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Lebanon’s Christians feel the heat of climate change in its sacred forest and valley

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

BCHARRE, Lebanon (AP) — Majestic cedar trees towered over dozens of Lebanese Christians gathered outside a small mid-19th century chapel hidden in a mountain forest to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, the miracle where Jesus Christ, on a mountaintop, shined with light before his disciples.The sunset’s yellow light coming through the cedar branches bathed the leader of Lebanon’s Maronite Church, Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, as he stood at a wooden podium and delivered a sermon. Then the gathering sang hymns in Arabic and the Aramaic language.For Lebanon’s Christians, the cedars are sacred, these tough evergreen trees that survive the mountain’s harsh snowy winters. They point out with pride that Lebanon’s cedars are mentioned 103 times in the Bible. The trees are a symbol of Lebanon, pictured at the center of the national flag. The iconic trees in the country’s north are far from the clashes between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops along the Lebanon-Israel border ...

Spotify anuncia recorte de 17% de su fuerza laboral global

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

Spotify anunció que despedirá al 17% de su fuerza laboral global en un intento por reducir costos al tiempo que se enfoca en volverse rentable. Se trata de la tercera ronda de ceses del servicio de música en streaming este año.En un mensaje a los empleados publicado en el blog de la compañía el lunes, el director ejecutivo Daniel Ek indicó que la eliminación de puestos de trabajo forma parte de una “reorientación estratégica”. La publicación no especificó cuántos empleados perderán su trabajo, pero un portavoz confirmó que asciende a unas 1,500 personas.Spotify había utilizado financiación barata para expandir el negocio e “invirtió considerablemente” en empleados, contenido y marketing en 2020 y 2021, según la publicación del blog.Pero Ek señaló que la empresa se vio sorprendida cuando los bancos centrales comenzaron a subir las tasas de interés el año pasado, lo que puede desacelerar el crecimiento económico. Ambos plantean un desafío, añadió.“Ahora nos encontramos en un entorno m...

Rataj double-double helps Oregon State top Cal Poly 70-63 in double OT

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Sophomore Michael Rataj finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double to help Oregon State outlast Cal Poly 70-63 in double overtime Monday night.Jordan Pope had a go-ahead layup and KC Ibekwe had back-to-back baskets to cap a 6-1 run that gave Oregon State (5-3) a 68-63 lead with 33 seconds left in the second overtime.Rataj scored what turned out to be the final basket with 1:11 left in regulation, pulling Oregon State even at 49 and forcing overtime. Kobe Sanders’ layup for Cal Poly (3-6) with three seconds to go forced the second overtime tied at 60.Rataj made 9 of 18 shots for Oregon but he missed all three of his 3-pointers as the Beavers went 0 for 10 from distance. Ibekwe totaled 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Pope scored 10 and freshman reserve Josiah Lake II pitched in with nine points and nine rebounds.Freshman Quentin Jones had a season-best 21 points for the Mustangs. He made 8 of 17 shots with three...

Ayo Dosunmu’s mindset never changed during Year 2 struggles. Now he’s set to play a key role in turning around the Chicago Bulls season.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

Ayo Dosunmu never was going to let one down year change the way he approaches the game.Last season was the hard side of the learning curve for Dosunmu. After winning over Chicago Bulls fans with a breakout rookie season in 2021-22, he fell out of the starting lineup and watched his minutes dwindle as he struggled with his shot.Dosunmu’s usage continued to decline early this season as he battled for playing time in the second rotation with Jevon Carter and Alex Caruso. Dosunmu averaged barely 11 minutes in the first five games.But he remained efficient during his time on the court, shooting 51.1% from the field and tallying 1.4 steals per 36 minutes. And when a handful of injuries last week threw him back into the regular rotation — and briefly into the starting lineup — Dosunmu embraced the moment to help power the Bulls to consecutive wins.In Saturday’s victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Dosunmu reaffirmed all the reasons he can make an impact on this te...

Israel strikes in and around Gaza’s second largest city in an already bloody new phase of the war

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel intensified its bombardment in and around Gaza’s second largest city early Tuesday, as ambulances and private cars came racing into a local hospital carrying people wounded in a bloody new phase of the war in Gaza.Under U.S. pressure to prevent further mass casualties, Israel says it is being more precise as it widens its offensive into southern Gaza after obliterating much of the north. Aerial bombardment and the ground offensive have already driven three-fourths of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.At the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, ambulances brought dozens of wounded people in throughout the night. At one point, a car pulled up and man emerged carrying a young boy in a bloody shirt and whose hand had been blown off.“Where is the Red Cross? … where is the United Nations?” a woman screamed outside the emergency department. “My children, since 10 p.m., are still under the rubble.”Satellite photos taken Sunday s...

Stock market today: Asian shares slip ahead of key US economic reports

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares declined Tuesday on heavy selling of property and technology shares. U.S. futures slipped and oil prices were little changed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 2.4% to 16,238.79, while the Shanghai Composite lost 1.7% to 2,972.30 as worries flared over weakness in the Chinese economy. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 1.4% to finish at 32,775.82. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.9% to 7,061.60. South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.8% to 2,494.28. A key report on Japanese inflation showed core consumer prices in Tokyo, which excludes volatile food prices, rose 2.3% from a year ago, slowing from previous months’ increases. On Monday, the S&P 500 closed 0.5% lower. The benchmark index was coming off its best month in more than a year, and reached its highest level since March 2022 on Friday.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.8%.Treasury yields rose broadly, putting some pressure on stocks. T...

UN agency cites worrying warming trend as COP28 summit grapples with curbing climate change

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Nations weather agency is reporting that glaciers shrank more than ever from 2011 and 2020 and the Antarctic ice sheet lost 75 percent more compared to the previous ten years, as it released its latest stark report about the fallout on the planet from climate change.The World Meteorological Organization served up more evidence of what scientists already know – the Earth is heating – on Tuesday, but this time looking at the trend over a longer period with its latest Decadal State of the Climate report.“Each decade since the 1990s has been warmer than the previous one and we see no immediate sign of this trend reversing,” its secretary-general, Petteri Taalas, said. “We are losing the race to save our melting glaciers and ice sheets.”Warming oceans and melting of ice sheets caused the rate of sea-level rise to nearly double in less than a generation, he said, and WMO says that bodes ill for low-lying coastal regions and countries.Experts a...

Live updates | Israel pushes deeper south after calling for evacuations in southern Gaza

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

Israel’s military pushed deeper south Tuesday in Gaza after it called for more evacuations in the southern portion of the enclave in its pursuit to wipe out the territory’s Hamas rulers. The war has already killed more than 15,000 Palestinians and displaced over three-fourths of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, who are running out of safe places to go.The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll in the territory since Oct. 7 has surpassed 15,890, with more than 41,000 wounded. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but said 70% of the dead were women and children. Israel says it targets Hamas operatives and blames civilian casualties on the militants, accusing them of operating in residential neighborhoods. The United States, Qatar and Egypt, which mediated the earlier cease-fire, say they are working on a longer truce. But hopes for another temporary truce faded after Israel called its negotiators home over the weekend...

COP28 EU Energy Days focus on implementing the clean energy transition after launch of Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency 

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

Yesterday and today (4-5 December), the European Commission is hosting the EU Energy Days at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. For the first time, this high-level conference will take place over two days and feature 9 sessions, broadcasted from the EU Pavilion in Dubai.The events take place after 121 countries signed up to the Global Pledge on Renewables and Energy Efficiency, an initiative launched jointly by the EU and COP28 presidency and presented by President von der Leyen at the World Climate Action Summit over the weekend. The pledge sets global targets to triple the global installed capacity of renewable energy and double the global rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030 compared to the previous decade. Delivering these targets will support the transition to a decarbonised energy system, and help to phase out unabated fossil fuels. The Commission President also announced this weekend €175 million of support the Methane Finance Sprint, and...

Papua New Guinea’s prime minister says he will sign a security pact with Australia

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 07:04:31 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said Tuesday he will sign a bilateral security pact with Australia during a visit this week.Marape said the agreement to be signed with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese on Thursday will involve Australian police officers working under the command of Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner David Manning.“The security arrangement is in the best interest of Papua New Guinea and also for Australia and its regional security interests,” Marape said in a statement.“Cabinet will fully endorse the finer details before Prime Minister Albanese and I sign off,” Marape added.Albanese’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.A security treaty between Australia and its nearest neighbor, which is strategically crucial in the U.S. partners’ battle against China for regional influence, had been expected to be signed in June.But after a security agreement that Papua New Guinea signed with th...