. Beyond Escapes triumphed over top conglomerates from various industries, highlighting the company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and digital transformation in an ever-evolving travel market. Founded in 2013, Beyond Escapes celebrated its 10th anniversary in the business, marking a decade of resilience, growth, and adaptability. Over the years, the company has not only weathered significant challenges but has also thrived, proving its ability to pivot and rise to new opportunities. A passionate tourism entrepreneur, CEO of Beyond Escapes Ruwan Ratnayaka,, has been instrumental in driving the company’s success. His deep industry knowledge and strong educational foundation have enabled him to navigate complex challenges and steer the company to new heights. Under his guidance, Beyond Escapes has received multiple awards in the last five years, establishing the company as one of Sri Lanka’s emerging Destination Management Companies (DMCs) in the tourism industry.

“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” This is one of the most famous and influential first lines in literature, the celebrated opening sentence of Gabriel García Márquez’s novel and foundational text for the magical realist genre and contemporary Latin American fiction, One Hundred Years of Solitude. Wisely, the expansive Netflix series that just debuted the first eight (of an eventual 16) hour-long episodes deploys the use of a narrator, ensuring that these peculiar, unpredictable words are the first spoken in the show. Watching this, however, was the first time I heard them in Spanish, reminding me that despite my enthusiasm for García Márquez’s work, I’d never actually read it as it was meant to be read. And surely there will be many whose only encounter with One Hundred Years of Solitude will be the television version, despite the 50 million copies sold. (Someone buying a book doesn’t mean they read it; my copy sat on a shelf for more than a quarter of the title’s time.) Those who encounter the story of the seven generations of the Buedía family living in the fictional village of Macondo as television will experience an even more radical translation than written language. That doesn’t mean this isn’t a remarkable production. New technologies García Márquez, nicknamed Gabo in his native Colombia and elsewhere in Latin America, was pretty adamant that a movie could never be made from the work. He told Harvey Weinstein that he would give Weinstein the rights on the condition that the producer “film the entire book but only release one chapter—two minutes long—each year, for 100 years.” This quote, like George Harrison saying “there won’t be a Beatles reunion as long as John Lennon remains dead,” might seem like final words, but don’t count out new technologies (like the deep-pocketed Netflix, and whatever is responsible for zombie Beatles songs like “Now and Then”), as well as the malleability of an artist’s estate. One Hundred Years of Solitude, the series, has been produced in concert with Rodrigo García and Gonzalo García Barcha, sons of the author, who maintain rights to their father’s work following his death in 2014 and the death of their mother, Mercedes Barcha, in 2020. Still, there are some Colombians who are pre-boycotting the work on principle. Such extreme fealty is understandable. A possibly true factoid you can read on the internet is that only the Bible has sold more copies in Spanish than the works of García Márquez. Another one, even hazier but just as striking, is that the influential book’s depiction of the Banana Massacre of 1928 was what forced United Fruit to rebrand and change its name to Chiquita. Then there’s the specificity of form. One Hundred Years is a massive, meaty text with frequent swerves into fantasy, prurience, and violence, and makes quick jumps between flashbacks and flashforwards. Then there’s the biggest roadblock for many readers, its intentionally perplexing family tree with a great many of the characters sharing the same name. Surely this confusion means something, you reassure yourself, unsure for the moment which José Arcadio has the spotlight in the middle of another fabulous tale. Indeed, the idea of behavior recurring over long periods of time is central. But filmed, as you are actually seeing it (and seeing faces), a lot of this magic gets lost in the translation—a complaint which goes beyond the expected “hey, that’s not how I visualized Pilar the fortune teller’s house!” gripes. One Hundred Years of Solitude has a narrative far too stuffed to summarize, but I can try. Married cousins José Arcadio and Úrsula decide to leave their village after José Arcadio kills another man while defending Úrsula’s honour. (She has been denying her husband sex, wearing chastity belts despite their raging desires out of fear that any offspring will have pig-like tails.) The dead man then starts hanging out in their home. A ghost story, I suppose, but García Márquez’s approaches the haunting—and every other fantastical element of the story—in a curious and direct manner. The dead man just appears in the house, hanging around, getting blood everywhere, more of a nuisance than a terror. Long journey José Arcadio has visions of a utopian city so he, Úrsula, and others join him on a long journey and eventually put down roots. Their village, Macondo, is totally isolated (indeed, for many of the early chapters you have no clue what year it is), lending each development the heft of importance. “Clearly,” you think, “every character and utterance is meant to be symbolic of mankind’s evolution, as Macondo is nothing if not all of humanity under a microscope.” And surely you can read it that way, or look for analogies in Colombian political history, but to do that too much undercuts the fun of riding along on García Márquez’s roller coaster. And this is precisely why some things work better in a book than in a movie or television adaptation. In prose, the bizarre elements—visions, levitation, impossibly long periods of rain, a character who chews on the walls—take on a humorous and discordant tone when simply stated as everyday fact. When you see it, at least for me, it cheapens it. The best example I can give you is when the town’s founding father, driven to madness after years as an only partially successful alchemist, decides to tie himself to an enormous (and rather symbolic) tree. Heavy oak metaphors have considerably less panache when you are watching them on your screen. The other big change is that, other than the foreshadowing in the famous first line, the series is told chronologically. This is an understandable decision, but it undercuts some of the magic of Macondo, where any stray moment can initiate a relevant jump on the timeline. Still, the production design of the town—a shabby collection of huts that grows into turn-of-the-century elegance—is remarkable, and reportedly one the largest productions in Latin American history. (Three separate towns were created, to represent Macondo’s evolution.) The eight episodes have been split between two directors. Alex Garcia Lopez is a United States-based director of Argentine origin, and an alumnus of hit shows like The Witcher, The Punisher and the recent Star Wars series The Acolyte. Laura Mora Ortega is a Colombian director with a less international resume, but whose work includes the Netflix series Green Frontier. Neither are afraid of One Hundred Years’s more lusty moments (you can set your watch to the regular hammock-based interludes) and when civil war eventually barges into Macondo, there are some heart-pounding battle sequences that don’t hold back on the gore. Visual form Some of the more famous moments from the first half of the novel (or, I should say, first half of the narrative, since the show mostly goes in order) stitch together quite nicely in a visual form. There is a stretch in which a plague of insomnia hits the town, which at first is welcomed. More time to get things accomplished, José Arcadio says. But with a lack of sleep comes confusion, until no one can remember what anything represents, forcing them to leave notes everywhere. (“Don’t Pee In The Streets, People Get Angry” is probably my favorite, because it’s funny but also true.) Eventually, the memory of the townsfolk gets so blitzed that no one can even read anymore, plunging everyone into paranoia and violence. This whole chapter cuts together marvelously in the show. Another moment—among the most emotionally resonant images from the story—is when one character is violently killed, and their blood spills out of their house, down the street, weaving around corners, into another house, and across several rooms until the streak ends at the foot of the deceased’s mother. This is a moment that is not diminished when filmed. However, there are some aspects of García Márquez’s story that are wisely tamped down. A major character (an adult) experiences love at first sight with a 9-year-old girl. His obsession becomes “a physical sensation that almost bothered him when he walked, like a pebble in his shoe,” and he is described in the novel as having fits of asthma just hearing her voice, especially when she calls him “sir.” Egads! He decides he must marry her, and a deal is worked out between the families. She can marry once she’s reached puberty, which occurs for her “before getting over the habits of childhood.” Yikes all around. All I can say is that in the book—in which there are soothsayers and ghosts and the pursuit of the Philosopher’s Stone, not to mention enormous blocks of eloquent prose—these deviations don’t read quite so repulsive as I’ve laid them out here. Inadvertent near-incest To its credit, the show doesn’t erase this section entirely, but it is lessened. When we first meet the character Remedios, she is presented as “very young,” but she doesn’t look 9. I don’t know the age of the actress playing her, but when she later gets her first period (which we witness both as metaphor and reality), a few costume changes age her up considerably. It’s still questionable, but certainly skirts around the ick factor. The same goes for a moment of inadvertent near-incest. (A less inadvertent one awaits in season two, but I don’t know how that will play out just yet.) This loyalty to the text might be why Netflix’s promotional machine has been pretty minimal in the United States. Other than an article this summer in Vanity Fair, most of the press has been geared to the Hispanic market. (There were lines around the block to see the first episodes in Havana, but nothing happened in New York City.) Considering that Netflix’s biggest hit is the South Korean series Squid Game, the fact that One Hundred Years is in Spanish can’t be used as an excuse to keep this exclusively international. There is, however, a lot of content out there, so I’m wondering how much of an impact it will make with U.S. viewers. Will I watch season two? Absolutely, and not just because of the time I’ve already invested. On its own merits, the show is engaging, the performances (particularly Claudio Cataño as Colonel Aureliano Buendía and the mononymous Akima as the feral cousin Rebeca) are quite good. Everything (and everyone) is gorgeous, so the show is a winner from a visual perspective alone. But it may not be a bad idea to take advantage of the intermezzo between seasons and take the book off the shelf before the launch of part two. The series is, after all, only a rough translation. – foreignpolicy.comThe Only Amazon Deals Worth Shopping This Week: Snag an Apple iPad for a Record Low!

Emmerdale fans 'work out' how Leyla dies after chilling clue as soap exit 'confirmed'

METRO CHICAGO, Ill. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Calamos Investments ®* has announced monthly distributions and sources of distributions paid in December 2024 to shareholders of its seven closed-end funds (the Funds) pursuant to the Funds' respective distribution plans. Fund Distribution Payable date Record date Ex-dividend date CHI (inception 06/26/2002) Calamos Convertible Opportunities and Income Fund $0.0950 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 CHY (inception 05/28/2003) Calamos Convertible and High Income $0.1000 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 Fund CSQ (inception 03/26/2004) Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund $0.1025 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 CGO (inception 10/27/2005) Calamos Global Total Return Fund $0.0800 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 CHW (inception 06/27/2007) Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund $0.0500 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 CCD (inception 03/27/2015) Calamos Dynamic Convertible and $0.1950 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 Income Fund CPZ (inception 11/29/2019) Calamos Long/Short Equity & Dynamic Income Trust $0.1400 12/19/24 12/13/24 12/13/24 The following table provides estimates of Calamos Global Total Return Fund's and Calamos Global Dynamic Income Fund's distribution sources, reflecting YTD cumulative experience. The Funds attribute these estimates equally to each regular distribution throughout the year. Distribution Components for December 2024's Payable Date CGO CHW Ordinary Income $0.0000 $0.0000 Short-Term Capital Gains $0.0800 $0.0500 Long-Term Capital Gains $0.0000 $0.0000 Return of Capital $0.0000 $0.0000 Total Distribution (Level Rate) $0.0800 $0.0500 2025 Fiscal YTD Data CGO CHW Ordinary Income $0.0000 $0.0000 Short-Term Capital Gains $0.1600 $0.1000 Long-Term Capital Gains $0.0000 $0.0000 Return of Capital $0.0000 $0.0000 Total Fiscal YTD Distribution (Level Rate) $0.1600 $0.1000 Regarding Calamos' remaining five closed-end funds, which operate under a managed distribution policy: The information below is required by an exemptive order granted to the Funds by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and includes the information sent to shareholders regarding the sources of the Funds' distributions. The following table sets forth the estimated amount of the sources of distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the related rules adopted thereunder. The Funds estimate the following percentages, of their respective total distribution amount per common share, attributable to (i) current and prior fiscal year net investment income, (ii) net realized short-term capital gain, (iii) net realized long- term capital gain and (iv) return of capital or other capital source as a percentage of the total distribution amount. These percentages are disclosed for the current distribution as well as the fiscal YTD cumulative distribution amount per common share for the Funds. The following table provides estimates of each Fund's distribution sources, reflecting YTD cumulative experience. The Funds attribute these estimates equally to each regular distribution throughout the year. Estimated Per Share Sources of Distribution Estimated Percentage of Distribution Per Share Net Short-Term Long-Term Return of Net Short-Term Long-Term Return of Fund Distribution Income Gains Gains Capital Income Gains Gains Capital CHI Current Month 0.0950 - - - 0.0950 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 100.0 % Fiscal YTD 0.1900 - 0.0950 - 0.0950 0.0 % 50.0 % 0.0 % 50.0 % Net Asset Value 10.52 CHY Current Month 0.1000 - - - 0.1000 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 100.0 % Fiscal YTD 0.2000 - 0.1000 - 0.1000 0.0 % 50.0 % 0.0 % 50.0 % Net Asset Value 11.13 CSQ Current Month 0.1025 - - - 0.1025 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 100.0 % Fiscal YTD 0.2050 - 0.1025 - 0.1025 0.0 % 50.0 % 0.0 % 50.0 % Net Asset Value 18.61 CCD Current Month 0.1950 - - - 0.1950 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 100.0 % Fiscal YTD 0.3900 - 0.1950 - 0.1950 0.0 % 50.0 % 0.0 % 50.0 % Net Asset Value 20.33 CPZ Current Month 0.1400 - 0.1400 - - 0.0 % 100.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % Fiscal YTD 0.2800 0.0918 0.1882 - - 32.8 % 67.2 % 0.0 % 0.0 % Net Asset Value 17.43 Note: NAV returns are as of November 30, 2024 and Distribution Returns include the distribution announced today. You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund's plan. If the Fund(s) estimate(s) that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with 'yield' or 'income'. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this 19(a) notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for accounting and tax purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099 DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. Return figures provided below are based on the change in the Fund's Net Asset Value per share ("NAV"), compared to the annualized distribution rate for this current distribution as a percentage of the NAV on the last day of the month prior to distribution record date. Annualized Fund 5-Year Fiscal YTD Fiscal YTD Fiscal YTD NAV Return (1) NAV Dist Rate NAV Return NAV Dist Rate CHI 9.38 % 10.84 % 5.65 % 1.81 % CHY 9.60 % 10.78 % 5.61 % 1.80 % CSQ 15.88 % 6.61 % 6.64 % 1.10 % CCD 10.29 % 11.51 % 6.61 % 1.92 % CPZ 6.76 % 9.64 % 0.32 % 1.61 % (1) Since inception for CPZ Note: NAV returns are as of November 30, 2024, and Distribution Returns include the distribution announced today. While the NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Monthly distributions offer shareholders the opportunity to accumulate more shares in a fund via the automatic dividend reinvestment plan. For example, if a fund's shares are trading at a premium, distributions will be automatically reinvested through the plan at NAV or 95% of the market price, whichever is greater; if shares are trading at a discount, distributions will be reinvested at the market price through an open market purchase program. Thus, the plan offers current shareholders an efficient method of accumulating additional shares with a potential for cost savings. Please see the dividend reinvestment plan for more information. Important Notes about Performance and Risk Past performance is no guarantee of future results. As with other investments, market price will fluctuate with the market and upon sale, your shares may have a market price that is above or below net asset value and may be worth more or less than your original investment. Returns at NAV reflect the deduction of the Fund's management fee, debt leverage costs and other expenses. You can purchase or sell common shares daily. Like any other stock, market price will fluctuate with the market. Upon sale, your shares may have a market price that is above or below net asset value and may be worth more or less than your original investment. Shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount which is a market price that is below their net asset value. About Calamos Calamos Investments is a diversified global investment firm offering innovative investment strategies including alternatives, multi-asset, convertible, fixed income, equity, and sustainable equity. The firm offers strategies through separately managed portfolios, mutual funds, closed-end funds, private funds, an interval fund, ETFs, and UCITS funds. Clients include major corporations, pension funds, endowments, foundations and individuals, as well as the financial advisors and consultants who serve them. Headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area, the firm also has offices in New York City , San Francisco , Milwaukee , Portland ( Oregon ), and the Miami area. For more information, please visit us on LinkedIn , on Twitter @Calamos , Instagram @calamos_investments , or at www.calamos.com . *Calamos Investments LLC, referred to herein as Calamos Investments ® , is a financial services company offering such services through its subsidiaries: Calamos Advisors LLC, Calamos Wealth Management LLC, Calamos Investments LLP and Calamos Financial Services LLC. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/calamos-investments-closed-end-funds-nasdaq-chi-chy-csq-cgo-chw-ccd-and-cpz-announce-monthly-distributions-and-required-notifications-of-sources-of-distribution-302320055.html SOURCE Calamos Investments © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.5 things we learned from Nvidia's earnings reportIn the early morning following Election Day in 2020, Claire Woodall, then Milwaukee’s elections chief, mistakenly left behind a USB stick carrying vote totals at the city’s central absentee ballot counting facility. Election conspiracy theorists quickly seized on the mistake, accusing Woodall of rigging the election. Their claims were baseless, but the mistake increased scrutiny on the city’s election staff and led Woodall to create a checklist to make sure workers at central count didn’t overlook any critical steps in the future. This year, despite the checklist, Milwaukee election staff at central count made another procedural mistake — and once again left the door open to conspiracy theorists. Somebody — city officials haven’t said who — overlooked the second step outlined on the checklist and failed to lock and seal the hatch covers on the facility’s 13 tabulators before workers began tabulating ballots. For hours, while counting proceeded, the machines’ on-off switches and USB ports were left exposed. After election officials discovered the lapse, city officials decided to count 31,000 absentee ballots all over again , a choice that led to delays in reporting results. Results from the large and heavily Democratic city ultimately came in at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, only a few hours later than expected, but a time that conspiracy theorists implied was a suspicious hour for vote totals to change . Their posts echoed claims from 2020 that used sensationalized language like “late-night ballot dumps” to describe the reality that in big cities, absentee ballots take time — yes, sometimes late into the night — to collect, deliver, verify and count accurately. In fact, the results in Milwaukee couldn’t have arrived much sooner. Under state law, election officials can’t start processing the hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots until the morning of Election Day. This year, they got a late start because of delays in getting workers settled , but were still expecting to be done around 2 or 3 a.m. Then it became clear the midday decision to redo the count would add more time to the process. But those explanations have done little to curb the false conspiracy theories that have been proliferating on the right, including from losing U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde. Election officials have for years known that the slightest mistakes, or even perceived errors, can trigger false claims. In this instance, the failure to follow a critical security step occurred in the state’s most scrutinized election facility, despite new procedures meant to reduce such errors. For people with a conspiratorial mindset, such an oversight can’t be explained away as just a mistake, said Mert Bayar, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. The errors can provide conspiracy theorists a feeling of validation because those errors make a “conspiracy theory more realistic ... more believable.” For those people, he said, election errors are instead perceived as “part of a plot to steal an election.” Instead of considering the 2024 Milwaukee mistake a simple oversight, Bayar said, conspiracy theorists may think that the tabulator doors “cannot be left unlocked unless they’re trying something tricky, something stealth.” Genya Coulter, senior director of stakeholder relations at the Open Source Election Technology Institute, said Milwaukee can still fine-tune its processes and checklists. “I don't think anybody needs to be demonized,” she said, “but I do think that there needs to be some retraining. That would be helpful.” Milwaukee error initially drew complaints, but not suspicion It was an election observer who first noticed the open tabulator doors and alerted election officials. Around 2 p.m., Milwaukee’s current election chief, Paulina Gutiérrez, went from tabulator to tabulator, monitored by Democratic and Republican representatives, to lock all of the doors. Two hours later, she made the call to rerun all ballots through the tabulators. The tabulators had been in full view of partisan observers and the media, but behind a barrier that only election officials and some designated observers, like representatives for both political parties who accompany election officials during some election processes, can enter. Any tampering would have been evident, Gutiérrez said, and there was no sign of that. For that reason, some Republicans at central count opposed recounting all the ballots and risking a delay. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, who went to central count on Election Day to learn more about the error, said he didn’t think anything nefarious happened , though he said the election operation there was “grossly incompetent.” Coulter said the decision to start the counting over again was “the right call for transparency's sake.” Hovde, who lost his Senate race in a state that Donald Trump carried, invoked conspiratorial language to describe what happened. “The results from election night were disappointing, particularly in light of the last minute absentee ballots that were dropped in Milwaukee at 4 a.m. flipping the outcome,” he said Monday in his concession speech. “There are many troubling issues around these absentee ballots.” In an earlier video , Hovde criticized Milwaukee’s election operation and spread false claims about the proportion of votes that his opponent, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, received from absentee ballots. That led to a skyrocketing number of posts baselessly alleging election fraud in Wisconsin. One prominent conservative social media account questioned whether the tabulator doors being left open was a case of sabotage. In a statement, the Milwaukee Election Commission said it “unequivocally refutes Eric Hovde’s baseless claims regarding the integrity of our election process.” Why Milwaukee’s results were late There’s no proof of fraud or malfeasance in Milwaukee or anywhere else in Wisconsin on Election Day. But a few key factors combined to delay Milwaukee’s results until 4 a.m. First, Milwaukee central count workers started processing and tabulating ballots around 9 a.m., long after the 7 a.m. start time allowed under state law. The delay was a matter of getting dozens of central count workers organized and at the right station in the large facility. The more high-profile one was the failure to close the tabulators, which prompted the decision to count 31,000 absentee ballots all over again. But both of those slowdowns could have been less consequential had Wisconsin election officials been able to process absentee ballots on the Monday before Election Day, as some other states allow. Such a change could have allowed election officials to review absentee ballot envelopes, verify and check in absentee voters but not count votes. An effort to allow election officials to do so stalled in the state Senate this year . Checklist change could ‘improve transparency’ Milwaukee election officials may have avoided the situation entirely — and could avoid similar situations in the future — by modifying their central count checklist, said Coulter, from the Open Source Election Technology Institute. Currently, the checklist states that at the start of Election Day, the tabulator doors should be locked and sealed. It’s not clear why that step was skipped. Gutiérrez didn’t respond to questions for comment about who was in charge of the process or whether that person faced disciplinary action. But the step likely wouldn’t have been overlooked, Coulter said, if the checklist required the official in charge of locking the tabulators to be accompanied by a representative from each major political party. “That's a relatively painless change that ... I think it would improve transparency,” Coulter said. “There needs to be an emphasis on having two people from different political affiliations performing all duties that involve the tabulator,” she said. Another pre-processing step on the checklist calls for people working at the tabulators to make sure the numbered seals pasted over the tabulator doors are intact. It doesn’t call for checking that the tabulator doors are locked. To avoid a repeat situation, Coulter said, “they should also check to make sure that the door to the power button is properly locked, and what to do if it isn't.” Election officials recognize the scrutiny they face over errors, Coulter said, and they sometimes focus more on avoiding mistakes than running election operations. “It's like a racecar driver ... If you focus on the wall, you're going to wind up hitting that wall,” she said. “You have to train your mind to think about the curve and not the wall, but unfortunately, it's really hard for election officials to do that, especially in high-pressure jurisdictions.” Alexander Shur is a reporter for Votebeat based in Wisconsin. Contact Shur at ashur@votebeat.org . Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Wisconsin’s free newsletter here . This article first appeared on Wisconsin Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.TORONTO , Dec. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Canada's Premiers are committed to maintaining strong Canada-U.S. relations, supporting energy security, and improving healthcare for Canadians. Premiers reaffirmed their support for a prosperous and secure Canada and for working with the federal government on trade, border security, and Arctic security and sovereignty. They also discussed the need for greater federal consultation on immigration policy changes, including targets and adequate federal funding to support service delivery for asylum seekers. Premiers also discussed public safety issues and continue to call on the federal government for further action on bail reform, countering organized crime including auto theft, and the movement of illegal guns into Canada . Premiers remain concerned about illegal migration, money laundering and the cross-border flow of firearms, fentanyl and precursors. The essential role of the Canada-U.S. relationship for Canadian prosperity was highlighted and Premiers committed to collaborating with the federal government to ensure the interests of all Canadians are represented in that relationship. Canada – U.S. Relations Canada and the U.S. form one of the largest integrated markets in the world with more than C$3.5 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border each day. The U.S. sells more goods and services to Canada than it sells to China , Japan , and Germany combined. Provinces and territories are strategic partners with the U.S. in trade and investment, transportation, critical minerals, energy, manufacturing, agriculture, natural resources, the environment, and Arctic security and sovereignty. The imposition of tariffs by the U.S. would be a significant failure on the part of the Government of Canada . Premiers are concerned about U.S. President-elect Trump's stated intent to impose tariffs on imports from Canada , hurting jobs, affordability, investment, and integrated supply chains in both countries. Premiers are committed to free and fair trade and will advocate against tariffs that threaten our deeply integrated and mutually beneficial economic relationships. Premiers will advocate for Canadians by supporting appropriate action by the federal government in response to any U.S. tariffs imposed on imports from Canada , and call on the federal government to ensure solutions are regionally fair, and provinces and territories are active participants in the design of Canada's response. Premiers agree that the priority is to act to avoid tariffs. They discussed the upcoming CUSMA review as a further opportunity to strengthen our trading relationships. Provinces and territories must have a significant role during the negotiation process to ensure a range of provincial and territorial interests are duly advocated for. All Premiers agreed that Mexico must strengthen its commitment to jointly addressing threats to North American competitiveness resulting from unfair Chinese trading practices. Canada's partnership with the U.S. is also founded on each country remaining a strong and reliable ally. Premiers urged the federal government to accelerate reaching the NATO defence spending target of 2% of GDP, recognizing its critical connection to strategic infrastructure as well as the broader implications for Canada's economic and security partnership with the U.S. Premiers also emphasized that more must be done to safeguard Arctic security and sovereignty. The federal government must take a proactive approach to secure our borders for Canadians. Premiers remain concerned about illegal migration, money laundering and the cross-border flow of firearms, fentanyl and precursors. Premiers discussed the Prime Minister's commitment to return to the First Ministers' table with a comprehensive border security plan, including the human and financial resources required for successful implementation. They agreed that it is critical that this plan demonstrates strong action and shows that Canada takes the security of our border seriously. The plan must also include measures to tighten the visa issuance policy to prevent arrivals to Canada under false pretenses. Premiers will pursue a COF Mission to the U.S. in February 2025 to further cement ongoing work to build strong U.S. partnerships. Energy Security Premiers discussed energy affordability and measures being taken to manage energy costs. They agreed the advancement of emerging technologies will provide opportunities for safe and reliable energy to meet the demands of a growing economy and population. Premiers also discussed opportunities to strengthen energy security in Canada and North America , and to supply the world with dependable and ethically produced energy and critical minerals. Premiers noted the challenges created by gaps in energy corridors to serve rural, remote, and northern regions. They remain committed to ensuring that residents, businesses, and industry continue to have access to reliable and affordable energy, and critical energy infrastructure, wherever they are in Canada. To support a lower-carbon economy, it is imperative that Canada's regulatory system focuses on attracting responsible development by emphasizing predictability, certainty, and a reasonable return on investment while protecting the environment. The federal government must honour its commitment to work with provinces and territories so that regulatory processes are efficient and non-duplicative for projects that support grid capacity, energy development, and access to critical minerals. Federal climate and energy policies must not infringe on provincial and territorial jurisdiction, impact affordability, or compromise the reliability of electrical systems. Premiers discussed the impacts of the proposed Clean Electricity Regulations, Clean Fuel Regulations, the draft oil and gas emissions cap, and the federal carbon tax scheduled to increase April 1, 2025 . The federal government must ensure its climate policies recognize early and ongoing climate action by provinces and territories and acknowledges their unique needs and differences while supporting a vibrant economy. Health Care Since 2010, provinces and territories have been leaders in reducing the costs of prescription drugs through the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA). As of April 1, 2024 , the pCPA has saved $4.63 billion annually in combined jurisdictional savings. Premiers commended the good work of the pCPA, including the recent launch of the pCPA Temporary Access Process (pTAP), to ensure timely access to medicines and treatments. Together, Premiers noted their continued interest in driving work to accelerate patient access to new and lifesaving publicly funded medicines and referred this priority to Health Ministers. Provinces and territories continue to take action to improve health outcomes for Canadians, including the recruitment and retention of healthcare workers. Premiers urge the federal government to collaborate as a full partner on the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems across the country. SOURCE Council of the Federation Secretariat View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2024/16/c1991.html © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

GTWI Agrees to Provide GME Hydro LP its Patented Natural Gas to Hydrogen Conversion Process

Emmerdale viewers have been left reeling as the soap seems to have disclosed the tragic fate of Leyla Harding in an upcoming storyline. Leyla, portrayed by Roxy Shahidi, has been a fixture in the Dales since 2008, captivating audiences with her involvement in numerous gripping plots and moments of light-hearted humour. Her journey has seen her character grapple with substance abuse and engage in tumultuous love affairs. Notably, she was also a victim of the infamous Meena Jutla (played by Paige Sandhu), who shot her earlier this year. Yet, it was in October that whispers began of Leyla's impending doom, with an intense exit plot set to rock the Emmerdale fanbase. The revelation of Roxy Shahidi's departure follows a landmark year for her, featuring appearances on Dancing on Ice and the reality show Drama Queens. An insider divulged to The Sun: "Roxy has adored her time on the soap and has made so many happy memories since first joining when she was just 17. The cast have become like family to her, and she has grown so much as an actress. But now, she feels it's the perfect time to spread her wings and try something new.", reports Leeds Live . Now, speculation is rife among fans who believe the show has hinted at the manner of Leyla's death - and it appears to be a heart-wrenching turn of events. Recently in the Dales, Leyla has been seen assisting Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop) with her wedding plans to Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell). Last week saw Brenda adamant about including fireworks in their celebration, yet Leyla managed to convince her otherwise. Additionally, the village electrician Noah Dingle, portrayed by Jack Downham, called on Eric for a job. But fans are piecing together the mentions of electricity and fireworks and suspect they might foretell how Leyla will meet her end in Emmerdale. On social media, speculations are rife, with one viewer commenting: "With all the talk of electricity, fire and fireworks, I wonder if it's a hint, to do with Leyla's exit? ". Another person echoed this sentiment, saying, "I've been thinking this too, so sad she's leaving! " Meanwhile, a third added their concern: "Oh god I hope not [sick face emoji] but perhaps it will be a big stunt or something." Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm If you love your soaps pick up Love TV's Best of British Soaps, packed with all your favourite characters and storylines. As well as interviews and quizzes. Click here to buy or it's on sale at participating retailers.Trump's nominee for attorney general a longtime allyChina is reportedly preparing to activate one of the world's most advanced X-ray light sources, the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS), located near Beijing. This facility, built at a cost of $657 million, is expected to emit X-ray beams into experimental stations by late December. The fourth-generation synchrotron, one of only a few worldwide, is said to enable researchers to examine atomic-scale structures of proteins, materials, and chemical reactions. Final operational approval from the National Development and Reform Commission is being awaited before its inauguration. Breakthrough Capabilities of HEPS HEPS generates x-ray light by accelerating electrons to high energies and directing them along a circular track, as per a Science.org report . The emitted synchrotron radiation, primarily "hard" x-rays, is distributed into 14 initial beamlines. Scientists will utilise these beams to image structures at atomic and nanometre scales, as well as observe chemical processes in nanoseconds. According to ScienceAdvancer, Mingda Li, a materials quantum properties expert at MIT, described this as a groundbreaking moment for synchrotron research , likening it to the unveiling of a new telescope that uncovers previously unseen phenomena. Applications in Structural Biology and Materials Science As reported by the publication, Dong Yuhui, Deputy Director at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP), noted that HEPS will significantly advance research in structural biology. The technology will reportedly allow high-resolution imaging of protein machines, viruses, and cellular structures in their natural environments. However, managing the vast data generated by these experiments remains a key challenge. Global Competition and Future Plans HEPS marks Asia's first fourth-generation synchrotron, positioning China as a leader in advanced light source technology. While upgrades are said to be planned for Japan's SPring-8 facility to create SPring-8-II by 2029, HEPS intends to remain competitive. The addition of 30 to 32 beamlines over the next five years has been announced by Dong, ensuring its capabilities continue to evolve and support diverse scientific pursuits. By January 2025, proposals from the global research community will reportedly be accepted, with intense competition expected for beam time. For the latest tech news and reviews , follow Gadgets 360 on X , Facebook , WhatsApp , Threads and Google News . For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel . If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube .https://arab.news/6h3p5 RIYADH: Achieving Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 will require significant investment in land restoration and renewable energy, as the nation’s ambitious strategy extends beyond national goals, according to a senior executive. In an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of COP16 in Riyadh, Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, emphasized that the Kingdom’s transformative national strategy should be a global model. “Vision 2030 is a national vision from Saudi Arabia. But it can only be achieved if we invest more in land restoration. It can only be achieved if we invest more in empowering communities to manage their resources,” Thiaw said. He further added: “It is certainly an excellent vision proposed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But it goes beyond in terms of vision, in terms of ambition. It has to be implemented in many other parts of the world.” Thiaw highlighted the need for innovative solutions to address global food production challenges. For example, he pointed out the importance of doubling food production by 2050 without exhausting limited resources, calling for the adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, and water-efficient systems. He also noted that Vision 2030 stresses the importance of balancing traditional farming techniques with modern technologies to enhance soil productivity, reduce pollution, and avoid the expansion of agricultural land. “Saudi Arabia is already doing quite a bit in land restoration,” Thiaw said, referencing efforts through institutions like the Saudi Fund for Development, which has active portfolios across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. “But we all need to do more,” Thiaw added. “That will probably require that the Saudi Fund for Development, as well as other institutions where Saudi Arabia is the main shareholder, like the Islamic Development Bank, the OPEC Fund, and many other institutions, realign their portfolios to match the ambitions of COP16.” As a G20 member, Thiaw urged the Kingdom to help rally other nations to meet the G20 goal of restoring 50 percent of degraded land by 2040. The focus, he stressed, must not only be on making commitments but also on ensuring their effective implementation. “Saudi Arabia will be appreciated if it works with its peers from other countries, with South Africa, which is now the current presidency of G20, and then the future presidencies, as well as all members of the G20,” Thiaw said. Thiaw also emphasized the critical importance of integrating traditional methods, like underground irrigation, with modern technologies such as desalination and renewable energy to support sustainable development, especially in arid regions. These combined solutions can address challenges like water scarcity and energy demands while promoting economic growth. “This is where you need new technologies and combine them with the traditional technologies, including the underground irrigation that has been known here for millennia, and so we can use new technologies to make additional water available,” Thiaw said. He added: “I visited the Saudi pavilion here. I just could not believe what I saw, and from 300 megawatts just a few years back, there are now 44 gigawatts moving to 80 GW. I was stunned!” Thiaw explained that Saudi Arabia’s progress demonstrates how integrating traditional and new technologies can lead the way in energy transitions, land management, and water accessibility, creating a better future for all. Key outcomes Thiaw outlined some of the key outcomes expected from COP16, including decisions on proactive drought resilience strategies to prepare communities, businesses, and governments for future droughts rather than simply reacting to crises. An additional focus is scaling up commitments to restore degraded land, with a global reserve of 1.5 billion hectares of damaged land, and reversing the trend of losing fertile soil annually — an area the size of Egypt. He stressed that financing is central to these efforts: “We have indicated in our reports that the world needs to invest $1 billion per day. $1 billion per day needs to be invested in land restoration worldwide. Now that is a huge figure. It’s not small. This is not necessarily only public funds, but also private funds.” Thiaw added: “Not only public funds, but also private funds. The private sector must invest to sustain productivity, while harmful taxpayer-funded subsidies should be redirected toward environmentally friendly and land-friendly activities.” Collaboration with Saudi Arabia To address these pressing challenges, Thiaw expressed the UNCCD’s eagerness to collaborate with Saudi Arabia in integrating advanced technologies with traditional practices. “Our ambition is to help countries transition effectively, and Saudi Arabia is uniquely positioned to lead this effort,” Thiaw said, highlighting the Kingdom’s capacity, energy, and financial resources. He added: “Now, there is a lot of discussion at the moment under the climate negotiations to see whether we can have net zero in terms of emissions. But if you are to achieve net zero in terms of emissions, it is not only emissions coming from industry, but emissions coming from land use, because land use is the second-largest emitter.” Thiaw emphasized that degrading land increases carbon emissions, whereas restoring land acts as a natural solution by capturing carbon and returning it to the soil, thus helping to mitigate climate change. The progress showcased at the Saudi pavilion highlights how merging traditional practices with advanced technologies can pave the way for sustainable energy transitions, better land and water management, and long-term environmental and economic stability. This model serves as a benchmark for addressing resource challenges in arid regions and other vulnerable areas globally.

Football notebook: Gold Ball droughts end in state championship gamesKate Middleton reigns supreme when it comes to inspirational messages this holiday season. Ahead of hosting her annual Christmas carol service alongside husband Prince William at London’s Westminster Abbey Dec. 6, the Princess of Wales has embraced the holiday season as a time to show “love, not fear,” and to celebrate what she deems is the true spirit of Christmas. “Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year,” Kate wrote in a letter to those attending her annual celebration, per NBC News . “It is a time for celebration and joy, but it also gives us the opportunity to slow down and reflect on the deeper things that connect us all.” “It is when we stop and take ourselves away from the pressures of daily life, that we find the space to live our lives with an open heart, with love, kindness and forgiveness,” she continued, “so much of what the Christmas spirit is all about.” And even after announcing her cancer diagnosis in March, one month after her father-in-law King Charles III shared his own cancer diagnosis , Kate continued to spread hope and positivity amid a difficult year. “Love is the light that can shine bright,” she wrote, “even in our darkest times.” Indeed, the 42-year-old has never let her own struggles prevent her from being a beacon of light in difficult situations. After recently completing chemotherapy herself, Kate and William honored Liz Hatton —a 17-year-old British photographer who they met in October , fulfilling her bucket-list dream of photographing the Windsor Castle—after she passed away due to her fight with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. "We are so sorry to hear that Liz Hatton has sadly passed away," the pair shared in a message on their social media accounts Nov. 28. "It was an honour to have met such a brave and humble young woman." And just two months after sharing the completion of her own chemotherapy treatment, Kate, who stepped back from the public eye amid her health battle, eased her way back into public engagements by showing her support for their Armed Forces and veterans at the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall in November, alongside Charles. As for William—with whom Kate shares Prince George , 11, Princess Charlotte , 9, and Prince Louis , 6—he couldn’t help but gush over his wife’s resilience and strength during these difficult times. "I'm so proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done," he told reporters Nov. 7, per the BBC . "But from a personal family point of view, it's been, yeah, it's been brutal." As the royals prepare for their holiday celebrations, keep reading for more royal news from around the world. (E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.) Queen Camilla Withdraws From Public Engagements Due to Chest Infection "Her Majesty The Queen is currently unwell with a chest infection , for which her doctors have advised a short period of rest," the Buckingham Palace announced on Nov. 5. "With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week, but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend's Remembrance events as normal. She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result." Princess Beatrice is Expecting Baby No. 2 The royal and her husband of four years Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their second child together , the Royal Family announced Oct. 1. “Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their second child together early in the new year,” the caption of their Instagram post read. “His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.” Kate Middleton Completes Chemotherapy On Sept. 9, the Princess of Wales shared that she had completed chemotherapy after being diagnose with an unspecified form of cancer earlier this year. "The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you," she said in a video statement. "With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything." The royal added, "Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can." Kate Middleton's First Formal Appearance Since Cancer Diagnosis The Princess of Wales returned to the spotlight on June 15—three months after sharing her cancer diagnosis—for the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. She was joined by her husband Prince William and their three kids: Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis . Princess Anne Is Released From Hospital The Princess Royal was discharged after a five-day stay at Southmead Hospital. Her husband, Tim Laurence , said in a statement June 28, "I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all the team at Southmead Hospital for their care, expertise and kindness during my wife’s short stay." Princess Anne is Hospitalized With Concussion The younger sister of King Charles III sustained minor injuries during an incident at her estate Gatcombe Park, Buckingham Palace has announced. "Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery," the June 24 statement , shared to X, read. "The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole Royal Family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to The Princess for a speedy recovery." Kate Middleton Shares Chemotherapy Update Nearly three months after sharing her cancer diagnosis, the Princess of Wales said that she's "making good progress" with chemotherapy , though there are "good days and bad days" amid her health journey . "On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting," Kate wrote on Instagram June 14 . "But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well." She added, "My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home." New Role for Prince William On May 13, King Charles III bestowed the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to his oldest son, sparking controversy as many royal watchers believed the title would be more suited for Prince Harry , who trained and served in the military branch. Kin Charles III Returns to Public Duties On April 26, nearly three months after sharing his cancer diagnosis, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles will return to public-facing duties . Queen Camilla Attends Royal Maundy Service The queen consort attended the Royal Maundy Service on March 28 in place of King Charles III, making her the first spouse of the Monarch to continue the ancient tradition . Kate Middleton Shares Cancer Diagnosis In a March 22 video message, the Princess of Wales shared that she'd been diagnosed with cancer after undergoing abdominal surgery in January. "It was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful," she said before noting that tests after the operation found cancer had been present. "My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment." Kate Middleton Apologizes for Edited Family Photo Controversy After photo agencies pulled the picture Kensington Palace shared of Kate since having her abdominal surgery on March 10, the Princess of Wales addressed claims the photo was doctored. "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she tweeted on March 11. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C." Lady Kitty Spencer Privately Welcomes Baby Princess Diana 's niece celebrated Mother's Day in the U.K. by sharing she and her husband Michael Lewis privately welcomed their first baby. “It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one. I love you unconditionally," she captioned her March 10 Instagram post . "Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today." Queen Camilla Takes a Break After keeping up her full slate of engagements in the wake of her husband's cancer diagnosis, the palace cleared Camilla's schedule. The Times pointed out March 2 that the 76-year-old didn't have any engagements on her calendar until March 11, when she'd be due at Westminster Abbey to observe Commonwealth Day. Thomas Kensington Dies at 45 The husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and ex-boyfriend of Pippa Middleton , was found dead Feb. 25. Days later, a coroner's inquest found that he died by suicide. King Charles Diagnosed With Cancer While King Charles III was in the hospital for his benign prostate enlargement procedure, the royal family member was diagnosed with cancer . "His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties," Buckingham Palace said Feb. 5. "Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible." Sarah Ferguson Is Diagnosed With a Second Type of Cancer The Duchess of York's rep said in a statement on Jan. 21 that Sarah was recently diagnosed with malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. Several months prior, she underwent a single mastectomy to treat breast cancer. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark Abdicates the Throne On Jan. 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made history as she officially abdicated the throne, handing the crown over to her son, now known as King Frederik the 10th . Kate Middleton Is Hospitalized Kensington Palace announced on Jan. 17 that Kate Middleton underwent planned abdominal surgery and was set to remain in the hospital for 10 to 14 days. "Based on the current medical advice," the Palace said, "she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter." Prince William Adjusting His Schedule Amid Kate's recovery, Prince William postponed a number of engagements as he supported his family, including the couple's three children, Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis . King Charles III Undergoing Treatment Shortly after Kate's hospitalization was made public, Buckingham Palace shared that Charles "has sought treatment for an enlarged prostate." "His Majesty's condition is benign and he will attend hospital next week for a corrective procedure," the statement added. "The King’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period of recuperation." Luxembourg Welcomes a New Baby Princess Claire and Prince Felix of Luxembourg welcomed son Balthazar Felix Karl on Jan. 7, the first royal baby of the New Year!Gilbert makes clutch layup, steal as No. 7 LSU beats Washington 68-67 in the Bahamas

A landmark $600 million deal for a Papua New Guinea team to enter the National Rugby League comes with an escape clause allowing the Australian government to immediately terminate the agreement if PNG strikes a security or policing pact with China or other rival nations over the next decade. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape announced at a joint press conference in Sydney that a Port Moresby-based team will enter the NRL from 2028. The PNG team is likely to want Xavier Coates to be its inaugural marquee signing. Credit: Getty “Australia and PNG are the nearest of neighbours and we are the truest of friends,” Albanese said. “We are bound by a history of shared sacrifice and a common commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific. And we are united of course by a love of rugby league. That’s why I’m delighted to announce the Australian government is supporting a PNG team to join the NRL competition from 2028.” “Rugby league is PNG’s national sport and PNG deserves a national team. The new team will belong to the people of PNG and it will call Port Moresby home. It will have millions of people barracking for it from day one.” The leaders hailed the deal as a historic milestone for the PNG-Australia relationship that will bond the nations together and provide a major economic boost to the Pacific’s most populous nation as it seeks to lift much of its population out of poverty. There’s no questioning Papua New Guinea’s passion for rugby league. Credit: Getty “What this is about, isn’t just the elite level,” Albanese said. “This is about the grassroots level. It’s about economic development. It’s about the relationship between our peoples. It provides, as sport often does, an opportunity for people to succeed, not just in sport but in life. “That is why this partnership isn’t just about Papua New Guinea, it’s also about our relationship with the Pacific.” Australian taxpayers will provide $600 million over the next 10 years to help establish the team, with $120 million coming from existing Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade funding. The PNG government has committed to building compound-style accommodation for players and offering tax-free salary benefits to lure star players to its capital, Port Moresby. The Australian and PNG governments have signed a separate agreement on “shared strategic trust” that sits beside the franchise agreement between the NRL, Australia and PNG. The exact terms of the strategic trust agreement are confidential and will not be released to the public. “Today also confirms ... our bilateral security agreement, which was signed just over a year ago in Canberra,” Albanese said. “Since signing that agreement, we’ve made real progress with Australia providing tangible support to PNG’s internal security priorities ... I think that today is a day where people will look back in five years, 10 years, 20 years and see that this was a day where the relationship between our nations was cemented even further into a new level.” While there is no explicit clause granting Australia veto rights over security deals between PNG and other countries, government sources said the NRL agreement was “contingent” on PNG continuing to support the principle that security and policing arrangements are handled by Pacific nations including Australia. The sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said the agreement allows the Australian government to withdraw financial support for PNG’s NRL team without supplying a reason until 2035. The NRL would be required to terminate the PNG team’s franchise if the Australian government removes its support under the terms of the agreement. “This is about diplomacy, this is about making Australia safer, this is about securing our status as the security partner of choice in the Pacific,” a senior government source said. The government announced a new treaty earlier this week with Nauru that allows it to block China and other countries from striking any security or telecommunications deals with the tiny Pacific nation in exchange for $140 million in financial support from Australian taxpayers. PNG’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko told this masthead last week that the agreement has “nothing to do with China” but Australian government officials have insisted there was a security element to the agreement. A separate clause prohibits the NRL from asking the Australian government for more money within or after the 10-year funding period. The logo, colours and name of the PNG team are yet to be determined. One option is for the club to be called the PNG Hunters, the name given to the team that has been playing in the Queensland Cup competition since 2014. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and PNG counterpart James Marape discussed PNG’s NRL bid while walking the Kokoda Track in April. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer “I want to indicate to everyone here in Australia and back home, we’re not just filling the numbers for Anthony [Albanese] and James [Marape] to feel good,” Marape said. “Far from it. We want to win the competition. Just like the Dolphins did in their first year of entry [in 2023], we will field a very strong team in the first game in 2028. “As South Sydney lives on 100 years on from its birth, this one will live on way after you [Albanese] and me are gone. Our people forever bound in not only a shared love for rugby league, but a shared love for each other.” It remains unclear whether PNG will be the NRL’s 18th or 19th team, given there is a desire to add another side as early as 2027. The NRL remains in negotiations for a Perth-based franchise, which are continuing directly with the WA government after a consortium bid was rejected. Sources said negotiations over the PNG team were up in the air until the May NRL “magic round” in May, when Pacific Minister Pat Conroy and Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V’landys struck an in-principle agreement for a team to enter the competition. One of the likely signing targets for the franchise is Xavier Coates. The Melbourne, Queensland and Australian star was born in Port Moresby, has previously represented Fiji and, given he is only 23 years old, will likely be in his prime when the team enters the NRL. His younger brother, Phillip, is also a rising star who represented the PNG Junior Kumuls in their recent draw with the Australian Schoolboys team. As a sweetener to sign with PNG, players and staff will be granted tax-free status. That will allow a marquee signing on a $1.2 million deal to save up to $550,000 a year. The expansion of the NRL competition is expected to bring more money into the game and the existing clubs have argued for a share. They have been placated by the division of a $60 million license fee, which will come out of the $600 million Australian government payment. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter .

A paid internship program has partnered with a Central Oregon nonprofit that teaches skills for rural living to let high school students run the organization’s website and program registration, where they learn valuable tech skills while providing a useful service. Mark Gross, founder and executive director of School of Ranch, moved to Central Oregon a few years ago after a lifetime living in cities, and found he needed to learn skills needed to live on a ranch. He connected with a local to learn how to cut down trees safely, then decided to create School of Ranch so others can learn those types of practical and artisan skills. Classes range from welding to soap-making to food preservation and animal husbandry. In the past few months, Gross has expanded that teaching to technology skills as his interns have learned how to handle the school’s website, advertising and registration for new programs and classes. “We’re volunteer-led and student-run, that’s the goal,” he said. “I found ways to work with kids and give them real life experiences in technology...what I’m doing here is just an extension of that same idea.” Gross has five interns who can work where they want, when they want and on what they’re interested in. He’s been running this program for around three months, he said, after several attempts at running an internship program. “I discovered how to do this by getting it wrong like thirty times,” he said. “Intern programs usually suck. ... You’re doing fake work, you’re sort of doing made up things, you’re shadowing people and following them around but you’re not really part of anything.” Gross is aware that high schoolers have a lot of other things going on in their lives. He’s designed an internship that allows them to be flexible in their work. Gross and the students have created how-to guides for how to use the software tools to manage the registration forms, webpages, the website’s calendar and advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. Each workshop School of Ranch runs has a webpage created by interns. “Almost all the touch points that (participants) have prior going to the workshop are being put together, run, administrated by high school students,” he said. Gross wants to open the opportunity to as many high school students as he can. “I’m not trying with this thing to reach super A-plus students in super targeted career paths,” he said. “We’ll be bringing in kids with different socioeconomic backgrounds and different life experiences and giving them this kind of experience in a way that’s palatable to them.” Interns can virtually pick up tasks they’re interested in, and if they want to start something that’s new to them, they need to be trained first. Gross created tools with ChatGPT to speed up the process. “I hope to expand the range of activities that students are involved in,” Gross said. “In my experience this is a very novel way of approaching an internship program: the ‘grab me’ model, lack of a schedule, the students are involved and engaged in building the systems that they’re using, giving them real responsibility...If they get this wrong, people can’t register.” Cohen Herbert, 18, is one of School of Ranch’s interns, and said the program has been fun and helpful. He found out about it in his school’s Future Center, which helps students find work, internships and scholarships. He works on the internship for three to 10 hours a week, and said he wants to do it for as long as he can. “It’s very laid back and not stressful at all,” said Herbert, who is a high school student in Bend. He is also pursuing an associate’s degree from Central Oregon Community College. “It’s probably the best newbie job that gets into a direct field....It’s a good job, pays really well and gives me experience that looks really good for me and it’s just enjoyable all the way around.” The internship is organized through Youth Career Connect, East Cascades Works and the Youth Compass program. Youth Career Connect is partially funded by Bend-La Pine Schools and Jefferson County School District. It contributes funds, as does East Cascades Works, and the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council’s Youth Compass program uses those funds for intern specialists who work with high schools to recruit students to look at potential internship opportunities. The specialists also make sure students are ready with interview practice and a completed resume. Businesses or nonprofits in the area, like School of Ranch, host the interns. The Youth Compass program has state and federal grant money that they use to pay interns. School of Ranch interns are paid $20 an hour: the grant pays $15, and School of Ranch pays $5. For every 60 hours they work, they earn half an elective credit toward their high school diploma. Gross is looking forward to expanding the program. “I’m amazed at how much of my work I can now trust my team with,” he said. “The original ideas I had, half of them are just wrong, just proven wrong by what actually happens. I’m modifying my expectations of what how this would work.”

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